Simple Simnel Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Tip the zest and juice into a bowl. Add the Cointreau, mixed fruit and cherries. Meanwhile, grease and line the base and sides of a 2kg loaf tin with baking parchment. Shape the marzipan into a sausage the length of the tin, then roll out to the width with a rolling pin.
• Put the butter, sugar, flour and eggs and milk in a bowl and beat with an electric hand-whisk until smooth. Stir in the mixed fruit and their juices. Spoon half the mixture into the loaf tin, then cover with the layer of marzipan. Top with the rest of the cake mixture and smooth the top. Bake for 1 hr 50 mins until risen and firm to the touch. (Take care if you are checking by piercing with a skewer as you may pierce the marzipan and think that the cake is not cooked yet.) Cool in tin, peel away the paper once cold. It will keep wrapped in foil for 2 weeks.
• To make the caramel almonds, tip the almonds into a frying pan and heat, swirling the pan so the almonds toast. Tip from the pan then add the sugar to the pan and heat until the sugar turns to a liquid caramel - take care not to heat it too fast or it will burn. Add the almonds, then pour onto a greased baking sheet to set. Will keep in a cool place for 2 days.
• Decorate the cake on the day you eat it, as the caramel will dissolve on contact with the cake. Mix the icing sugar with the orange zest and juice until smooth, then pour over the cake. The mix is quite wet and will dribble down the sides. Chop the almond caramel, scatter over the icing and leave until the icing sets.

Steps:

• Put the sultanas, currants and mixed peel in a bowl with the lemon juice, orange juice, and brandy, if using. Mix well, cover and leave to soak overnight.
• Heat the oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Line the base and sides of a 20cm round cake tin with baking parchment.
• Add the rest of the cake ingredients to the soaked fruit and stir until well combined. Spoon half of this mixture into the bottom of the cake tin and level it off so it's as flat as possible. Roll a third of the marzipan into a circle 20cm diameter and put it on the top. Gently add the rest of the mixture, levelling the surface again.
• Bake for approximately 2½ hours until brown, well-risen and firm to the touch. A metal skewer should come out clean when inserted. Allow to cool for 20 mins in the tin and then turn out to cool on a wire rack.
• Warm the apricot jam in a small saucepan and brush on the top of the cake. Roll out half of the remaining marzipan to the size of the top of the cake. Press it down firmly and push the edges down with your thumb to crimp it round the sides.
• Roll the rest of the marzipan into 11 balls (these represent the Apostles). Place the balls evenly on top of the cake in a circle, sticking them down with a little dab of the jam. Gently blow torch the top of the cake until the balls are a light golden brown, alternatively put the whole cake under a hot grill until the marzipan turns a light golden colour.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8 inch springform pan. Line the bottom and sides of pan with greased parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Beat in the flour. Stir in the golden raisins, currants, candied cherries, mixed fruit, lemon zest and mixed spice. Pour 1/2 of batter into prepared pan.
• Divide almond paste into 3 equal portions. Roll out 1/3 of the almond paste to an 8 inch circle. Place the circle of almond paste on the cake batter in pan. Cover with remaining cake batter.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 2 1/2 hours, or until evenly brown and firm to the touch. If the cake is browning too quickly, cover with foil after an hour of baking. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. Set oven to broil.
• When the cake has cooled, brush the top with warmed apricot jam. Roll out 1/3 of the almond paste into an 8 inch circle and place on top of cake. Divide the remaining 1/3 of almond paste into 11 pieces and roll into balls. These represent the 11 Apostles (excluding Judas.) Brush the almond paste on top of cake with beaten egg. Arrange the 11 balls around the outside edge on the top of cake. Brush the balls lightly with egg.
• Place cake under the broiler for 8 to 10 minutes, or until almond paste is golden brown.

Steps:

• Mix the soya milk with the lemon juice in a jug and set aside for a few minutes to thicken. Cut 150g of the marzipan from the larger block. Roll this out on a work surface lightly dusted with icing sugar until it's just slightly smaller than the base of a 23cm cake tin. Using the dairy-free spread, butter a 23cm springform cake tin and line with a double layer of baking parchment. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
• Mix the dried fruit, lemon zest, chopped cherries and orange zest and juice together in a large bowl, tossing a few times until well combined.
• Beat the vegan spread with the brown sugar until pale using an electric whisk, then add the flour, almonds, baking powder, spices and vanilla. Tip in the milk mixture until you have a smooth batter. Fold in the fruit along with a pinch of salt and any juice from the bowl until well combined - don't worry if the batter looks slightly curdled.
• Spoon half the batter into the prepared tin, then gently smooth the surface with the back of the spoon and top with the round of marzipan. Spoon over the remaining batter and smooth the surface again. Bake for 30 mins, then reduce the oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2 and bake for another 1 hr 45 mins-2 hrs, or until a skewer comes out clean and the cake is well-risen and firm. Carefully remove from the tin and leave to cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into slices to serve. Will keep for two weeks in an airtight container.
• Brush the warm apricot jam over the cooled cake. Cut a 200g piece from the remaining marzipan and roll it out again as before. Cut out a 23cm circle using the base of the cake tin as a guide. Use the rolling pin to help you lift the marzipan circle over the cake and gently press it onto the surface (the apricot jam will help it stick). Divide the remaining marzipan into 11 pieces and roll into balls. Use a little more jam to stick the balls around the edge of the cake - these represent the 12 apostles, minus Judas. If you like, use a kitchen blowtorch to slightly burnish the marzipan balls and topping until just golden (do this carefully so they don't burn).

Steps:

• Put the mixed dried fruit in a bowl with the orange juice and zest and 2 tbsp water. Cover and microwave for 2 mins, then leave to cool completely. Alternatively, heat gently in a pan, stirring now and then until the liquid has been absorbed and leave to cool.
• Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Roll out a third of the marzipan and use the base of a deep 20cm cake tin as a template to cut out a circle. Wrap any offcuts and the remaining two-thirds of marzipan and set aside for later. Butter and line the cake tin with a double layer of parchment. Beat the butter and sugar together until creamy. Add the eggs, flour, almonds, baking powder, lemon zest, mixed spice and vanilla (all in one go) and mix until well combined. Mix in the cooled soaked dried fruit and fold in the cherries.
• Scrape half the cake mixture into the tin. Top with the disc of marzipan, then the remaining cake mixture, and level the top with a spatula. Bake for 2 hrs. Check it's cooked by inserting a skewer to the centre of the cake, if any wet mixture clings to the skewer, return to the oven for another 10 mins, then check again. Cool in the tin for 15 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
• Brush the top of the cake with apricot jam. Roll out half of the remaining marzipan and use the base of the cake as a template to cut out another disc. Place it on top of the cake and crimp the edges, if you like. Roll the remaining marzipan into 11 equal-sized balls for the apostles. Brush the marzipan with beaten egg and arrange the apostles in a circle on top around the outside, and brush them with a little egg too. Put under a hot grill for a minute or two until just starting to caramelise - be very careful as the marzipan will burn easily. Leave to cool and wrap a ribbon around the cake, if you like. Will keep for up to a week in a sealed tin.