Simnel Cake! – Jane’s Patisserie

A vintage easter bake, Simnel Cake. Stuffed with fruit and flavour, with marzipan on best and inside of… scrumptious! 

In terms of easter baking, I’m rather the fan. I’ve such a lot of bakes below my easter baking phase now that I don’t actually know what to select when I’ve a yearning. There are too many scrumptious alternatives and but, I sought after a vintage bake added in there. After the downright luck of my Christmas cake, I knew I had to do a simnel cake as smartly. 

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 stay alongside of the Christmas cake hype to be truthful and not concept such a lot of other people would make it. The recipe has a large number of elements, and takes it’s time to make, but it surely’s price it.

Simnel cake, for me anyway, is similar to Christmas cake within the flavours and concepts. I’ve already had many of us ask if they are able to use my Christmas cake recipe for an easter fruit cake, so I assumed I’d submit a Simnel cake anyway! 

This recipe is a vintage bake, with the similar dense fruity texture, however with added marzipan. A layer within the center, a layer on best, and in addition 11 balls of marzipan (supposed to constitute the apostles) and it’s really easy to make. 

The fruit

In terms of the dried fruit, I did keep on with a identical concept because the Christmas cake by way of the usage of a mix of raisins, currant, sultanas, blended peel and glacé cherries. Sure, I are aware of it seems like so much, however if you happen to’re going to make a fruit cake you wish to have it to be fruity. 

In fact, if you happen to occur to don’t have any raisins in for instance, you’ll be able to exchange them with extra currants and sultanas. You simply need the burden of the fruit to be about the similar in order that the ratios of the cake paintings. 

I additionally added within the zest and juice of an orange to this recipe, because it’s one of these vintage addition, however I do know a large number of other people can’t eat orange. If that is so, otherwise you simply fancy it, you’ll be able to use lemon as an alternative. 

The opposite elements

Once you have prepped the entire fruit, the remainder of the elements are really easy to prep. It’s principally like blending a regular cake aggregate once more, and then you definately combine within the fruit. 

• Butter – the place this mix mixes reasonably other, and also you don’t soften the butter, both a baking unfold or block butter works smartly 
• Sugar – I take advantage of gentle brown comfortable sugar as I do in such a lot of truffles, however maximum different sugars paintings smartly 
• Eggs – I take advantage of 3 medium eggs 
• Flour – this time, I used undeniable flour. Alternatively, I then did upload a elevating agent. You’ll use self elevating flour and no baking powder if wanted
• Almonds – a key a part of the bake. It’s scrumptious, and there’s already almonds within the marzipan 
• Elevating agent – as discussed above, I take advantage of a bit baking powder on this to stop a fully stodgy cake 
• Spices – a gorgeous mix of blended spice, ginger and cinnamon for a scrumptious combine 

Marzipan 

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

You’ll simply use store purchased marzipan, and incessantly it’s present in 500g packets which is perfect. You have a tendency to separate it into 3 parts, roll two of those into 8″ circles to compare the dimensions of the cake, after which use the remaining for the ornament. 

When you actually don’t wish to use it, you’ll be able to depart it out and beautify in a different way. 

Baking

The real baking of the simnel cake is very easy, as you principally need to pour part of the cake aggregate into the tin, upload a layer of marzipan, upload the second one part of the cake combine… and bake. It’s tremendous simple as it’s such a very simple cake combine to position in combination, and as soon as baking, there’s little or no left to do. 

Fruit cake can range reasonably 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 positive that the cake remains wet, it doesn’t dry out the fruit, and creates the easiest texture. 

The marzipan layer will make the cake glance a bit ordinary within the center but it surely’s simply the marzipan, so no worries. You’ll see cake is bake all through another way, and truthfully… it used to be DELICIOUS. 

Ornament 

The ornament is rather particular person relying on who makes it. They have a tendency to be identical within the sense that I take advantage of apricot jam to stay the marzipan to the cake, and apply the similar concept of the marzipan balls representing the apostles. 

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

Position the marzipan balls across the fringe of the cake, and stick down. Brush the highest of those with egg wash as smartly, after which you want the grill. I position my cake onto a baking attempt to make this more straightforward, flip my grill on, and simply watch it begin to brown. It will take some time to seem love it’s doing anything else, however it’ll flip brown unexpectedly. After that, it’s able to eat! 

Guidelines & Methods

• If you wish to have a boozy cake, apply my Christmas cake recipe and upload the marzipan to that one
• This cake will ultimate for 14+ days simply, if no longer longer. However I do have a tendency to devour it faster than that. 
• I take advantage of this cake tin for my bake 
• You’ll to find marzipan in some supermarkets, or on-line simply. 

• 75 g raisins
• 75 g sultanas
• 75 g currants
• 50 g blended peel
• 100 g glacé cherries (halved)
• Zest of 1 orange
• Juice of 1 orange
• 225 g unsalted butter
• 225 g gentle brown comfortable sugar
• 3 medium eggs (plus additional)
• 150 g undeniable flour
• 150 g floor almonds
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp blended 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 

• Reduce out a circle of marzipan that fits the dimensions of cake tin (8″), the usage of about 1/3 of the marzipan 

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

• Microwave for two mins on top, or warmth in a pan for 10 mins

• Upload the butter and sugar to a bowl and beat in combination 

• Upload the eggs, flour, floor almonds, baking powder, blended spice, ginger, and cinnamon and blend

• Upload the soaked fruit and blend in 

• Upload part of the cake combine to a pan, upload the circle of marzipan, and pour the remainder of the cake combine on best

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

• Brush the highest of the cake with the apricot jam

• Upload any other circle of marzipan the usage of any other 3rd of marzipan and roll the remaining into 11 balls and upload across the fringe of the cake

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

ENJOY!

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J x

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