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    Home » Cakes and Desserts » Celebration Cakes

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    Light Simnel Cake

    Light Simnel Cake is not as heavy as a traditional fruit cake, but has all the flavour and fruit - and lots of marzipan. Make for Mothering Sunday or Easter

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    Light Simnel Cake on a patterned plate on a yellow cloth

    Light Simnel Cake

    Simnel Cake was traditionally taken by servant girls to their mothers on Mothering Sunday, which falls three weeks before Easter. It's usually a fruit cake with a layer of almond paste, or marzipan, in the middle and another on top. It's decorated with 11 balls of marzipan, one for each disciple - apart from Judas Iscariot, who is persona non grata at this point.

    Simnel Cake can also be more of a general Easter cake - to celebrate the end of Lent and the return to eggs and sugar - and this light version is ideal for either occasion.

    Although any fruit cake will do, there are some ingredients that make this a special cake:

    Marzipan

    Marzipan, or almond paste, is an essential part of a Simnel Cake. You could make the marzipan (1 quantity is what you need), or you can buy it, in which case you need about 1kg. Any leftover can be kept in the fridge for a week or so until needed next, made into shapes like petit fours - or Marzipan Stars - or it's a good excuse to make some Simnel Cupcakes. You can use more or less of the amount you have, depending on how much you like marzipan.

    To get the right sized circles for inside and the top of the cake, I put the ball of marzipan on a silicone baking mat so it won't stick, and pat with the flat of my hand until it's about the right size and shape. Then I put a baking parchment circle of the right size on top and use a rolling pin to correct the shape. If you want to be exact, roll the marzipan a bit bigger than the parchment circle and use a knife to cut out the shape.

    Dried Fruit

    I've used cherries, raisins and candied peel, soaked in brandy, but you can use any combination of dried fruit that you like (or have in the cupboard). Similarly, you can use any spirit for soaking the fruit. The alcohol will be burned off in cooking so the cake won't contain any, but the flavour will remain.

    Flavouring

    I've kept the flavouring lighter than I would in a Christmas Cake with less mixed spice, plus the zest of an orange and some juice to add a bit of zing. Really, it's all about the fruit and feeling that spring is on the way, so nothing heavy is required!

    Helpful Tools

    • Kitchen Blow Torch - The easiest way to brown the top of a cake like this is with a blow torch, preferably one intended for the kitchen. If you are buying one, do make sure it has a safety catch so that it can't be accidentally switched on. The flame wouldn't come on anyway, but you don't really want a cupboard full of butane gas.

    If you like this...

    ...Why don’t you try:

    Simnel Cupcakes on a glass dish decorated with icing and chocolate eggs

    Simnel Cupcakes

    Simnel Cupcakes are crammed with fruit and marzipan, flavoured with orange, and topped with icing and chocolate eggs.
    Orange Simnel Cake with a slice removed showing the layer of marzipan inside

    Orange Simnel Cake

    Orange Simnel Cake is a plain orange cake with marzipan filling and topping in the tradition of a Simnel Cake. Great for Mothering Sunday or Easter.
    Chocolate Easter Nest Cake topped with chocolate cream and mini eggs

    Easter Nest Cake

    Easter Nest Cake is made with ground almonds instead of flour, so it's gluten-free. It has a cream and chocolate topping and a nest of chocolate flake and mini eggs.

    Recipe

    Light Simnel Cake on a patterned plate on a pinkcloth
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    Simnel Cake

    Light Simnel Cake is a lighter version of the traditional rich fruit cake with marzipan filling and top, made for Mothering Sunday or Easter.
    Prep Time30 minutes mins
    Cook Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
    Total Time1 hour hr 45 minutes mins
    Course: Teatime
    Cuisine: British
    Servings: 12 slices
    Author: Susie@Everyday Cooks

    Ingredients

    For a 17/18 cm (7 inch) round cake:

