Easter simnel cake

Helen Goh

cake

Placeholder image

Servings

12 Servings

Prep time

15 Minutes

Cooking Time

20 Minutes

Calories

--- Kcal

Ingredients

  • 250g mixed dried fruits
  • 60 unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  • 100ml water
  • finely grated zest of 1 lemon
  • 40g ground almonds
  • 40g plain flour
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ground ginger
  • ¼ tsp fine sea salt
  • 250g marzipan, broken into pieces
  • 4 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 40g flaked almonds
  • 50g-60g smooth apricot jam

Directions

  1. Combine the mixed dried fruits, butter, water and lemon zest in a medium saucepan and place over low heat. When the butter has melted, increase the heat slightly and simmer gently until all the liquid has been absorbed (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat and transfer to a shallow bowl to cool to room temperature.
  2. Line the base and sides of a 20cm cake tin with baking paper, then preheat oven to 175C fan-forced (195C conventional).
  3. Place the ground almonds, flour, cinnamon, ginger and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
  4. Place the marzipan in the bowl of a cake mixer and beat with the paddle attachment on low speed for about a minute to soften it. Increase the speed to medium-low and beat for another minute, then add the eggs one at a time. Beat for about 30 seconds after each addition, scraping the base and sides of the bowl well to make sure the marzipan doesn’t stick to the bottom of the bowl. When all the eggs have been added, increase the speed to medium and beat the mixture for 5 minutes until light and creamy. Remove the bowl from the mixer and sift the dry ingredients directly into the bowl. Add the dried fruits and fold gently with a flexible spatula to combine, making sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to disperse any lumps.
  5. Scrape the batter into the prepared cake tin and sprinkle the flaked almonds all over the top. Place in the preheated oven and bake for about 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and place on a wire rack. When it’s cool, remove it from the tin and place on a plate.
  6. Warm the jam by spooning it into a small saucepan over a low heat or place in a bowl and heat in the microwave. Gently brush the runny jam over the warm cake and allow it to cool before serving.