Simnel Cake {Easter Classic}

A close up of a traditional Simnel Cake, topped with marzipan, on a white plate, with a slice cut out.

5 from 1 vote

Simnel Cake {Easter Classic}

Simnel Cake is a British classic made with fruit and marzipan. This easy and traditional recipe is perfect for celebrating Easter, Mother’s Day and springtime.

Prep Time30

Cook Time3

Fruit soaking time2

Total Time5 30

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: Family Food

Servings:

Author: Sarah Rossi

Ingredients

For the cake:

600 g Dried mixed fruit
150 ml Apple juice
1 Lemon Juice and zest
3 Eggs
150 g Plain flour
1 tsp Baking powder
185 g Unsalted butter Room temperature
1 tsp Ground cinnamon
1 tsp Ground ginger
150 g Light brown soft sugar
500 g Marzipan

To decorate:

3 tbsp Apricot jam
1 Egg Beaten

Metric - Imperial

Instructions

Put the dried mixed fruit, apple juice and lemon juice and zest, into a large bowl and mix well.
Either leave to soak overnight covered with cling film or put in a microwavable bowl and microwave 5 minutes until the fruit has softened and some of the liquid has been absorbed, then set aside for 1 hour to cool.
Line the base and sides of an 18cm deep sided cake tin with baking paper, then line the outside to. Do this by taking another sheet of baking paper twice the height of your tin, folded in half and wrap it around the outside and secure it tightly with some string.
When you’re ready to make the cake, preheat the oven to 120°C/250°F fan, 140°C/280°F, Gas Mark 1.
In a large bowl, mix the soaked fruit and liquid, eggs, flour, baking powder, butter, cinnamon, ground ginger and sugar. Beat well with a handheld electric whisk or a wooden spoon, until the mixture is combined and there are no pockets of flour remaining.
Cut the marzipan into 3 equally sized pieces (each weighing around 160g), wrap 2 of them in cling film and set to one side. Roll the remaining piece of marzipan out 5mm thick and cut out an 18cm circle, the same size as your tin.
Pour half of the cake mixture into your lined tin and place the marzipan circle on top.
Add the remaining half of cake mix to the tin, smooth the top so it is level and bake for 3 hours.
After this time, check the cake is cooked by inserting a skewer into the middle. If any cake mixture remains on the skewer, bake for a little longer. The cake should be an even gold colour.
Remove the cake from the tin and leave to cool.
When the cake is cool, roll one of the reserved thirds of marzipan out to 5mm thick and cut a 18cm circle, using the cake tin as a guide.
Brush the apricot jam over the top of the cake and place the marzipan on top. Pinch in the edges for a nice finish.
Cut the last third of marzipan into 11 even pieces and roll into balls.
Brush the marzipan with the beaten egg and stick the 11 balls (weighing around 15g each) evenly around the outside edge of the cake and brush them with the beaten egg too.
Heat the grill to high and place the cake underneath for a few minutes until the marzipan starts to caramelise.
Leave to cool and serve.

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Notes

Soaking the fruit: I prefer to soak the fruit overnight but if you forget this part of the recipe, you can salvage it by covering the fruit with cling film and, in a suitable bowl, microwaving it for about 5 minutes until the fruit has softened and some of the liquid has been absorbed. Set it aside to cool it for an hour before carrying on with the recipe.

Cutting the marzipan: If you’re getting ready-rolled marzipan, try to get it in 18cm circles so they fit nicely into our 7 inch tin (I just trim it down if it’s bigger.) If you’ve got a chunk of marzipan instead, separate it into three equal parts (they should weigh about 160g each). Keep them in cling film until you’re ready to use them. When you’re ready, roll out the marzipan for cake layers so they’re 5mm thick, and cut them out into 18cm circles to fit into your cake tin. I use the base of my tin as a guide to do this.

Grilling at the end: I find the topping caramelises nicely with a few minutes under the grill and finishes off the cake nicely. Keep an eye on it though as you don’t want it to burn!

Storing: Keep for up to a week in an airtight container.

Nutrition