Simnel Cake

In between the egg & spoon race, egg trails, egg rolling, duck racing, egg decorating, and the egg drop challenge (designing your own egg parachute, to see if the egg can fall safely onto the landing site without cracking) you might want to celebrate the end of Lent ,with a special seasonal indulgence. The Simnel Cake is a light fruit cake with two layers of almond paste or marzipan, one in the middle and one on top. The eleven marzipan balls on top of the cake  represent the twelve apostles, minus Jesus.

Serves 12

For the Marzipan
200g / 7oz ground almonds
200g / 7oz icing sugar
1 tspn lemon juice
1 tspn brandy
1 egg separated

For the Cake
225g / 8 oz plain flour
1/2 tspn each of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger
180g / 6 oz unsalted butter, diced
50g / 2 oz demerara sugar
3 eggs
1/2 tspn salt
100ml / 7 tbsp milk
400g / 13oz currants
225g / 8oz sultanas
200g / 7oz orange marmalade, warmed and sieved

1- To make the marzipan, place all the ingredients in a food processor, adding just enough egg white to make the paste pliable.
2- Wrap the marzipan in cling film and chill.
3- Cream the butter and the sugar.
4- Add the eggs, one at a time.
5- Add the sifted flour and the spices.
6- Add the salt.
7- Add the milk.
8- Stir in the dried fruit.
9- Add one third of the the sieved marmalade.
10- Chop the marmalade peel, adding all of it to the mixture. 
11- Spoon half the cake mixture into a 20cm greased and lined cake tin, with a removable base.
12- Lightly dust half the marzipan with icing sugar and roll out into a circle, the same diameter as the tin.
13- Lay the marzipan on top of the cake mixture (keeping the trimmings for the marzipan balls)
14-Spread one third of the sieved marmalade on top of the marzipan.
15- Spoon over the remaining cake mixture.
16- Cut out a circle of parchment paper with a 1" hole in the centre.
17- Place the paper circle over the cake and bake for 2 and 3/4 hours to 3 and 1/4 hours at 150C.
18- The cake should be firm to the touch, an inserted skewer should come out clean.
19- Leave the cake to cool and remove from the tin.
20 - Spread the remaining third of the marmalade on top of the cooled cake.
21- Lightly dust the other half of the marzipan with icing sugar and roll out into a circle, the same diameter as the tin.
22- Lay the marzipan circle on top of the cake, marking the edge.
23- Roll the marzipan trimmings into 11 balls, with a little jam on the base of each one, arranging around the top of the cake.

Cook's Tip
The finished cake can be placed under the grill and toasted very lightly. This happens very quickly, so you will need to turn the cake to cover evenly. The cake can be made in advance, just store in an airtight container.