Simnel Cake (2 recipes)
Simnel cake is the traditional British Easter fruit cake, usually eaten on Easter Sunday or during the Easter season after Lent. It is distinctive for its layer of marzipan baked into the middle and another on top. The decoration of eleven small marzipan balls represents the eleven faithful apostles, excluding Judas, and became a symbolic way of linking the celebratory cake to the Christian story of Holy Week and the Resurrection. Historically associated with the end of the Lenten fast, Simnel cake marks the return of richer ingredients such as butter, eggs, and sugar to the table.
Traditional Simnel Cake
Ingredients
- 225 g butter soft
- 225 g caster sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 225 g self-raising flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 350 g mixed dried fruit
- 50 g glacé cherries quartered
- zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp milk
- about 500 g marzipan
- 2 tbsp apricot jam
- 1 beaten egg for glaze
Instructions
- Line a deep 20 cm cake tin. Heat oven to 160°C fan (180°C conventional).
- Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Fold in flour, baking powder and spice, then stir in dried fruit, cherries, lemon zest and milk to give a soft dropping mixture.
- Roll one third of the marzipan into a circle to fit the tin. Spoon half the cake mixture into the tin, level, place the marzipan layer on top, then cover with remaining mixture and smooth.
- Bake for about 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours. If the cake browns too quickly, cover loosely with foil. It is ready when a skewer comes out clean. Cool fully in the tin.
- Warm the apricot jam and brush over the top. Roll another marzipan circle and place on the cake. Shape the remaining marzipan into eleven equal balls and arrange around the edge.
- Brush lightly with beaten egg and place briefly under a hot grill, or use a blowtorch, until lightly golden. Watch carefully as marzipan colours very quickly.
Notes
The middle marzipan layer is essential for a true Simnel cake. Bake low and slow to keep the fruit moist. Add a splash more milk if the batter feels stiff before baking.
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Small Simnel Cake (6-inch)
serves 2–4
A small traditional Simnel cake with its classic baked marzipan layer and eleven marzipan balls, perfect for a modest Easter table or a couple’s celebration.
Ingredients
Ingredients
Cake batter
- 100 g butter soft
- 100 g caster sugar
- 2 medium eggs
- 100 g self-raising flour
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp mixed spice
- 150 g mixed dried fruit
- 25 g glacé cherries chopped
- zest of ½ lemon
- 1-2 tbsp milk
Decorating
- about 200 g marzipan
- 1 tbsp apricot jam
- 1 beaten egg for glaze
Instructions
- Line a deep 15 cm (6-inch) round tin. Heat oven to 160°C fan (180°C conventional).
- Cream butter and sugar until light, then beat in the eggs one at a time. Fold in the flour, baking powder and spice. Stir in the dried fruit, cherries, lemon zest and enough milk to give a soft dropping consistency.
- Roll about one third of the marzipan into a circle to fit inside the tin. Spoon half the mixture into the tin, level it, lay the marzipan circle on top, then cover with the remaining mixture and smooth.
- Bake for about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, covering loosely with foil if it browns too fast. The cake is ready when a skewer comes out clean. Cool completely.
- Warm the apricot jam and brush over the top. Roll another marzipan circle and place on the cake. Form eleven small marzipan balls, arrange around the edge, brush lightly with beaten egg, then briefly grill or torch until lightly golden. Watch carefully as marzipan colours quickly.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!