SIMNEL CAKE
SIMNEL CAKE
Servings
*many
Servings
*many
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Line the base and sides of a 17cm round, with parchment.
  2. Place all almond paste ingredients in a bowl and work together into a dough using your hand. Set aside.
  3. Preheat the oven to 175°C
  4. Pre weigh your cake ingredients, mixing all the fruit and nut elements together so they are evenly distributed in a bowl.
  5. Cream butter with sugar, beating until light and fluffy.
  6. Beat in eggs one at a time along with a spoonful of flour to prevent curdling.
  7. Set aside beaters and sieve in remaining flour.
  8. Gently fold in all remaining ingredients along with the flour using a spatula.
  9. Put half of the cake mixture into the prepared tin and roll out just under half the almond paste into a circle on a surface with a light dusting of icing sugar of such a size to fit the tin.
  10. Place on top of the cake mix and cover with the remainder of the mix, making a gentle hollow in the centre. This should account for any rise in the cake giving you a flat top.
  11. Put into the preheated oven for 45mins. When the cake starts to have a golden top place a thick layer of parchment over it to prevent burning for the remainder of cooking time.
  12. After 45mins reduce heat to 160°C and bake for another hour.
  13. Test the cake with a skewer. It should come out clean however be aware you may get an inaccurate reading if you misread the marzipan centre. Give it a further 15mins if necessary then test again. When it is ready set aside to settle for 15mins before turning it onto a cooling tray.
  14. Set aside some marzipan for the ‘apostles’ and roll the remainder on a surface with a light dusting of icing sugar. It should be a circle of a size to neatly fit on top of the cake.
  15. When the cake is cold, brush the top with a thin layer of apricot jam and lay on marzipan.
  16. Use a knife to score the marzipan decoratively if wished and brush with beaten egg.
  17. Divide remaining marzipan into 11 and roll each into a ball. Apply evenly around the edge. Brush them with beaten egg too.
  18. Toast in a vey hot oven for 15mins – keeping an eye on it – until marzipan is toasted golden.
Recipe Notes

A traditional bake for Easter

J Gow Orkney Spiced Rum works beautifully for this recipe