Description
Celebrate your next special occasion with this delightful Simnel Cake recipe. A traditional British fruit cake filled with dried fruit, almonds, and marzipan layers, this dessert is perfect for Easter or any festive gathering.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
Wet Ingredients:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup milk
Fruit and Nuts:
- 2 cups mixed dried fruit (raisins, currants, sultanas, chopped dried apricots)
- ½ cup chopped candied peel
- 1 cup marzipan (divided into two ½-cup portions)
- ¼ cup chopped almonds
- zest of 1 lemon
- zest of 1 orange
Decoration:
- 2 tablespoons apricot jam
- 11 small marzipan balls for decoration
Instructions
- Preheat oven: Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C) and prepare cake pan.
- Mix dry ingredients: Combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice in a bowl.
- Cream butter and sugar: Beat butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla.
- Combine wet and dry: Mix in milk and gradually add dry ingredients. Fold in fruits, peel, almonds, and zests.
- Layer batter: Spoon half of batter into pan, layer with marzipan, then top with remaining batter.
- Bake: Bake for 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours. Cool, then glaze with apricot jam and decorate with marzipan.
Notes
- Traditionally served at Easter.
- The 11 marzipan balls symbolize the apostles.
- Flavors develop if made ahead of time.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: British
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 420
- Sugar: 38 g
- Sodium: 160 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 63 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
