Simnel cake, a traditional Easter fruit cake with marzipan, is made simple with Nigella Lawson's recipe. The cake features a light texture compared to Christmas fruitcake, with marzipan running through the middle and 11 marzipan balls on top representing the apostles, excluding Judas.
To prepare, bring ingredients to room temperature, then preheat the oven to 170°C (150°C Fan). Grease and line a 20cm cake tin. Finely chop glacé cherries and mix with other dried fruit. Beat butter and sugar, then add lemon zest. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and ground almonds in a separate bowl.
Add eggs one at a time to the butter mixture with some flour mixture, then beat in remaining dry ingredients and milk. Fold in the fruit. Roll out 400g marzipan into a 20cm circle. Place half the batter in the tin, add the marzipan circle, then top with remaining batter. Bake for 30 minutes at 170°C, then reduce to 150°C for 1.5 hours. Cool completely.
For decoration, roll out another 400g marzipan, brush the cake with melted apricot jam, and press the marzipan on top. Form 11 marzipan balls (2.5cm each) and attach with egg white. Optionally, brush the cake with egg white and use a blowtorch to scorch the marzipan for a burnished look.
