Can I persuade you away from the chocolate nests for just a moment to introduce the Simnel Cake - an absolute *must* of an Easter treat. Easily identified by the ring of 11 balls on a frilly cover of yellow marzipan, this is a light, moist fruitcake to win hearts and prizes.
Back in the 19th century, the Simnel Cake was eaten during the middle of Lent, on Mothering Sunday - given by servant girls to their mothers. Thus we have a perfect excuse (if one is needed) to buy in the marzipan and bustle the children into the kitchen ‘for mummy’.
The recipe itself isn’t difficult to master - it’s one of those ‘bung into a large bowl’ methods, which makes it perfect for small hands to help create. The difference (the magic) is introduced with a layer of marzipan running through the middle of the cake - plus the layer on the top, decorated with 11 marzipan balls to represent the (faithful) apostles. No Judas on *our* cake.
The top is then brushed with egg wash and grilled to turn the marzipan golden. We foraged for some edible spring flowers to place on top - which you could crystallise if you were feeling ambitious and have an extra egg white to hand.
It really is a delicious cake, packed with fruit but without the dense weight of a Christmas cake.
The recipe we use is by the wonderful Mary Berry from her Baking Bible.
From Mary Berry’s Baking Bible
Ingredients
For the filling and topping
Method
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Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2. Grease a 20cm/8in deep round cake tin and then line the base and sides with baking parchment.
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Quarter the cherries and rinse under running water. Drain and then dry thoroughly with kitchen paper.
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Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, to prevent them from curdling. Sift in the flour and mix it in a little at a time. Stir the fruit, peel, zest and mixed spice thoroughly into the mixture. Place half the mixture into the prepared tin and level the surface.
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Take one-third of the marzipan and roll it out to a circle the size of the tin and then place the circle on top of the cake mixture. Put the remaining cake mixture on top and level the surface.
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Bake in the preheated oven for about 2½ hours until well-risen, evenly brown and firm to the touch. Cover with foil after one hour if the top is browning too quickly. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes and then turn out and finish cooling on a wire rack.
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When the cake is cool, warm the apricot jam. Brush the top of the cake with a little of the jam and roll out half of the remaining marzipan to fit the top of the cake. Press firmly on the top and crimp the edges to decorate. Mark a criss-cross pattern on the marzipan with a sharp knife. Form the remaining marzipan into 11 balls.
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Brush the marzipan with beaten egg and arrange the marzipan balls around the edge of the cake. Brush the tops of the balls with beaten egg, too, and then place the cake under a hot grill to turn the marzipan golden-brown (or you can use a kitchen blowtorch if you have one).
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