I have never made a Simnel cake before and have only ever made one other fruit cake before. But aprils challenge was calling and the making of marzipan spurred me on to making a Simnel cake to take to Easter Sunday lunch with both sides of the family.
For those who aren't familiar with a Simnel cake, it is a light fruit cake, with a layer of golden marzipan in the middle, and topped with a disc of the almond wonder paste, and crowned with 11 marzipan balls (to represent the 11 disciples, naughty old Judas is excluded from the party for obvious reasons!) Traditionally you burnish the top with your handy blow torch. I went the extra step and added gold glitter-of course- and mini chocolate eggs- well it is easter.
