Easter Simnel Cake.
Pre-heat your oven to 140 degrees centigrade, 275 degree Fahrenheit or gas mark one, adjust for fan-assisted ovens. Butter and line the bottom and sides of a 18cm or 7 inch cake tin with greaseproof paper.
Simnel cake was originally made by servant girls to give their mothers on Mothering Sunday. Simnel comes from Siminellus, the Roman Spring festival bread. The 11 balls represent the apostles with Judas omitted for obvious reasons.
Cream 175g soft butter and 175g soft brown sugar until fluffy and pale using an electric whisk or a wooden spoon. Add three beaten eggs a little at a time. To stop the mixture splitting, add a teaspoon of flour each time you add the eggs. Beat in well until all the egg mixture is gone.
Fold in 225g plain flour, 450g dried mixed fruit, 75g chopped glace cherries, zest of one orange and one lemon, half teaspoon of ground cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg and a pinch of salt.
Cut a 450g block of marzipan, almond paste in half and remove two small pieces for the balls. Dust your surface with icing sugar and roll out both pieces of marzipan to the size of your cake tin. Cut to shape. Make 11 balls with the remaining marzipan.
Place half the cake mixture in the cake tin. Place a marzipan circle on top and cover with the remaining cake mix. Bake in a preheated oven for two hours. Leave to cool in the cake tin.
When the cake is cold, brush the top with warmed marmalade and place the second marzipan circle on top. Brush the marzipan top with warmed marmalade and place the balls evenly on top. Put under a hot grill to brown.
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