Easter Simnel cake

This lovely, light fruit cake is perfect for Easter. Did you know the 11 marzipan balls on top of the cake were traditionally used to represent the apostles?

What you need:

• 220g plain flour
• Salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 100g currants
• 100g glace cherries, chopped
• 200g Jordans Nut and Seed Muesli
• 200g butter
• Grated rind of 2 lemons
• 220g caster sugar
• 4 eggs, separated
• 500g golden marzipan
• Beaten egg, to brush

What you do:

1. Preheat the oven to 175 C/ 350 F/ Mk 4.
2. Line a 20cm deep cake tin.
3. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
4. Stir in the currants and glace cherries, and then stir in the Muesli.
5. Cream together the butter, orange rind and sugar, and beat in the egg yolks.
6. Whisk the egg whites until they are stiff, and fold in a spoon full of the flour mix.
7. Now mix in half of the flour mix, and then half of the butter mix. Repeat until the mixture is all incorporated.
8. Spoon half of the mixture into the base of the cake tin. Roll out a third of the marzipan into a 20cm disc, and lay over the cake mix. Spoon the remaining cake mixture over the top. Cover loosely with a disc of greaseproof or baking parchment paper.
9. Bake for 1 and a half hours, or until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool and then remove from the tin.
10. Set aside on a rack to cool. To finish, preheat the grill. Roll out another third of the marzipan into a neat 20cm disc and use to cover the cake. Roll the remaining marzipan into 11 balls, and place around the edge of the cake.
11. Brush with beaten egg and grill until golden.

Cook's tip:

Be sure to have a pretty ribbon on hand to decorate this traditional Easter cake.

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