Simnel cakeThis simnel cake is fruity and spicy with two luscious home-made marzipan layers – without of course forgetting the 11 oval marzipan balls that give the cake its characteristic look.
If you don’t need to avoid refined sugar, you can use ready-made marzipan instead of making your own. Cake 200 ml (¾ cup) orange juice 650 g (4 ⅓ cups) selection of your preferred mixed dried fruit chopped into tiny pieces 150 g Sweet Freedom (½ cup agave nectar) 175 g (1 ½ sticks) soft unsalted butter at room temperature 3 large eggs 150 g Doves Farm gluten-free plain flour (1 cup King Arthur gluten-free multi-purpose flour) 100 g Doves Farm gluten-free white bread flour (⅔ cup King Arthur gluten-free multi-purpose flour + optionally mix in ¼ tsp of xantham gum or guar gum) 1 tsp ground nutmeg 2 tsp mixed spice 1 ½ tbsp no-added-sugar apricot fruit spread or xylitol jam or diabetic jam Marzipan 300 g ground almonds (2 cups almond meal) 150 g Sweet Freedom (½ cup agave nectar) ¾ tsp almond extract ¾ tsp lemon juice ¾ tsp vanilla extract 1. Put the dried fruit and the orange juice into a bowl and leave to soak for 1 ½ h. Stir every now and then. 2. Line a round 20 cm (8 inch) cake tin with non-stick baking paper. 3. Mix all the marzipan ingredients in a bowl and knead into a ball. Take small nuggets out of it and make 11 mini-egg looking balls. Set them aside. Use the leftover marzipan to make two 20 cm (8 inch) discs: draw two 20 cm (8 inch) circles onto a baking paper, divide the marzipan into two, knead them into balls and roll each into a disc with a rolling pin. Place the discs and the 11 balls in a refrigerator for the time being. 4. Pre-heat the oven to 150C/300C/gas mark 2. 5. To make the cake, mix the gluten-free flours, nutmeg and mixed spice in a bowl. 6. In a separate large bowl, mix the softened butter and Sweet Freedom (agave nectar) with an electric whisk until the mixture is pale and creamy. 7. Add the eggs and the flour mixture gradually, alternating between the two. Mix thoroughly after each addition. 8. Mix in the dried fruit, including any juices that haven’t been absorbed. 9. Spoon half of the cake mixture into the tin and level it with the back of a spoon. Place one of the marzipan discs over it. Spoon the rest of the cake mixture and level the surface. 10. Bake for about an hour. Let the cake cool to room temperature in the tin. 11. Once the cake has cooled, place it on a cake board. Warm the apricot fruit spread/jam in a saucepan (or very briefly in a microwave) to make it runny and use a brush to spread it over the top of the cake. Take the second marzipan disc and place it on top. Pinch around the edges to make them look wavy. Place the 11 balls on top. Use a blowtorch or put the cake under a grill to lightly brown the marzipan. * Substitutions To make the cake dairy-, lactose- and casein-free, use non-dairy vegetable margarine instead of butter. Copyright © Tarja Moles. Photograph © Tarja Moles. All rights reserved. If you'd like to use this recipe in your ezine or on your website, you’re welcome to do so as long as you use the complete recipe, including the copyright line, and include the following paragraph in its entirety: Tarja Moles is the author of No Naughties: Sweet Treats without Sugar, Wheat, Gluten and Yeast. Visit www.nonaughties.com for free recipes and information on special diets and living with multiple dietary restrictions. Back to Recipes |
Serves 16 Gluten-free Wheat-free Sugar-free Yeast-free Soya-free Peanut-free Vegetarian Dairy-free* Casein-free* Lactose-free* |