Have you ever heard of a Simnel Cake? Me neither.
But when our priest encouraged the young ladies of the parish to make one for Laetare Sunday, I immediately wanted to meet the challenge. Little did I know what a challenge that would be.
Simnel cake is widely made in the United Kingdom and Ireland for Easter Sunday although traditionally, it was made for Laetare/Mothering Sunday. The fourth Sunday of Lent is called Laetare Sunday because that is the first word of the Introit verse, Rejoice! But the verse continues,
Rejoice, O Jerusalem, and come together all you who love her: rejoice with joy, you who have been in sorrow: that you may exult, and be filled from the breasts of your consolation.
This is taken from Isaiah and talks about the Jews' mother city, Jerusalem. We are called to come back to Holy Mother Church and rejoice in Her because She gives us so many good things. That's why this Sunday is also called Mothering Sunday. In olden days, this was also the one day a year working girls got to go home and visit their families and therefore would bring a simnel cake home to their mothers. So you see, the simnel cake is a very noteworthy tradition that helps break the fast of Lent on this joyous Sunday and celebrates our mothers, both natural and our spiritual mother, the Church.
So our priest sent us home with a little flyer detailing the tradition of a Simnel cake and a recipe to make one! He especially challenged the young ladies of the parish to try it because it was a tricky cake to make and therefore the successful baking of such a cake could be good proof that she was ready to be married and cook for her own family. I gathered all the ingredients, read over the recipe as every good cook does, and when Saturday afternoon arrived, I rolled up my sleeves and got to work.
The recipe Father gave us seemed short and simple, however, as I went along, I realized important details of how to do things were left out. I am not a proficient baker by any means so I really like recipes that spell everything out for me. Like the specification of softened butter or to grease the pan in addition to laying parchment paper. I know, you're probably thinking these sound like no-brainers, but this simple-minded beginner needs everything, I mean everything, laid out for her.
So, the first step, "Cream butter and sugar." I know how to do that! I'd left my butter out to sit for 30-45 minutes and it was a little soft, but I didn't know it needed to be even softer, so my first scrape was not being able to cream the butter and sugar. Instead, it came out to be the consistency of sugary snow. It looked beautiful, but I knew that wasn't creamed. Still, I proceeded, adding the eggs next.
The second misstep, "Sift together flour and salt." That's easy too, except the recipe completely forgets to mention that you also need to sift in the baking powder and pumpkin pie spice at this time. Thankfully, I had laid out all my ingredients at the beginning and therefore noticed they weren't mentioned in the instructions before it was disastrously too late. "Mix well." Check.
The third misstep: "line pan with parchment paper" AND GREASE! Sure, it's not vitally necessary, but it makes getting the cake out of the pan at the end HEAPS easier. Make sure you line both the bottom and sides of the pan with parchment paper and grease both the pan and the paper. You'll thank me later.
The fourth misstep: "Use about 1/3 of the almond paste recipe or
one store-bought tube over the first half of the batter" The reason I bring this up is really that I want to start stressing how important it is to read the whole recipe and read it thoroughly in its entirety. It would have been just fine except my homemade almond paste didn't quite turn out (more on that scrape later) so my sister so graciously ran to the store to get me some beautiful marzipan! If I had read the recipe carefully, I would have noticed I needed more than one tube, but since I didn't read it carefully enough, she only purchased one. Again, not a huge deal, but if you were relying on just the store-bought marzipan, one tube would not be enough for the whole cake.
Misstep 4 ½: If you're going to be even more insanely ambitious, (like I was), you'll attempt to make your own almond paste. I'd like to warn you of three things.
1. Don't wait to make your almond paste until it is called for in the recipe. You can make it at the beginning so you don't let the cake batter sit out to the side for too long.
2. Make sure your almonds are blanched. This will make sure your almond paste isn't all speckled brown.
3. Grind your almonds very finely in the food processor. Basically, make flour. If you don't and you proceed to add the sugar and OJ, your paste will be gritty and won't blend well. And if you neglect to make a flour of your almonds, don't add more OJ to try and make it blend better, that will only leave you with an incredibly sticky almond mess.
