Simnel Cake with Kenwood

Simnel Cake

Ingredients

• 500g marzipan – natural colour
• 225g butter – unsalted softened
• 225g caster sugar
• 4 eggs beaten
• 225g  self raising flour
• 25g  ground Almonds
• ½ tsp ground allspice
• ½ tsp ground mace
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• 225g currants
• 115g sultanas
• 100g glace cherries
• 55g candied peel finely chopped
• 2 lemon freshly grated
• 30ml brandy
• 30ml apricot jam for the glaze

You will also need

• Kenwood Stand Mixer

Method

1. The day before warm the brandy and marinate the fruit especially the mixed peel.
2. Grease and line a 20cm round cake tin.
3. Pre heat the oven to 160c (gas mark 3)
4. Ensure that your ingredients and equipment are at room temperature to reduce the risk of the mixture curdling.
5. Place the butter and sugar into your Kenwood Kitchen Machine bowl and using the flexi-beater cream on medium speed until they become thick and creamy.
6. Beat the eggs to together, reduce the speed of the mixer and gradually add the eggs. Ensure that each addition of the eggs is properly incorporated before adding the next amount of the eggs.
7. Once the eggs have been incorporated that the mixing bowl from the machine and using a flexible spatula fold in the all the dry ingredients. Take care not to knock out the incorporated air and make sure all the dry ingredients are incorporated and not hiding at the bottom of the bowl.
8. Now incorporate the marinated fruit.
9. Place half the mixture into the prepare cake tin and smooth down.
10. Roll out 85g of marzipan into a round shape the same size as the cake tin. When rolling marzipan you should use a small amount of icing sugar to prevent sticking. Lay the marzipan round onto the cake mixture in the pan and press down lightly to remove any air bubbles. Top up the tin with the rest of the mixture and again smooth off.
11. Bake for about 1 hour 30, test with a skewer.
12. Allow to cool on a rack.
13. To finish, cut off the top of the cake to achieve a flat top.
14. Boil the apricot jam and pass through a sieve, brush lightly onto the cake top.
15. Roll out another 85g of marzipan and place on top of the cake.
16. Roll out the remaining marzipan into an even rope and cut into eleven even pieces, roll them into balls and place evenly around the top of the cake using the remaining boiled jam as glue.