Simnel Cake

Simnel cake is a light fruit cake, similar to a Christmas cake, covered in marzipan, and eaten during Lent or at Easter in Great Britain, Ireland and some other countries. A layer of marzipan or almond paste is also baked into the middle of the cake. On the top of the cake, around the edge, are eleven marzipan balls to represent the true disciples of Jesus; Judas is omitted. In some variations Christ is also represented, by a ball placed at the centre.
The cake is made from these ingredients: white flour, sugar, butter, eggs, fragrant spices, dried fruits, zest and candied peel.
Simnel cakes have been known since mediaeval times, and were originally a Mothering Sunday tradition, when young girls in service would make one to be taken home to their mothers on their day off. The word Simnel probably derived from the Latin word simila, meaning fine, wheaten flour with which the cakes were made.
A popular legend attributes the invention of the Simnel cake to Lambert Simnel, but this is clearly false since the Simnel cake appears in English literature prior to Lambert's escapades.
Different towns had their own recipes and shapes of the Simnel cake. Bury, Devizes and Shrewsbury produced large numbers to their own recipes, but it is the Shrewsbury version that became most popular and well known.

Simnel Cake

Recipe #1 - Simple Simnel Cake

Ingredients:

  • 1 Cup Butter
  • 2 Cups Flour
  • 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
  • 3 Cups Currants
  • 4 oz Candied Fruit or Citron
  • 4 Eggs

Directions:

  • Cream Butter in warm bowl
  • Mix sugar and butter until creamy
  • Add beaten eggs
  • Mix currants and candied fruit or citron with flour before adding gradually to creamed mixture
  • Bake in two loaf pans at 300 degrees for one hour or until tester comes out clean

 

Recipe #2 - Simnel Cake

 

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks/6 oz./170g) unsalted butter
  • 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 cup currants
  • 1/3 cup thinly sliced candied lemon rind
  • 1/3 cup thinly sliced candied orange rind
  • 2 1/2 cups almond paste* (See recipe for Homemade Almond Paster below) or use ready made store bought almond paste in cans or tubes
  • 1 Recipe Almond Buttercream Icing (See recipe below)
  • 11 Marzipan Balls (See recipe below) optional

    For Decorating:
    Wide ribbon, to tie around the outside of the cake for decoration, any color (optional)
    Edible flowers (such as violets or primroses), fluffy chicks, or colored eggs

Instructions:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C. Butter an 8-inch springform pan and line pan with buttered wax paper.
  • In a large bowl cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Re-sift flour with salt and add gradually to mixture. Fold in currants and lemon and orange rinds, dredging them in a little flour.
  • Pour half the batter into prepared springform pan. Roll out enough almond paste to make an 8-inch round circle, and put over batter and pour remaining batter over almond paste circle (may be made in 3 layers with two layers of almond paste, if desired).
  • Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour or until cake is golden and springs back when touched.
  • Ice cake with Almond Buttercream Icing (see recipe below) or roll out another 8-inch round almond paste circle for the top.
  • If desired make 11 marzipan balls for decorating the top of the cake and tie a ribbon around the outside of the cake to enhance its look, if you wish. You may also decorated the top of the cake with edible flowers, fluffy chicks or small colored eggs.

    Makes one 8-inch cake.

 

Homemade Almond Paste

 

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups finely ground blanched almonds
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 egg whites
  • 1/4 tsp. almond extract

Instructions:

Pound the almonds, sugar and egg whites until they are smooth; flavor with almond extract. Keep in an airtight container. Use in baking as directed in recipes.

Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

Note:
Almond Paste may also be purchased in cans or tubes.

VARIATION

For Marzipan:
Add 1 cup confectioners' sugar, a few drops of any desired flavoring, and a drop or two of food coloring to 1 cup of almond paste. Place on a cold surface and knead 15 to 20 minutes. Mold into desired candy shapes or spread over cakes before icing.

Makes 1 3/4 cups almond paste.

Almond Buttercream Icing

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick/4 oz./113g) butter, softened
1 (16 oz.) package or box of confectioners' sugar, divided
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract

Instructions:
Beat butter and 1 cup confectioners' sugar at low speed with an electric mixer until blended. Add remaining sugar alternately with milk, beating until blended. Add extracts and beat at medium speed until spreading consistency.

Makes about 3 cups icing.

Marzipan Balls

Ingredients:
2 (7 ounce) tubes marzipan paste or almond paste (Odense Brand is good)

Instructions:
Roll marzipan or almond paste into 11 walnut sized balls and place around top edges of cake for decoration.