Lunch

Simnel loaf cake

Nutrition and extra info

  • un-iced
  • Vegetarian
  • Nutrition: Per serving

  • kcal447
  • fat20g
  • saturates9g
  • carbs59g
  • sugars45g
  • fibre1g
  • protein6g
  • salt0.5g
  • Ingredients
  • Method
  • Ingredients

  • 125g mixed dried fruit (a mixture of sultanas, currants, raisins and candied mixed peel)
  • ½ small orange, zested and juiced

    Orange

    or-ange

    One of the best-known citrus fruits, oranges aren’t necessarily orange – some varieties are…

  • vegetable or sunflower oil, for the tin
  • 125g marzipan

    Marzipan

    mah-zuh-pan

    One of mankind’s oldest sources of sweet pleasure, marzipan needs to contain only ground…

  • 125g butter, softened

    Butter

    butt-err

    Butter is made when lactic-acid producing bacteria are added to cream and churned to make an…

  • 100g light brown soft sugar
  • 2 eggs

    Egg

    egg

    The ultimate convenience food, eggs are powerhouses of nutrition, packed with protein and a…

  • 90g plain flour
  • 50g ground almonds
  • ½ tsp baking powder

    Baking powder

    bay-king pow-dah

    Baking powder is a raising agent that is commonly used in cake-making. It is made from an alkali…

  • ½ lemon, zested and juiced

    Lemon

    le-mon

    Oval in shape, with a pronouced bulge on one end, lemons are one of the most versatile fruits…

  • 1 tsp mixed spice
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 50g glacé cherries, halved, plus 6-8 left whole, to serve
  • 100g icing sugar
  • Method

    1. Put the mixed dried fruit in a bowl with the orange juice and zest and 1 tbsp water. Cover and microwave for 2 mins, then leave to cool completely. Alternatively, heat gently in a pan, stirring now and then until the liquid has been absorbed and leave to cool.

    2. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and oil a 900g loaf tin before lining the base and sides with baking parchment. Roll out 50g of the marzipan into a sausage that is as long as the loaf tin. Wrap the remaining the marzipan and set aside for later. Beat the butter and sugar together until creamy. Add the eggs, flour, almonds, baking powder, lemon zest, mixed spice and vanilla (all in one go) and mix until well combined. Stir in the cooled, soaked dried fruit, then fold in the cherries.

    3. Pour the cake batter into the tin until it is halfway full. Lay the sausage of marzipan down the middle, then scrape in the remaining cake mixture, making sure the marzipan is covered. Bake for 40-50 mins. Check it’s cooked by inserting a skewer into the cake, if any wet mixture clings to the skewer, return to the oven for another 10 mins, then check again. Cool in the tin for 15 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.

    4. Mix the icing sugar with the juice from the lemon and enough water (about 1 tbsp) to make a thick but pourable icing. Roll the remaining marzipan into 6-8 equal-sized balls, and caramelise, if you like (see tip below). Drizzle the icing over the top of the cake, letting it stream down the sides a little. Top with the marzipan balls, alternating each one with a cherry. Will keep in an airtight container for up to a week.

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