Name: Simnel Cake
Yield: Serves 12–14
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1⅓ cups (225 g) dried currants; ¾ cup (140 g) superfine sugar; 4 eggs; ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (140 g) butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pan; 1 tablespoon water; 1 teaspoon grated orange zest; 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest; 2 teaspoons ground ginger; 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice; 1 teaspoon apricot or hazelnut schnapps; 1¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons (225 g) flour, plus more for the work surface; 1 teaspoon orange flower water; 1 egg, lightly whisked; 1 cup (115 g) confectioners’ sugar; 2¼ cups (225 g) ground almonds; ⅓ cup (80 ml) milk; ½ teaspoon baking powder; ¼ lb (115 g) mixed candied citrus peel, chopped; ¼ lb (115 g) dried apricots, chopped; ½ teaspoon orange flower water; 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (225 g) superfine sugar

Preparation info

Serves
12–14

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

The Official Downton Abbey Cookbook

By Annie Gray

Published 2019

About

Simnel cake is the stuff of legends, most of them entirely unfounded in reality. The name probably comes from the Roman simla, which was one of the grades of flour available in ancient Rome. By the Middle Ages, there were references to simnel cake being baked at Easter. By the twentieth century, it had evolved into a light fruitcake with marzipan, the almond paste usually included as both decoration and a layer inside the cake. Different regions had their own versions, however, inclu