Simnel cake

Name: Simnel cake
Prep time: 50 min
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h 50 min
Yield: Serves 8-12
Ingredients: 300 g (10 oz) plain flour; 50 ml (1¾ fl oz) Grand Marnier; 600 g (1¼ lb) marzipan; finely grated rind of 1 orange and 1 lemon; 80 g (2¾ oz) apricot jam; 30 g (1 oz) icing sugar; few drops of lemon juice; 1 teaspoon ground ginger; 1 teaspoon ground allspice; small pinch of ground cloves; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 50 g (1¾ oz) ground almonds; 300 g (10 oz) currants; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 200 g (6½ oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature; 3 eggs, lightly beaten; 100 g (3¼ oz) raisins; 200 g (6½ oz) caster sugar

Preparation info

Serves
8-12

Difficulty
Medium
Ready in
3 hr

Appears in

Cakes

By Le Cordon Bleu

Published 1999

About

This rich fruit cake, bursting with the flavour of spices and coated with almond paste, is now associated with Easter, although it was originally made for Mothering Sunday in May.

Ingredients

200 g (6½ oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
200 g (6½

Cake
Easter
Mothering Sunday
May
Vegetarian

Method

Preheat the oven to slow 150°C (300°F/Gas 2). Double line a 20 cm (8 inch) diameter, 10 cm (4 inch) deep, straight-sided cake tin (see Chef’s techniques). Grease the paper and dust with flour.
Using the