Easter Recipe - Simnel Cake

For my next Easter Recipe I am doing a traditional Simnel Cake!

We love marzipan, so this cake is always a favourite at this time of year. The hidden layer adds a much loved flavour to a traditional fruit cake.

The top of the cake is decorated with a layer of marzipan and eleven marzipan balls. The balls represent Jesus' disciples, minus Judas.

I have taken Paul Hollywood's recipe and made it my own by changing a few ingredients, you can find the original recipe here

This is what how I made this delicious, traditional Easter cake...

Simnel Cake

Ingredients

500g marzipan
225g baking spread
225g golden caster sugar
4 eggs, at room temperature
225g plain flour
2tsp ground cinnamon
Zest of 2 oranges
4tsp orange juice
450g mixed fruit with candied peel
100g soft apricots, chopped

Method

Pre heat the oven to 150C

1 - Mix the baking spread and caster sugar until creamed together

2 - Add the orange zest, ground cinnamon, orange juice, and the eggs one at a time, mix with a little flour to prevent curdling

3 - Sift in the flour and mix until all of the ingredients are evenly combined

4 - Add the fruit and mix thoroughly

5 - Line a cake tin and place half of the cake mixture into the tin

6 - Roll out a third of the marzipan and cut a disc that is slightly smaller than the tin, place it on top of the cake mixture

7 - Place the remaining cake mixture on top of the marzipan layer

8 - Place in the pre heated oven and bake for 2 and a half hours

9 - Once baked and firm to the touch remove from the tin and leave to cool

10 - To decorate cut a disc of marzipan for the top, secure with a layer of heated lemon curd

11 - Roll 11 marzipan balls and place around the edge of the cake

12 - Brush over with egg wash and place under a hot grill for a couple of minutes to brown

This is a deliciously moist fruit cake with a soft, sweet hidden layer of marzipan.

I am a sharing this recipe with A Mummy Too's Recipe of the Week and Honest Mum's Tasty Tuesdays  pop over and check out some other lovely recipes.