Simnel cake is one of those wonderfully old-fashioned British traditions that I think deserves a comeback. It’s essentially a light fruit cake with a layer of marzipan baked into the middle and more on top, decorated with eleven marzipan balls representing the apostles (minus Judas, for obvious reasons). I make one every Easter, and it’s become something the family genuinely looks forward to.
It’s lighter than a Christmas cake — think more along the lines of a rich tea-time cake — and the marzipan layer through the middle is an absolute revelation if you haven’t tried it before.
Ingredients
- 175g unsalted butter, softened
- 175g light muscovado sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 225g self-raising flour
- 2 tsp mixed spice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 350g mixed dried fruit (sultanas, raisins, currants)
- 50g glacé cherries, quartered
- 50g mixed peel
- Zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange
- 2 tbsp milk
- 500g marzipan
- 3 tbsp apricot jam, warmed and sieved
- 1 egg yolk, beaten (for glazing)
Method
- Preheat the oven to 160°C (140°C fan). Grease and double-line a deep 20cm round cake tin.
- Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding a spoonful of flour with each to prevent curdling.
- Fold in the remaining flour and spices, then stir in the dried fruit, cherries, mixed peel, citrus zest, and milk.
- Roll one-third of the marzipan into a circle the same size as your tin.
- Spoon half the cake mixture into the tin and smooth the top. Place the marzipan circle on top, then cover with the remaining cake mixture.
- Bake for 2–2¼ hours until a skewer comes out clean. Cover the top with foil if it’s browning too quickly. Leave to cool completely in the tin.
- Brush the top of the cooled cake with warmed apricot jam. Roll out half the remaining marzipan into a circle and place on top. Shape the rest into 11 balls and arrange around the edge.
- Brush the marzipan with beaten egg yolk and place under a hot grill for 1–2 minutes until the marzipan is lightly toasted and golden. Watch it like a hawk — it can burn in seconds.
Simnel cake keeps beautifully for up to a week in an airtight tin, the marzipan acting as a natural preservative. I like to make it a few days before Easter Sunday so the flavours have time to develop. A thin slice with a cup of tea in the afternoon sun is about as good as life gets in late March.
