Hop on to some delicious recipes this Easter!
The Easter weekend means a nice long break for most of us, with plenty of time to relax and enjoy some family time. Our special Easter Fayre has made filling the cupboards easy, but how about using your time off to try some of our tempting recipes? You could even get the little ones involved!
Here’s one for starters, a Simnel Cake, traditionally baked at Easter. This symbolic cake is packed full of fruit, spices and marzipan!
Simnel Cake
INGREDIENTS
100g Glacé cherries
225g Butter, softened
225g light muscovado sugar or brown sugar
4 large eggs
225g self-raising flour
225g sultanas
100g currants
50g chopped candied peel
2 lemons, grated zest only
2 tsp ground mixed spice
FOR THE FILLING AND TOPPING
500g marzipan
3 tbsp apricot jam
METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees C / 280F/gas 2. Using baking parchment, line the base and sides of a 20cm round deep cake tin.
2. Cut the cherries into quarters (they can be rather sticky), add to a sieve and rinse under running water. Drain VERY well and then dry using kitchen paper.
3. Place the cherries in a bowl with the butter, sugar, eggs, self-raising flour, sultanas, currants, candied peel, lemon zest and mixed spice and beat well until thoroughly mixed. Pour half of the mixture into the prepared tin.
4. Take one-third of the marzipan and roll into balls. Place these onto the top of the cake mixture. Spoon the remaining cake mixture on top and smooth out the surface.
5. Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 35-45 minutes, or until the mixture is well risen, evenly brown and firm to the touch.
6. If the top is browning too quickly then cover with aluminium foil. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes.
7. When the cake has cooled, brush the top with a little warmed apricot jam. Roll out half of the remaining marzipan to fit the top of the cake. Press firmly on the top and crimp the edges to decorate.
8. Brush the marzipan with beaten egg and arrange the marzipan balls around the edge of the cake. Brush the tops of the balls with the beaten egg and carefully place the cake under a hot grill until the top is lightly toasted.
