Simnel Cake, a classic British Easter bake that is incredibly rich and indulgent, and perfect for enjoying on Mothering Sunday and Easter, and throughout Spring. It's a delicious fruit cake layered in the middle with marzipan and topped with another layer of blow-torched marzipan plus 11 golden marzipan balls, symbolising the apostles, minus Judas.
Unlike a traditional Christmas cake, which is more heavily spiced and the dried fruit is usually soaked in rum, the Simnel cake is a lot lighter and designed to be enjoyed fresh during Mothering Sunday and Easter, but also throughout Spring.
It is also decorated with marzipan balls to symbolise the Apostles, removing one, which would be Judas. Golden marzipan is preferred over the white marzipan, which is more popular at Christmas.
Simnel cake goes back centuries in Britain, and it's a dessert that has stood the test of time. It's dense and incredibly rich, making it a centerpiece at your Easter table. It might not be the quickest Easter bake, but it's certainly the most iconic.
If you'd rather baking something quicker, I would wholeheartedly recommend the Simnel Cupcakes, which only take 25 minutes in the oven, compared to the cake, which needs 1 hour and 40 minutes in the oven.
I do love both variations, the cupcakes are cute and perfect for portion control, and more likely to be enjoyed by kids, while the cake is more of a showstopper for your Easter dinner menu.
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Note!
Go to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions!
Ingredients overview
- flour - I used plain flour, as dried fruit cakes don't really need a good lift, and are known to be quite rich and dense
- ground almonds - add a fantastic almond touch to the cake
- butter - make sure it's soft enough to be creamed with the sugar
- sugar - I used light brown sugar, for a richer depth, but you can also use granulated or caster sugar, the colour of the batter will be lighter though
- eggs - I used 3 large eggs at room temperature
- marzipan - make sure you have enough for 2 discs and 11 marzipan balls
- jam - used to brush the cake so that the marzipan topping can stick well to the cake
- dried fruit - I used mixed dried fruit and peel and glace cherries
- juice - although it can be omitted, I find that soaking the dried fruit in juice helps keep the fruit soft and plump during baking
- baking powder - we don't need a massive amount, just a bit to keep the batter airy
- ground cinnamon and mixed spice - add a subtle flavour to the cake which makes it more exquisite
Step-by-step photos and instructions
- add the dried fruit to a pan and pour the juice over
- stir well, then leave it to simmer on a medium heat until all the liquid has been absorbed
- set aside until ready to use
- in a large mixing bowl, add the soft butter and sugar, and use a hand mixer to cream them until you have a smooth and light texture
- add the eggs one by one, mixing well after each addition
- sift in the flour, add the baking powder, ground cinnamon and mixed spice, plus the hydrated dried fruit and ground almonds
- mix well to get a uniform batter
- butter and flour a 20 cm round cake tin / 8 inches
- if your marzipan is ready-rolled, use the bottom of the cake tin to cut out 2 discs
- add half of the batter, then top it with a mazipan disc, then add the remaining batter
- bake in the preheated oven at 160 degrees Celsius (320 Fahrenheit) for 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean
- remove the cake from the oven, and allow it to cool down completely
- brush the top of the cake with jam, and place the second marzipan disc on top
- shape 11 marzipan balls and arrange them onto the cake in a circle, brushing them with a bit of jam to stick better to the marzipan disc if needed
- use a blow torch or place the cake under the grill until the top is slightly caramelised
Expert tips
Soak the fruit for extra moisture, not only the fruit is nice and plump, but it also prevents it from burning or drying out during baking. A good fruit cake has to be baked for a longer time at a lower temperature, given that there is quite a good amount of batter.
Don't increase the oven temperature, or the cake will brown on the outside, while the middle stays raw. The cake will sink in the middle if it's removed too early, before it had a chance to bake well.
Allow the cake to cook down completely before you top it with marzipan, or it will melt or look messy, rather than sophisticated and delicious. Blow-torching isn't quite a must, the marzipan is fine as it is, but it does make it a lot more appealing.
Use plenty of dried fruit, it's what makes this cake unique and ensures a rich texture in every single slice. And since I have mentioned slicing, I find that it's best to slice the cake the next day, while the cake is still a bit warm, it's a lot harder to slice.
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Simnel Cake
Ingredients
- 175 g plain flour (1 ⅓ cup)
- 175 g salted butter, soft (¾ cup + 2 tbsp)
- 175 g light brown sugar (¾ cup + 1 tbsp)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice
- 500 g dried mixed fruit and peel (3 cups)
- 100 g glace cherries (⅔ cup)
- 50 g ground almonds (½ cup)
- 125 ml apple juice (½ cup)
- 700 g marzipan ( 1 lb 9 oz)
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tablespoon jam
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Instructions
- Add the dried fruit and chopped glace cherries to a pan, pour the juice over, stir well, and leave them to simmer on a medium heat until the liquid is absorbed.
- Remove the pan from the heat, and set aside until ready to use.
- Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius (320 Fahrenheit).
- Add the soft butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl, and use a hand mixer to cream them until you get a smooth texture.
- Add the eggs one by one, mixing well after each addition.
- Sift in the flour, add the ground almonds, baking powder, ground cinnamon and mixed spice plus the soaked fruit, and mix with a spatula until fully incorporated.
- Butter and flour a 20 cm / 8 inch round cake tin.
- Roll the marzipan using a rolling pin, and use the cake tin to cut 2 discs out of the marzipan.
- Transfer half of the amount of batter to the tin making sure it's in an even layer and top it with one layer of marzipan.
- Top the marzipan with the remaining batter, and bake it in the middle of the oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool down completely.
- Brush the cake with jam, arrange the second marzipan disc over, and shape 11 balls out of the remaining marpizan.
- You might want to brush each marzipan ball with jam so they can stick better to the marzipan disc.
- Use a blow torch to caramelise the top slightly.
Video
Notes
- Soak the fruit for extra moisture
- Don't increase the oven temperature, or the cake will brown on the outside, while the middle stays raw.
- Allow the cake to cook down completely before you top it with marzipan, or it will melt or look messy, rather than sophisticated and delicious.
- Blow-torching isn't quite a must, the marzipan is fine as it is, but it does make it a lot more appealing.
- I find that it's best to slice the cake the next day, while the cake is still a bit warm, it's a lot harder to slice.
Nutrition
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