This cake began life as a 20cm circular Simnel cake with the traditional 11 balls of marzipan, but then it “Morphed” into something equally tasty, equally festive and equally impressive. I made it as a gluten free cake, but it can easily be a “regular with-gluten” cake.

Serves: 10 – 12 people, providing they’re not too greedy.

Time: Initial prep: 30 – 35 minutes. Baking: 80 – 90 minutes. Finishing and decorating: 20 – 30 minutes, depending how much you want to put on top.

Level: Reasonably easy

Need: A ring tin, approx. 20cm – 23cm diameter. A rolling pin and some small cutters. I used a stand mixer, but a bowl, a wooden spoon and strong arms would do the job.

Ingredients

100g/4oz glace cherries
Some marzipan (probably about 250g/9oz)
200g/7oz GF self-raising flour (or normal/regular if not GF)
½ tsp fine salt
1 tsp xanthan gum powder (omit if not GF)
50g/2oz ground almonds
225g/8oz butter, softened or baking spread
225g/8oz light brown sugar
4 large eggs
2 – 3 tsp spices (mixed spice, all spice, cinnamon, ginger etc.)
300g/10oz dried fruit (sultanas, raisins, currants, chopped apricots etc.)
1 orange, zest only

For the filling and topping

Some marzipan (maybe around 50g)
4 – 5 tsp slightly diluted apricot jam, warmed
Some Mini Easter eggs

Method

1. Brush melted butter into a cold ring mould tin, then place in fridge until needed.

2. Cut the cherries into quarters, put in a sieve and rinse under running water. Drain well then dry thoroughly on kitchen paper. Set aside

3. Preheat the oven to 150°C / Fan 130°C/ 300°F / Gas 2.

4. Roll out enough marzipan to create a thin circle. (Invert the ring tin onto the rolled out marzipan to give an idea of the size and shape needed. It needs a hole in the middle and the diameter should be a little less than the tin. Rolling the marzipan between two sheets of cling film is helpful.) Set the marzipan aside.

5. Place flour, salt, xanthan gum powder, ground almonds, softened butter, sugar, eggs and spices into a (stand mixer) bowl. Beat until thoroughly mixed. Stir in the cherries, dried fruit and orange zest.

6. Spoon half the mixture into the prepared tin. Add the marzipan ring and press it down firmly but gently then add the remaining mixture and level it with a spatula.

7. Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 75 – 80 minutes. Check at 60 min. Cover with foil if necessary. Check with a cocktail stick or skewer, which should come out clean and reasonably dry. (However, be aware that the cake may be baked but the marzipan will still be hot and may appear wet.

8. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 min then turn out inverted onto a wire rack.

9. While the cake is cooling make your decorations. Roll out a small piece of marzipan and cut whatever shapes you choose.

10. When the cake is cool, brush with warmed diluted apricot jam and add your decorations. Options for finishing are: brush more diluted apricot jam over the marzipan decorations or give them a careful blast with a blow torch.

I hope you enjoy this lovely cake. If you want more cake recipes click this link, or have a look at my site for lots of other great recipes, both sweet and savoury.

Below are a few that I’d love you to try:

Rhubarb, Almond and White Chocolate Cake