Don’t worry if the fruit sinks to the bottom in this almondy Easter cake from Helen Goh

March 28, 2024

Helen Goh’s new spin on simnel cake. William Meppem

Time:1-2 hoursServes:6-8

Easter simnel cake is distinguished by its exuberant use of marzipan. Whipped into the cake batter instead of presenting as layers of sweet paste, its delicious almond flavour still features, though.

A heads-up: the cake batter is light and, as a result, the heavy fruits are prone to sinking to the bottom during baking. My advice? Don’t worry about it!

Ingredients

250g mixed dried fruits
60 unsalted butter, cut into pieces
100ml water
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
40g ground almonds
40g plain flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp fine sea salt
250g marzipan, broken into pieces
4 large eggs, at room temperature
40g flaked almonds
50g-60g smooth apricot jam

Method

Step 1
Combine the mixed dried fruits, butter, water and lemon zest in a medium saucepan and place over low heat. When the butter has melted, increase the heat slightly and simmer gently until all the liquid has been absorbed (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat and transfer to a shallow bowl to cool to room temperature.
Step 2
Line the base and sides of a 20cm cake tin with baking paper, then preheat oven to 175C fan-forced (195C conventional).
Step 3
Place the ground almonds, flour, cinnamon, ginger and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
Step 4
Place the marzipan in the bowl of a cake mixer and beat with the paddle attachment on low speed for about a minute to soften it. Increase the speed to medium-low and beat for another minute, then add the eggs one at a time. Beat for about 30 seconds after each addition, scraping the base and sides of the bowl well to make sure the marzipan doesn’t stick to the bottom of the bowl. When all the eggs have been added, increase the speed to medium and beat the mixture for 5 minutes until light and creamy. Remove the bowl from the mixer and sift the dry ingredients directly into the bowl. Add the dried fruits and fold gently with a flexible spatula to combine, making sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to disperse any lumps.
Step 5
Scrape the batter into the prepared cake tin and sprinkle the flaked almonds all over the top. Place in the preheated oven and bake for about 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and place on a wire rack. When it’s cool, remove it from the tin and place on a plate.
Step 6
Warm the jam by spooning it into a small saucepan over a low heat or place in a bowl and heat in the microwave. Gently brush the runny jam over the warm cake and allow it to cool before serving.