Simnel Cake! – Jane’s Patisserie

A basic easter bake, Simnel Cake. Filled with fruit and flavour, with marzipan on high and inside… scrumptious! 

In terms of easter baking, I’m fairly the fan. I’ve so many bakes below my easter baking part now that I don’t actually know what to select when I’ve a craving. There are too many scrumptious selections and but, I wished a basic bake added in there. After the downright success of my Christmas cake, I knew I wanted to do a simnel cake as nicely. 

Simnel Cake

At Christmas time I posted my Christmas Cake recipe and oh wow golly it went somewhat bit mad! I couldn’t actually sustain with the Christmas cake hype to be trustworthy and by no means thought so many individuals would make it. The recipe has quite a lot of elements, and takes it’s time to make, but it surely’s value it.

Simnel cake, for me anyway, is similar to Christmas cake within the flavours and concepts. I’ve already had many individuals ask if they’ll use my Christmas cake recipe for an easter fruit cake, so I believed I’d publish a Simnel cake anyway! 

This recipe is a basic bake, with the identical dense fruity texture, however with added marzipan. A layer within the center, a layer on high, and likewise 11 balls of marzipan (meant to symbolize the apostles) and it’s really easy to make. 

The fruit

In terms of the dried fruit, I did persist with the same concept because the Christmas cake through the use of a mix of raisins, currant, sultanas, combined peel and glacé cherries. Sure, I do know it seems like lots, however in case you’re going to make a fruit cake you need it to be fruity. 

After all, in case you occur to haven’t any raisins in for instance, you may exchange them with extra currants and sultanas. You simply need the load of the fruit to be about the identical in order that the ratios of the cake work. 

I additionally added within the zest and juice of an orange to this recipe, because it’s such a basic addition, however I do know lots of people can’t devour orange. If so, otherwise you simply fancy it, you need to use lemon as a substitute. 

The opposite elements

After you’ve gotten prepped the entire fruit, the remainder of the elements are really easy to prep. It’s principally like mixing a standard cake combination once more, and then you definately combine within the fruit. 

• Butter – the place this combination mixes barely completely different, and also you don’t soften the butter, both a baking unfold or block butter works nicely 
• Sugar – I take advantage of mild brown mushy sugar as I do in so many muffins, however most different sugars work nicely 
• Eggs – I take advantage of 3 medium eggs 
• Flour – this time, I used plain flour. Nonetheless, I then did add a elevating agent. You should use self elevating flour and no baking powder if wanted
• Almonds – a key a part of the bake. It’s scrumptious, and there may be already almonds within the marzipan 
• Elevating agent – as talked about above, I take advantage of somewhat baking powder on this to forestall a totally stodgy cake 
• Spices – a stunning combination of combined spice, ginger and cinnamon for a scrumptious combine 

Marzipan 

So principally a simnel cake and marzipan come hand in hand, and you’ll’t actually have a basic simnel cake with out it. I do know, marzipan isn’t to everybody’s style, but it surely actually is finest. 

You’ll be able to simply use store purchased marzipan, and sometimes it’s present in 500g packets which is right. You have a tendency to separate it into three parts, roll two of those into 8″ circles to match the dimensions of the cake, after which use the remaining for the ornament. 

If you happen to actually don’t wish to use it, you may go away it out and beautify otherwise. 

Baking

The precise baking of the simnel cake is really easy, as you principally need to pour half of the cake combination into the tin, add a layer of marzipan, add the second half of the cake combine… and bake. It’s tremendous simple as a result of it’s such a simple cake combine to place collectively, and as soon as baking, there’s little or no left to do. 

Fruit cake can differ barely in baking occasions naturally, however I at all times bake mine for 2 hours at a decrease temp. The decrease temp of the oven makes positive that the cake stays moist, it doesn’t dry out the fruit, and creates the right texture. 

The marzipan layer will make the cake look somewhat odd within the center but it surely’s simply the marzipan, so no worries. You’ll be able to see cake is bake all through in any other case, and actually… it was DELICIOUS. 

Ornament 

The ornament is sort of particular person relying on who makes it. They are usually related within the sense that I take advantage of apricot jam to stay the marzipan to the cake, and observe the identical concept of the marzipan balls representing the apostles. 

I brush the apricot jam excessive, and press down the second marzipan circle of the recipe. You’ll be able to beautify it extra closely right here by crimping the perimeters of the marzipan, however I didn’t myself. I then brushed the highest with egg wash, as this can assist it brown, after which rolled the remainder of the marzipan into the 11 balls. 

Place the marzipan balls across the fringe of the cake, and stick down. Brush the highest of those with egg wash as nicely, and then you definately want the grill. I place my cake onto a baking attempt to make this simpler, flip my grill on, and simply watch it begin to brown. It could take some time to appear to be it’s doing something, however it’ll flip brown abruptly. After that, it’s able to devour! 

Ideas & Methods

• In order for you a boozy cake, observe my Christmas cake recipe and add the marzipan to that one
• This cake will final for 14+ days simply, if not longer. However I do are inclined to eat it faster than that. 
• I take advantage of this cake tin for my bake 
• You will discover marzipan in some supermarkets, or on-line simply. 

• 75 g raisins
• 75 g sultanas
• 75 g currants
• 50 g combined peel
• 100 g glacé cherries (halved)
• Zest of 1 orange
• Juice of 1 orange
• 225 g unsalted butter
• 225 g mild brown mushy sugar
• 3 medium eggs (plus further)
• 150 g plain flour
• 150 g floor almonds
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp combined spice
• 1/2 tsp floor ginger
• 1/2 tsp floor cinnamon
• 2-3 tbsp apricot jam
• 500 g marzipan

• Preheat the oven to 150ºc/130ºc fan and double line a deep 8” cake tin 

• Minimize out a circle of marzipan that matches the dimensions of cake tin (8″), utilizing about 1/3 of the marzipan 

• Add the raisins, sultanas, currant, combined peel, glace cherries, orange zest and orange juice to a bowl and 50ml of water

• Microwave for two minutes on excessive, or warmth in a pan for 10 minutes

• Add the butter and sugar to a bowl and beat collectively 

• Add the eggs, flour, floor almonds, baking powder, combined spice, ginger, and cinnamon and blend

• Add the soaked fruit and blend in 

• Add half of the cake combine to a pan, add the circle of marzipan, and pour the remainder of the cake combine on high

• Bake for two hours, till a skewer inserted comes out clear and funky totally 

• Brush the highest of the cake with the apricot jam

• Add one other circle of marzipan utilizing one other third of marzipan and roll the remaining into 11 balls and add across the fringe of the cake

• Brush the highest with somewhat egg wash and grill within the oven for 1-2 minutes to golden  

ENJOY!

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