Simnel Cake! – Jane’s Patisserie

A traditional easter bake, Simnel Cake. Stuffed with fruit and flavour, with marzipan on prime and inside… scrumptious! 

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

Simnel Cake

At Christmas time I posted my Christmas Cake recipe and oh wow golly it went a bit 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 a number of substances, and takes it’s time to make, nevertheless it’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 will use my Christmas cake recipe for an easter fruit cake, so I assumed I’d put up a Simnel cake anyway! 

This recipe is a traditional bake, with the identical dense fruity texture, however with added marzipan. A layer within the center, a layer on prime, and in addition 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 an analogous thought because the Christmas cake by utilizing a combination of raisins, currant, sultanas, combined peel and glacé cherries. Sure, I do know it feels like so much, however when you’re going to make a fruit cake you need it to be fruity. 

After all, when you occur to haven’t any raisins in for instance, you’ll be able to substitute them with extra currants and sultanas. You simply need the burden 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 traditional addition, however I do know lots of people can’t eat orange. If that is so, otherwise you simply fancy it, you should utilize lemon as an alternative. 

The opposite substances

After you will have prepped all the fruit, the remainder of the substances are really easy to prep. It’s mainly 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 properly 
• Sugar – I take advantage of mild brown delicate sugar as I do in so many truffles, however most different sugars work properly 
• Eggs – I take advantage of 3 medium eggs 
• Flour – this time, I used plain flour. Nevertheless, 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 a bit baking powder on this to stop a very stodgy cake 
• Spices – a beautiful combination of combined spice, ginger and cinnamon for a scrumptious combine 

Marzipan 

So mainly a simnel cake and marzipan come hand in hand, and you’ll’t actually have a traditional simnel cake with out it. I do know, marzipan isn’t to everybody’s style, nevertheless it actually is greatest. 

You possibly can simply use store purchased marzipan, and sometimes it’s present in 500g packets which is good. You have a tendency to separate it into three parts, roll two of those into 8″ circles to match the scale of the cake, after which use the remainder for the ornament. 

If you happen to actually don’t wish to use it, you’ll be able to go away it out and adorn in another way. 

Baking

The precise baking of the simnel cake is very easy, as you mainly must 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 range barely in baking occasions naturally, however I all the time bake mine for 2 hours at a decrease temp. The decrease temp of the oven makes certain that the cake stays moist, it doesn’t dry out the fruit, and creates the proper texture. 

The marzipan layer will make the cake look a bit odd within the center nevertheless it’s simply the marzipan, so no worries. You possibly can see cake is bake all through in any other case, and truthfully… it was DELICIOUS. 

Ornament 

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

I brush the apricot jam excessive, and press down the second marzipan circle of the recipe. You possibly can adorn it extra closely right here by crimping the sides 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 properly, 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 might take some time to appear to be it’s doing something, however it can flip brown all of the sudden. After that, it’s able to devour! 

Ideas & Tips

• 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 delicate 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 

• Lower out a circle of marzipan that matches the scale 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 prime

• 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 remainder into 11 balls and add across the fringe of the cake

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

ENJOY!

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J x

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