At Easter I always make a Simnel cake.
Simnel cakes are often associated with Mothering Sunday also known as Simnel-Sunday. According to historian Ronald Hutton in 17th Century Gloucestershire and Worcestershire the custom of live-in apprentices and domestic servants going home to visit their mothers on Mothering Sunday started, checking that their families were well and taking food or money if needed. This was a time of year when food stocks were low, and the high-calorie simnel cake was useful nutrition. The cake later became simply an Easter cake.
The ingredients are as follows:
- 175g light muscavado sugar or soft brown sugar (I also use coconut sugar)
- 175g butter softened
- 175g self raising flour (I used wholemeal)
- 3 large free range eggs
- 2 tablespoons of milk
- 500g sultanas, dried apricots pieces, chopped dates, currants, raisins and dried cranberries
- 1 teaspoon of mixed spice
- 2 teaspoon of ground ginger
Preparation:
-
- Heat the oven to 160C/320F/gas3
- grease and line the base and sides of an 8 inch round cake tin with baking parchment
- beat the butter and sugar together until soft and fluffy
- add the eggs one at a time and beat
- add the milk
- add the flour and all the dry fruit ingredients and fold in
- tip the mixture into the prepared cake tin
- place the cake in the oven and bake for 1 3/4 to 2 hours or until golden brown and a skewer or knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- place the cake on a cooling rack to cool before removing from the tin
- decorate as required (I put marzipan and chocolate eggs on mine)
Some people brown the top of the marzipan under the grill but as I have added small chocolate eggs I won’t do that. There are 11 marzipan balls which traditionally represent the 12 Apostles less Judas.
Not to be eaten until Easter Sunday of course.
Come and share some Simnel cake with us http://www.lodgehousebandbsomerset.co.uk