Though there were 12 disciples, Judas Iscariot is omitted as he betrayed. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications by email. [citation needed], Different towns had their own recipes and shapes of the Simnel cake[citation needed]. Sometimes orange flower water or brandy is used, either in the cake batter or to flavour the almond paste. Nigella's Simnel Cake (from FEAST) is a fruit cake that has a marzipan filling and topping.Nowadays it is associated with Easter, though originally it was served on Mothering Sunday in the UK (this year on Sunday 26th March 2017). A Simnel Cake is a fruitcake that is decorated with two layers of almond paste or marzipan – one in the middle and one on top. Simnel cake. Felicity Cloake’s simnel cake. ( Log Out /  In most modern versions marzipan or almond paste is used as a filling for the cake, with a layer laid in the middle of the mix before the cake is cooked, and it is also used as decoration on the top. Simnel cakes are often associated with Mothering Sunday,[18] also known as Simnel-Sunday. Roll a third … Make a well in the centre and pour in the egg. I shall try to remember to update the other post. I added some almond essence to the batter as well as a little cinnamon allspice ginger and nutmeg. Just made this Simnel Cake and it came together beautifully. Packed with all the usual simnel cake ingredients like fruit and warming spices, the history of this cake makes it traditionally eaten in spring time usually at Easter. ].The illustration is from the 1869, Chambers Book of Days which says :“It is an old custom in Shropshire and Herefordshire, and especially at Shrewsbury, to make during Lent and Easter, and also at Christmas, a sort of rich and expensive cakes, which are called Simnel Cakes. Simnel Cake, in these times, is associated with Easter but this was not always the case. When folk were fasting during Lent, Mothering Sunday, appearing in the middle of the fast, offered a respite from 40 days of religious austerity. This traditional Easter fruit cake is topped with home-made almond paste – with 11 balls to represent the faithful disciples, so make sure you count correctly! Simnel cake has been eaten since medieval times as both a rich, sweet treat and a symbolic ritual. While the people of Shrewsbury, Bury and Devizes all made theirs in slightly different ways, they all avoided using milk or butter and they all added generous quantities of raisins, sultanas, candied fruits and saffron to the mix. This classic cake was originally made by girls in service to give to their mothers on the 4th … Simnel cakes have been known since at least medieval times. Share on pinterest. Simnel cakes have a long history. Simnel cake is a light fruitcake formerly eaten during the pre-Easter period in the United Kingdom, Ireland and some other countries but has become a traditional cake for Easter Sunday. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. [14] Most recipes require at least 90 minutes of cooking, and advise using several layers of baking parchment to line the tin, and sometimes brown paper wrapped around the outside to stop the marzipan burning.[15]. A Ceremonie in Glocester. The 1799 edition of Johnson’s Dictionary gives the simple definition of ‘simnel’ as ‘A kind of sweet bread or cake’, but one of the earliest mentions is in the short poem by Robert Herrick, first published in 1648: To Dianeme. 1: The Be-Ro Book. 8 Moving Mother’s Day Traditions from Around the World – Develops your Dog’s “Hidden Intelligence”, Mother’s Day Traditions from Around the World | LiputanKini, Twelfth Night Cake | British Food: A History, Lent podcast episode 5: Lent & Diet | British Food: A History, Favourite Cook Books No. 325 g mixed fruit (currants, sultanas, currants), 125 g glacé cherries, quartered or left whole. While the popularity of simnel cake waned throughout the twentieth century, it has recently enjoyed a marked resurgence, which has been largely attributed to public endorsements by a number of prominent bakers. Mothering… A proper Easter bake “This traditional Easter treat is a great one to make with kids – they’ll love rolling out the marzipan, but leave any blow-torching to the grown-ups! To trace the origin of Simnel cake, you need to go right back to mediaeval times where it began life as a yeast-leavened bread, which may or may not have been enriched. Simnel Cake is an Easter time fruit cake, made with lemon, dried fruits and peel, treacle and marzipan. Your simnel cake looks quite impressive! Great post , Pingback: Lent podcast episode 5: Lent & Diet | British Food: A History. A proper Easter bake. The book what I has finished and the book what I has started. A myth as to the origins of the Simnel Cake is that Lambert Simnel who was a false claimant in 1487 to the Throne of England when King Henry VII ruled. I did use ready made almond paste and used 3 X 7oz tubes as we all love it. Simnel cake is a light fruit cake, similar to a Christmas cake, covered in marzipan, and eaten at Easter in Great Britain and Ireland. Bake for 2 ¼ to 2 ½ hours. The traditional Easter cake, with saffron and citrus peel and topped with marzipan, is the very essence of spring. [9][10] An early reference to decorating with marzipan balls appears in May Byron's Pot-Luck Cookery[11][12] but with no mention of the modern story, and her version may well be derived from earlier styles, which were sometimes crenelated. They are raised cakes, the crust of which is made of fine flour and water, with sufficient saffron to give it a deep yellow colour, and the interior is filled with the materials of a very rich plum-cake, with plenty of candied lemon peel, and other good things. The Simnel Cake is a symbolic Easter cake decorated with eleven marzipan balls around the cake to represent the 11 disciples. Learn how your comment data is processed. A Simnel cake is a type of fruit cake that contains plenty of marzipan and is eaten at Easter, although it used to be specifically associated with Mothering Sunday. It is only when you get to the tail end of the 19th century that it starts to look like something we would recognise as a cake, though surprisingly it is not until the 20th century that the familiar marzipan layers and decorative disciples appear. Level off with your spatula and make an indentation in the centre, so that the cake doesn’t rise with too much of a peak. Take a third of your marzipan and roll it out into a circle the same size as the tin, trimming away any untidy bits. Begin by greasing and lining an 8-inch cake tin and preheating your oven to 150°C. However, the general consensus seems to be that, in years gone by, girls in domestic service would bake a simnel cake to take home to their mothers on Mothering Sunday (also known as Simnel Sunday! 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