Simnel cake

Name: Simnel cake | Asda Good Living
Total time: 3 h 30 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 175g self-raising flour; 75g plain flour; 2 level tsp Asda Mixed Spice; 125g glacé cherries, quartered; 150g currants; 225g sultanas; 225g butter, softened; 225g caster sugar, plus extra for rolling out; 4 large free-range eggs; 2 tbsp milk; 1 unwaxed lemon, zest of; 1 orange, zest of; 500g Asda Golden Marzipan; 3 tbsp apricot jam

Traditionally served at Easter, the cake's eleven marzipan balls are said to represent the true disciples of Jesus

By Asda Good Living,21st September 2015

(6 votes)

Cook: 3 Hours 30 Mins

Serves: 12

Price: 50p per serving

Nutritional Information

Each 167g serving contains

Energy
2629kj
628kcal

31%

Fat
24g

High
34%

Saturates
11g

Med
55%

Sugars
79g

High
87%

Salt
0.55g

Med
9%

of your reference intake.
Typical energy values per 100g:
1574kj/376kcal

Ingredients

175g self-raising flour

75g plain flour

2 level tsp Asda Mixed Spice

125g glacé cherries, quartered

150g currants

225g sultanas

225g butter, softened

225g caster sugar, plus extra for rolling out

4 large free-range eggs

2 tbsp milk

1 unwaxed lemon, zest of

1 orange, zest of

500g Asda Golden Marzipan

3 tbsp apricot jam

Method

Line a deep 20cm cake tin with two layers of baking paper. Pre-heat the oven to 150C/130C Fan/Gas 2.

Sift the flours and spice into a bowl and stir in the dried fruit. In a different bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.

Fold in the milk, flour mix and zest, then put half the mixture in the cake tin. Level the top. Dust a surface with caster sugar and roll out a third of the marzipan into a circle the same size as the cake. Lay it on top.

Cover with the rest of the cake mix and level the top. Bake for 2 hours 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from the tin and leave to cool.

Roll out half the remaining marzipan into a circle the size of the cake. Shape the rest into 11 balls. Heat the jam with 1 tsp boiling water until melted, then brush on to the top of the cake and cover with the marzipan.

Mark the top into a criss-cross pattern with a knife. Put the marzipan balls round the edge, sticking them on with jam. Lightly brown the marzipan under the grill or with a chef's blowtorch.