Mother Goddess

This is the first year in a while that we have not returned to Sydney for an Easter visit.  Easter is such nice time of year to be seeing family and friends, so we miss you a lot right now at home.  It still has that special celebratory feeling and for those who do not traditionally celebrate with a feast, you will be surprised on the yummy things on offer!

One tradition in our family is the Simnel Cake my mum makes.  It is I guess the Easter version of the Christmas cake but quite different and really delicious.  I think even the non fruit cake eater might be converted with this version.  We even had this cake as our wedding cake!!

I did try Hot Cross Buns (my all time favourite Easter treat well above any egg) on the weekend… While the house smelled lovely while baking, the buns were not fabulous.  I need to work on my bread making skills – I think I need more patience!

My research on the Simnel Cake revealed some pretty interesting facts / myths with many interpretations and stories on how it originated.  I like the simple one that it was thought to be a cake that was taken as a gift for young girls to give to their mothers on Mothering Sunday, which is the 4th Sunday of Lent.  This is what the UK knows as Mother’s Day.  This year it fell on 10th March, and is determined by when Easter falls each year.  Mothering Sunday is originally thought to stem to ancient Roman times when this day celebrated Cybele – the Mother Goddess until it was later picked up by Europe and the UK and the introduction of Christianity.

So Easter eggs aside, it really is an important period of family togetherness, whichever way you look at it.

My mum has kindly revealed her Simnel Cake recipe, I have cooked it for the first and most certainly not the last! 

Simnel Cake

You will need an 8 inch round cake tin

Ingredients

• 150g softened unsalted butter
• 200g caster sugar
• rind and juice of 1 lemon
• 3 eggs
• 500g raisins (I ran out so substituted about 150g with sultanas)
• 125g currants
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 155g plain flour
• 60g self raising flour
• 1-2 tablespoons apricot jam (I prefer peach to eat so used this instead)
• 1- 2 packs of marzipan (depends on the size of the pack but you will need 2 flat discs 5mm thick rolled out and cut to size)
• 12 plain coloured eggs (gold is nice but I could only find blue)

To Make

1. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees celcius (my gas oven was at 160 degrees)
2. Butter and line the cake tin with baking paper
3. Cream the butter, sugar and lemon zest and juice until pale.
4. Beat the eggs in 1 at a time.
5. Fold in the dried fruit, flours, spices until well combined.  A tip here is to take a tablespoon of the flour and toss the dried fruit in it to separate the fruit and prevent it from sinking or sticking when it bakes.
6. Pour in half the mix to the prepared tin.  Lay 1 disc of rolled and cut marzipan on the mix then fill the tin with the remaining cake batter.
7. Bake for 1 1/2 hours until lightly golden and the cake is cooked.  If the cake is browning too quickly place a piece of baking paper on the top.
8. Take the cooked cake out, and brush the top of the cake with the jam that has been slightly warmed to liquify.
9. Lay the 2nd piece of marzipan on the cake carefully on the cake and place back in the over for a few minutes.
10. Take the cake out and place as evenly as possible the eggs on the cake.  The 11 eggs around the edge represent the 12 apostles minus Judas and then place the middle egg, Jesus on the cake (Easter is a Christian celebration so this cake has symbolism all the way through!).  I used a little jam to stick the eggs onto the marzipan.
11. Wait for the cake to cool to remove from the pan and this cake can be stored for a week or 2 in an airtight container (if you can resist it!)

PS – I think traditionally you are meant to place marzipan balls on the cake but easter eggs are much more fun and shiny and tasty!  Feel free to use other balls like Lindt balls or Ferrero Rochers would look quite indulgent also.

PPS – It is a surprisingly easy cake to make, only a little fiddly and I am terrible with fiddly but I think mine turned out OK?