Simnel Cake

Ingredients

• 175 g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
• 250 g plain flour, plus a little extra
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 unwaxed lemon, juice and zest of
• 100 g glace cherries, halved
• 50 g chopped mixed candied peel
• 175 g sultanas
• 175 raisins
• 125 g currants
• 175 g golden caster sugar (superfine sugar)
• 4 medium eggs, lightly beaten and brought to room temperature
• 3 tablespoons milk
• icing sugar, to dust (confectioner's sugar)
• 200 g almond paste (marzipan)
• yellow food coloring
• 350 g almond paste
• 1 tablespoon apricot jam, warmed
• 3-4 fresh african violets

Directions

1. 1

   Preheat oven to 150 degrees Celsius Grease and line a 20 cm round deep cake tin with double thickness of baking (parchment) paper.

2. 2

   Sift flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt into a bowl. Stir in the zest, cherries, peel, sultanas, raisins, and currants.

3. 3

   Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs, adding a little extra flour if the mixture begins to curdle. Add the flour and fruit mix and milk and mix to a soft dropping consistency. Spread just over half of the mixture in the tin.

4. 4

   On a surface dusted with icing sugar, roll out 200 g almond paste to a 19 cm circle. Place on top of the mixture in the tin. Spoon in the rest of the mixture. Level the top and make a slight dent in the centre. Bake for 2 3/4 hours, or until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool in the tin.

5. 5

   For the decoration, dust the work surface with icing sugar. Knead a little yellow colouring into 350 g almond paste, then cut off 50 g and set aside. Roll out the remainder into a 20 cm circle. Brush the top of the cake with the jam and put the almond paste on top. Crimp the edges.

6. 6

   Take the remaining almond paste and divide into 5 pieces. Dust your hands with icing sugar and roll each piece into an egg shape. Arrange on the cake with the violets.