Tag Archives: Family Favourite cakes

Simnel Cake

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simnel_cake

It’s as easy as ABC…

A. Grease and line a 9-inch cake tin. Sieve flour, salt, spice and cinnamon. Halve cherries and chop peel. Cream butter and sugar until pale and creamy, add lemon rind. Gradually beat in eggs. Add 3 tablespoons of flour towards end to prevent mixture curdling. Fold in remaining flour, fruit and enough milk to make a soft dropping consistency. Spoon half mixture into tin and spread evenly.

B. Make almond paste usual way (see Quick Tip below). Roll one half of paste to a 9-inch circle. Place on top of mixture in tin. Wrap remainder of paste in foil. Spoon in remaining mixture and hollow out centre slightly. Bake in an moderate oven for 30 minutes then in a very moderate oven for 2 1/2 hours. Cool in tin for 15 minutes. Turn out on to a wire tray. Remove paper.

C. Brush centre and edge of cake with apricot jam. Roll remaining almond paste into strips and plait; place around edge of cake and in the centre. Decorate with coloured eggs.

QUICK TIP
To make almond paste combine 10 oz. ground almonds with 10 oz. castor sugar, then mix to a stiff paste with juice of half a lemon and one large egg.

© The Hamlyn Publishing Group LTD

Cherry Cake

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cherry_cake

It’s as easy as ABC…

A. Grease a 7-inch cake tin and line with greased greaseproof paper. Rinse cherries (see Quick Tip below). Cut each cherry in half. Sieve the flours and salt together twice then toss the cherries in a little of the flour. Cream butter, sugar and lemon rind together until the mixture is pale and creamy. Add beaten egg a little at a time, beating well after each addition and keeping the mixture stiff. Add a tablespoon of flour with last amount of egg. Fold in flour, cherries and ground almonds adding a little milk to make a fairly stiff dropping consistency; then stiff consistency will help cherries remain suspended evenly in cake while it is baking.

B. Turn mixture into prepared tin and bake in a moderate oven for about 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in centre of cake comes out clean.

C. Leave cake to cool in tin for 5 minutes then turn it out to a wire tray to finish cooling; remove paper. When cold, wrap in foil or store in an airtight tin.

Quick Tip
To remove the syrup from glacé cherries before using, put into a sieve and rinse under running water. Drain well and dry very throughly on absorbent kitchen paper.

© The Hamlyn Publishing Group LTD