Try as an alternative to the traditional fruited simnel cake for Easter, especially for marzipan lovers Cuts into 10-12 slices.
Ingredients
200g softened butter
200g caster sugar
4 eggs
200g self raising flour
200g chopped glace cherries
100g ground almonds
Almond extract
250g ready made marzipan
50g flaked almonds
20cm spring-form cake tin greased and lined
Oven 160C/Gas 3/fan oven 140C
How to make it
- Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Gently mix in the flour, followed by the cherries, ground almonds and almond extract.
- Spoon half the mixture into the tin and smooth the surface.
- Between two sheets of greaseproof paper, using a dusting of icing sugar to prevent it sticking, roll out the marzipan to just smaller than your cake tin and lay on top of the cake mixture.
- Cover with the rest of the cake mixture, level the surface, and scatter with flaked almonds.
- Bake for 1½ hours, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. You may need to cover the cake with greaseproof paper or foil after an hour to prevent it browning too much.
- Leave to cool in the tin.
- Serve dusted with icing sugar.
