Simnel Cake and its history... sort of

In my exploration of Easter baked goods around the world (even if it is on the internet) I discovered a cake that seems to be quite popular around Easter at least in the U.K.
I think the thing that intrigued me more than anything else was that the story behind the cake was not all that clear.

The history is interesting and divided.
One idea is that in medievel times it was a "Mothering" Sunday tradition. The daughters who were "in service" (whatever that means) would send a cake home for their Mothers.
Or it could also be that a brother and sister (Simon and Nell) wanted to make a cake for their mother and both had different ideas on how to make it so they combined their ideas, thus Sim-nel.
Or it could be that the word simnel is derived from the word "simila"  meaning fine wheat, of which most cakes were made.

Regardless where the tradition started or what the true history is this cake is interesting.  No icing (unless you count the marzipan in the center and the top.  There are 11 Easter eggs on top that stand for 11 disciples of Jesus (minus Judas who betrayed Jesus).  Colorful fruit in the cake batter itself and a ribbon around the outside of the cake.

Yea  it's kind of a fruit cake but you don't have to use the kinds of fruits you don't like. I used two different types of raisins, regular and golden raisins and I also added some canned chopped pineapple that was drained, I added this to help retain some moisture in the cake.

The basic formula is very simple.  There is no leavening in the cake (no baking powder or soda).  The eggs do all the leavening work. This type of formula is actually the origin of the pound cake, as in  1 lb flour ,1 lb sugar, 1 lb butter, 1lb eggs.


Here is the recipe

1 lb  butter (or margarine)

1 lb sugar

1 lb eggs  (about 8eggs)

1 lb all purpose flour

8 oz raisins

8 oz drained chopped canned pineapple

cinnamon and ground ginger ( I didn't measure this I just estimated what would be enough)

1  1/2 tbsp fresh lemon zest

1 lb marzipan

apricot jam

• cream the sugar, butter and lemon zest until light 
• add the eggs and flour slowly alternating between the two
• add the raisins and the pineapple and mix in until evenly blended
• put half of the batter into a 9 inch springform pan that is lined with parchment in the bottom and sides
• roll out 8 oz of the marzipan into a 9 inch circle and put onto the batter in the pan
• fill with the rest of the batter evenly
• bake in a 325*F  oven for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours 
• if the top gets too dark put aluminum foil over it until it is done
• after cooling  brush the top with some apricot jam (warmed in the microwave)
• roll out about 6 ounces of the remaining marzipan and lay on top and crimp edges sort of like a pie crust
• make the rest of the marzipan into small eggs for decoration