Printable Version
Easter cake with orange marzipan
Ingredients
- 175g/6oz butter, softened
- 175g/6oz light soft brown sugar
- 3 Large British Lion eggs, beaten
- 175g/6oz self raising flour, sieved
- 5ml/ 1tsp baking powder
- 1 (200g) tub mixed chopped peel
- 100g/4oz ground almonds
- rind and juice 1 orange
- 5ml/1tsp almond essence
Preparation time: 20 mins.
Cooking time: 45 mins.
Serves: 10.
This rich moist cake flavoured with almonds and orange makes a wonderful change to traditional Simnel cake. The eleven balls of marzipan placed on top of Simnel cakes are meant to represent Jesus' eleven faithful disciples.
Method
- Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas Mark 5. Grease a 20cm/8in round, deep cake tin and line with baking parchment.
- Place the butter, sugar, eggs, flour and baking powder in a large bowl.
- Use an electric whisk to beat the mixture until it is smooth and glossy.
- Fold in the remaining ingredients and spoon into the prepared tin.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes or until risen and firm to the touch.
- Cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
- Brush the centre of the cake with marmalade and sandwich together with one of the marzipan rounds.
- Brush the top of the cake with marmalade and arrange the second marzipan round on top, crimp the edges.
- Roll the remaining marzipan into eleven balls and arrange on top of the cake, attaching with marmalade.
- Melt the chocolates in separate bowls over simmering water.
- Spoon into separate greaseproof paper piping bags. Drizzle the melted chocolate over the top of the cake and leave to set.
- Tie a ribbon around the cake and serve.
To decorate: use a sharp knife to split the cake in half through the middle. Roll out two thirds of the marzipan on a icing sugar dusted surface and cut out two 20cm./8in rounds.