    • 150 g glacé cherries
    • 200 g raisins
    • 50 g chopped candied peel
    • 75 ml brandy
    • 200 g butter at room temperature
    • 175 g soft light brown sugar
    • 3 large eggs
    • 225 g self-raising flour
    • 75 g ground almonds
    • Pinch of salt
    • 1 teaspoon mixed spice (5ml)
    • 1 orange, zested and juiced (30ml)
    • 1 kg marzipan, bought or homemade
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    Equipment

    18 cm/7-inch deep round cake tin
    Rolling pin
    Silicone baking mat for rolling out the marzipan

    Instructions

    ‘Revive’ the dried fruit:

    • Wash, dry and halve the cherries
    • Put the cherries, raisins, and candied peel in a dish with the brandy
    • Heat in the microwave on MEDIUM for 3 minutes in total, stirring once or twice. Heat on HIGH for 30 seconds. Leave to stand for 30 minutes if possible

    Preparation:

    • Set the oven to 180°C/ 160°C fan/ gas mark 4/ 350°F
    • Line the base of the tin with a baking parchment circle. Grease the tin (if it needs it) with butter paper (or a little butter on kitchen paper)
    • Take ⅖ (about 400g) of the marzipan and roll it into a ball in your hands then flatten onto a prepared surface. Shape into a circle about the size of the tin, using your hands
      If you use a silicone baking mat or magic liner then you won’t need any extra icing sugar
    • Using a baking parchment circle as a template, roll the marzipan to fit. Cut off any excess
    • Put the rest of the marzipan in the fridge to keep firm.

    For the cake:

    • Put all the ingredients, except the marzipan and dried fruit, in a food processor or mixer and mix until well combined. Scrape down and briefly mix again.
      (Butter, sugar, eggs, flour, ground almonds, salt, orange zest and juice)
    • Mix the dried fruit in with a spoon so that it is well distributed
    • Spoon half the mixture into the cake tin. Place the marzipan circle over the cake mixture. Spoon the rest of the cake mixture over the marzipan and smooth
    • Cook for 1 hour 15 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean of cake mix.
      The marzipan will stick to the skewer, so check carefully
    • Cool in the tin for 10 minutes then remove and put on a wire cooling rack.

    For the topping:

    • Using another ⅖ of the marzipan, make a second disc – as before, but cutting the edge more carefully
    • Divide the remaining marzipan into 11 and fashion each piece into a ball
    • Place the marzipan disc on top of the cake and crimp with your fingers if desired (or if the edges are ragged)
    • Using a sharp knife, cut a diamond pattern into the marzipan. Position the balls evenly around the edge of the cake
    • If you want a browned top, lightly brush beaten egg over the marzipan and put under a medium grill for a few minutes.

    Video

    Notes

    Everyday Cooks tips: 

    • Use any fruit or alcohol that you like to vary the flavour
    • If your cake has dipped or peaked in the middle when it’s cooked, put a piece of baking parchment or a clean tea towel on a cooling rack and turn the cake upside down as it cools in the tin. When you turn it out of the tin keep it upside down, and by the time it’s cooled the top will usually be flat.
    • If your cake top is below the surface of the tin, run a palette knife round the sides to loosen first so that the cake drops
    • Storage - Light Simnel Cake keeps for up to a month in an airtight container in the fridge

    More Celebration Cake Recipes

    • Small Christmas Loaf Cake decorated with marzipan, icing and marzipan stars. Two mugs of tea and a Christmas decorations in the background.
      Easy Christmas Loaf Cake
    • A piece of Lemon and Elderflower Cake on a flowered plate
      Lemon and Elderflower Cake
    • Selection of cakes and cookies for Easter.
      Best Easter Cakes
    • Fruit Bundt Cake on a white plate with a slice on a blue plate. With 3 oranges on a pink table cloth
      Fruit Bundt Cake

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    Hi, I'm Susie. Mostly I love cooking and baking, but combining work and home life often leaves me feeling that providing healthy, tasty food for my family is a chore. On those days I am decidedly an Everyday Cook...

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    Light Simnel Cake on a patterned plate on a yellow cloth
    Light Simnel Cake with a slice missing, on a patterned plate on a pink cloth

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