Simnel Loaf
Photography Josh Griggs.
A classic Easter baking recipe, Simnel cake is a light fruitcake with pockets of marzipan baked through the batter, topped with a thin layer of marzipan then eleven balls to represent the eleven apostles – minus Judas. You can leave it plain or lightly caramelise the top with a blow torch.
Makes: 1 LOAF
INGREDIENTS
170 grams butter at room temperature
170 grams light muscovado sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
½ teaspoon each ground mixed spice and ground ginger
3 large eggs
170 grams plain flour
85 grams ground almonds
2 teaspoons baking powder
120 grams raisins
120 grams sultanas
120 grams dried apricots, thinly sliced
50 grams mixed candied peel
75 grams glacé cherries, halved
2 tablespoons brandy
120 grams marzipan rolled into 10 even-sized balls
TO FINISH
330 grams marzipan
2 tablespoons apricot jam
METHOD
EQUIPMENT: Grease a 6-cup capacity loaf tin and line with 2 layers of baking paper.
Preheat the oven to 150°C regular bake.
Beat the butter, sugar, zest and the spices until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each one and adding 1 tablespoon of the flour if it starts to curdle.
Combine the flour, almonds and baking powder in a large bowl then add all the fruit and toss so everything is well coated and separated.
Add to the butter mixture along with the brandy and fold everything together until well combined.
Spoon half the mixture into the tin and spread evenly. Arrange the 10 marzipan balls in two rows down the middle. Carefully spoon the remaining mixture on top.
Bake for 1¼ hours or until a skewer pushed into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 30 minutes, then remove and set on a wire rack to cool completely.
TO FINISH: Dust a work surface with a little icing sugar and roll out the marzipan to ½cm thick and trim so that it’s just a little bigger than the top of the loaf. Use the trimmings to form 11 balls.
Brush the top of the loaf with jam and place the sheet of marzipan on top. Crimp the edges with your fingers then place the balls on top, securing them in place with a dab of jam. The loaf will keep for two weeks in an airtight container in a cool place.
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In Dream Escape, we journey from Japan and Morocco to Italy, India and beyond, sharing recipes inspired by travel, heritage and comfort. We celebrate the champions of the Outstanding Food Producer Awards, explore the stories and recipes of chefs shaped by their cultural roots, and warm up with everything from West African soups and slow-braised lamb to porchetta, butter chicken and beef noodle soup. Alongside destination menus, Scandinavian sweets and cosy pub classics, Chrisanne Terblanche shares her favourite street-side dining spots in Bangkok, while Yvonne Lorkin explores red wine varietals. This issue, we invite you to slow down, turn the pages and escape through food.