Simnel Cake

 As it's Easter I decided to make a Simnel Cake. I'm not religious but those that are do come up with some good cake ideas! Basically a Simnel Cake is a fruit cake with Marzipan, a layer  in the middle and one on top, with eleven Marzipan Balls on the top! 

For the Fruitcake I use the "Everyday Fruitcake recipe" seen here Everyday Fruitcake although I use Gluten Free Flour. Also instead of Jam I use Black treacle and I use Muscovado Sugar instead of Soft  Brown Sugar. My GF Flour mix on this occasion was Cassava Flour 50%, Tiger Nut Flour 25%, Buckwheat Flour 20%, and  5% Teff flour (wouldn't normally use Teff Flour but got given it so wanted to see how it works!) one teaspoonful of Xanthium Gum and 2 teaspoonful of Baking Powder! Where possible all ingredients were Organic, though i struggle to get Organic  Sugar so that isn't!

For the Marzipan I used 400grms Ground Almonds, 200grms Icing Sugar and 160grms Castor Sugar, 1 teaspoon of Almond Extract , 1 teaspoon of Lemon Juice and two Eggs. Basically mix the dry ingredients make a well in the middle and add the wet ingredients, mix until you have Marzipan! This made enough to do the cake and make some sweets!

Put half the cake mixture in the tin

Top tip for rolling out marzipan or pastry, due between clingfilm saves a lot of mess

Add a layer of rolled out Marzipan 

Add the rest of the cake mix and cook !

Nice rise hope it don't collapse like last weeks sponge!

Add another layer of Marzipan

Add the Balls, sprinkle with icing sugar

Margie said my balls are irregular shaped, different sizes and look funny! 

Place under a hot grill, as apparently I'm not allowed to have a blowtorch! A Bit Rustic but looks pretty good, if I say so myself! Which I do!

You can see the line of Marzipan!

Can confirm tastes delicious

The Sweets, with Margie about to pounce! 

The 11 balls represent Jesus's disciples, without Judas. Margie suggested in a spirit of forgiveness we should add an extra ball, but I'd already eaten it!!