How to Bake Simnel Cake
Yields: 1 cake
Preparation time: 40 mins
Cooking time: 2 ½ hours
Ingredients needed to make Simnel Cake:
- 8 oz self-raising flour
- 4 large eggs
- 8 oz butter, softened
- 4 oz glace cherries, quartered
- 4 oz sultanas
- Grated zest of 2 lemons
- 2 oz candied peel, chopped
- 4 oz currants
- 8 oz light muscovado sugar
- 2 tsp ground mixed spice
For the topping and filling:
- 2 tbsp apricot jam, warmed
- 1 lb marzipan
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
Cooking instructions for Simnel Cake:
- Warm up your oven to 280 degrees F and lightly butter an 8’’ cake pan to grease, followed by a sheet of parchment paper on top.
- Place the cherry pieces in a sieve and wash them under running water.
- Drain them out onto a plate and dab them with paper towels to blot dry.
- Place the flour in a bowl and toss the cherries into it, along with rest of the dried fruits, candied and fresh peel, sugar, butter and mixed spice.
- Crack the eggs into it and fold then together thoroughly until they blend into a uniform mixture with minimal lumps.
- Tip half of the batter into the prepared pan and set aside.
- Roll 1/3 of the marzipan into a circle, with its diameter, similar to that of the pan and position it on top of the batter.
- Pour rest of the batter on top and smooth out the surface with a spatula.
- Bake the cake in the oven for about 2 ½ hours or until it puffs up, properly baked and the surface browns evenly.
- Set aside outside the oven for about 10 minutes to cool and remove the parchment paper.
- Continue to cool it on the wire rack until it reaches room temperature.
- Warm up the apricot jam and brush it all over the surface of the cooled cake.
- Roll half of 2/3rd marzipan into a round circle and place it on top.
- Give it a firm press and crumple the edges to make it look better.
- Make patterns on it using a sharp knife and shape rest of the marzipan into 11 small globes.
- Smother the marzipan surface with small amount of beaten egg and place the balls around the borders.
- Paint the balls with the rest of the beaten egg and heat it up in a hot oven at low temperature, until the surface brown slightly and appears toasted.
- Remove from heat and set aside to cool completely.
- Slice and serve.
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
