Simnel Cake

20cm/8 inch round deep, loose bottom cake tin, rolling pin and 2 x mixing bowls

HOMEMADE MARZIPAN
200g icing sugar
200g ground almonds
4 tbsp lemon juice
icing sugar, for dusting

SIMNEL CAKE
200g Doves Farm Organic Self Raising White Flour
½ tsp grated nutmeg
½ tsp ground cinnamon
150g butter
150g light brown sugar
3 eggs
200g currants
100g mixed glacé peel
icing sugar
butter, for tin

SIMNEL CAKE TOPPING
400g marzipan
2 tsp apricot jam, warmed

Homemade Marzipan

1. Sieve the icing sugar into a bowl, add the ground almonds and stir to combine.
2. Add the lemon juice and stir as the mix starts to clump together. Using your hands, gather everything together to make a soft ball of marzipan.
3. Dust the work surface with a little icing sugar, take one third of the marzipan and roll into a circle just larger than the cake tin. Place the tin on top of the circle and cut around the outside to make a perfect circle of marzipan.
4. Gather up the excess marzipan, return it to the marzipan ball, cover and save for later.

Simnel Cake

1. Pre-heat the oven.
2. Rub butter around the inside of a 20cm/8 inch round deep, loose bottom, cake tin or insert a baking liner.
3. Measure the flour, nutmeg and cinnamon into a mixing bowl and stir to combine.
4. Chop the butter into small cubes in a mixing bowl, add the light brown sugar and beat together until light and fluffy.
5. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
6. Stir in the currants and mixed glacé peel.
7. Sift the prepared flour into the bowl and stir until mixed.
8. Tip half the mixture into the prepared cake tin.
9. Gently position the marzipan circle on the cake mixture.
10. Spoon the remaining cake mixture on top and smooth the surface.
11. Bake for 1½-1¾ hours. When a cocktail stick pressed through the centre of the cake comes out clean, it is cooked.
12. Allow to cool in the tin for at least 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.

Simnel Cake Topping

1. Take half the remaining marzipan, divide it into 11 pieces and roll each into a small ball.
2. Lightly dust the rest of the marzipan with icing sugar and roll it into a circle just larger than the cake tin. Place the tin on top and cut around the outside to make a perfect circle of marzipan.
3. Brush the top of the cold cake with half of the warm apricot jam.
4. Place the marzipan circle on top.
5. Brush the base of each marzipan ball with a dab of jam and place them in a circle on top of the cake.
6. Place the cake under a hot grill for 1-2 minutes, to lightly brown the marzipan. Or use a kitchen blow torch.
7. Wrap and store the cake in a tin.