Alright, moving on.
Misstep 5: When rolling out your homemade sticky almond paste, be sure to "flour" your surface. Except, in this case, don't use flour (I tried using Bob's Red Mill Almond Flour first. That did not work.) Use more powdered sugar. And don't be afraid to use too much on your surface. It will blend right in and take care of that sticky mess.
Two more notes: I didn't end up using the sherry and the cake still turned out just fine even after a couple of days on the counter. The mixed dried fruit I used was moist enough that it kept the cake moist on the inside. I also did end up being able to use some of my homemade almond paste so the middle layer was store-bought, the top layer was homemade, and the 11 balls were store-bought.
Well, that just about covers all my little mistakes. I'm better for having made them and look forward to making the cake again next year with this new knowledge. (I know, I'm slightly crazy.)
If you, after having read all of these scary snafoos, think you would like to try testing your baking skills on this festive recipe, I've modified the recipe I used to include some more helpful tips.
Mothering Sunday Simnel Cake
½ stick softened butter
4 eggs
2 cups sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
½ cup chopped almonds
1½ cups dried fruits, tossed with 1 Tablespoon flour
(Use raisins, currants, candied peels, or citron in any combination.) (I used a dried fruit mix in the bulk section.)
Almond Paste:
3½ cups sliced (blanched) almonds, finely ground
1 cup powdered sugar
½ cup white sugar
½ cup orange juice
Topping:
2 Tablespoons sherry
2 Tablespoons raspberry jam
11 glace cherries, jellybeans, or marzipan balls
Almond Paste recipe: Grind the sliced almonds finely in a food processor to flour. Mix sliced almonds and sugars. Add orange juice and mix to make a stiff paste. If necessary, add more orange juice 1 Tablespoon at a time. This recipe makes enough to both fill and decorate the cake.
Simnel Cake recipe: Cream softened butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well. Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, and pumpkin pie spice. Add slowly to the butter mixture, mixing well after each addition. Fold fruits and chopped almonds into the batter. Pour half of the batter into a prepared round cake pan. (recommended: a springform pan greased and lined with greased parchment paper.)
Roll out a thin layer of almond paste (use about ⅓ of the recipe or one store-bought tube) and gently place it on top of the batter. Add the remaining batter. Bake at 300°F for about 1½ hours. Do not allow the cake to over-brown. Cover with parchment and cook about a half-hour more. When testing for doneness, don't be fooled by the inner layer of almond paste. It will stay sticky, so test through the top layer of the cake only.
After the cake has cooled, place it in a round tin and spoon sherry on top. This will help keep the cake moist if it is to be sent on a journey in the mail. Reduce the raspberry jam in a small pot on the stove and then spread on top of the cake. Then, roll out the second ⅓ of almond paste and gently place it on top. The jam will serve as glue to hold the top layer in place. Place the cake in the oven for 5-10 minutes to lightly brown the top layer of almond paste. (Watch it carefully!) Decorate the perimeter of the cake with cherries, jellybeans, or marzipan eggs, which are traditionally 11 in number to remember the Apostles faithful to Our Lord. Tie a ribbon around the side of the cake or, if you are mailing it, around the tin. For Laetare Sunday-the Rose Sunday in Lent-a rose-colored ribbon is a fitting touch.
Well, that's it, folks! Did you make it to the end? Did you make the cake or have you made a Simnel cake before? Have you even ever heard of it? Please let me know in the comments below! If you do end up trying this feat with my modified recipe, pretty please do let me know how it went! Are there any other tips you would recommend?
All in all, I'm really glad I made this recipe and it turned out better than I thought it would. It's a yummy, dense, chewy fruitcake that pairs very nicely with a hot cup of tea! Enjoy!
In cordibus Jesu et Mariae,
Sarah
