Dessert

Simnel Cake

Baked to golden perfection, this Simnel cake boasts a tender crumb and a delightful balance of flavours, with its blend of rich fruitiness and warm spice. The almond essence from the marzipan adds a sweet and nutty undertone, enhancing the overall taste experience. Whether enjoyed with a cup of tea, shared with loved ones during festive gatherings, or given as a thoughtful gift, this classic confection captures the essence of tradition and celebration.

Baked to golden perfection, this Simnel cake boasts a tender crumb and a delightful balance of flavours, with its blend of rich fruitiness and warm spice. The almond essence from the marzipan adds a sweet and nutty undertone, enhancing the overall taste experience.

Cooking time1 hour 30 minutes
Preparation time1 hour
Servings10 portions

INGREDIENTS
PREPARATION

380 g plain flour
1.5 tsp baking powder
1.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp mixed spice / pumpkin spice blend
190 g Flora Plant B+tter Unsalted
190 g soft brown sugar
1 orange (zest & juice)
1 lemon (zest & juice)
500 g mixed dried fruit
225 ml soya milk
700 g white marzipan
50 g apricot jam

Preheat oven to 160oC
Mix the dried fruit, sugar, orange and lemon zest and juice together.
Mix all the other dry ingredients and crumb in the Flora Plant B+tter Unsalted.
Once the mix appears to be like a fine crumb, add in the fruit mixture and the soya milk to make a batter.
Line a 23cm tin twice and fill with half of the fruit cake mixture.
Roll a 8mm disc of marzipan just smaller than the diameter of the tin.
Place on top of the fruit cake batter. Top with remaining fruit cake batter.
Bake for approx 1hr30 min to 2hrs.
Warm the apricot jam with a splash of water and brush all over the warm cake.
Allow to cool, while rolling a second disc of marzipan the same size as the top of the cake and approx 8mm deep.
Place on top of the cake. Roll 9 evenly sized balls, approx 10g each, of the marzipan.
Use a small amount of the jam to brush the balls and stick to the top of the cake evenly spaced around the edge.
Crimp the edge of the marzipan and lightly brown all the marzipan with a blow torch.