Easy simnel cake difficulty ** #104

Cuts into 16 

Preparing time: 25 minutes

Cooking time: 120-150 minutes 

Ingredients:

• 175 g slightly salted butter, softened 
• 175 g light muscovado sugar 
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger 
• 2 teaspoons ground mixed spice 
• 3 eggs 
• 225 g plain flour 
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
• 500 g luxury mixed dried fruit 
• 500 g white or golden marzipan 
• 1 egg white, for brushing 
• yellow flowers, such as roses or rose petals for decoration 
• sifted icing sugar for decoration 

1. Beat together the butter, muscovado sugar, ginger, mixed spice, eggs, flour and vanilla in a bowl until smooth and creamy
2. Stir in the dried fruit until evenly combined 
3. Spoon half the mixture into a greased and lined 18 cm round cake tin and level the surface
4. Roll out half the marzipan on the surface lightly dusted with sifted icing sugar into a round the same size as the tin 
5. Press into the tin and cover with the remaining mixture 
6. Level the surface 
7. Bake in a preheated oven, 150 C(300 F),Gas Mark 2, for about 120-150 minutes or until a skewer inserted into a center comes out clean 
8. Leave to cool in the tin 
9. Transfer the cake to a baking sheet, peel off the lining paper and brush the top with the egg white 
10. Roll out the remaining marzipan until slightly larger than the top of the cake 
11. Lift over the cake and press down gently 
12. Pinch the edges of the marzipan to decorate 
13. Brush with a little more egg white and cook under a preheated grill until lightly toasted, turning cake if necessary to evenly colour 
14. Leave to cool 
15. Decorate with flowers or rose petals and dust with sifted icing sugar.
16. Enjoy! :-)