Ingredients - Makes 8” (20cm) approx cake
8oz (225g) plain flour | ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg |
½ teaspoon baking powder | ¾oz (20g) chopped candied peel * |
2 tablespoons butter | 1 egg, lightly beaten |
2 tablespoons lard | A few: glace cherries and halved walnuts |
6 tablespoons caster sugar | ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon |
10oz (275g) dried currants, soaked in hot water for 15 minutes and drained |
* I recommend buying the pieces of whole candied peel available in many shops and chopping it yourself. It is far softer and much tastier than the tubs of ready cut peel, which can be very hard.
Method
- Rub the butter and lard into the flour until it resemble breadcrumbs.
- Add the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, currants and chopped candied peel and mix well.
- Add the egg, and mix all of the ingredients into a stiff dough, adding a little milk if necessary.
- Form the dough into a round, flat cake, approx 8” (20cm) round and 1” (25mm) deep and place it on a baking tray covered with baking parchment.
- Decorate the cake with the nuts and cherries, and bake in a preheated 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6 oven for 35 - 40 minutes, or until golden brown.
The resulting “cake” has the consistency of an oatmeal flapjack. Imagine the dismay of my Official Taster when he came in from gardening to try a piece. When I mentioned Simnel Cake he automatically thought “marzipan”. A favourite of his. But he soon tucked into this recipe!
For purely medical reasons I had to dip into the Smoking Bishop. Purely to ease a sore throat you understand. I can highly recommend it.