CHOCOLATE SIMNEL CAKE

CHOCOLATE SIMNEL CAKE

CAKE

400 g   marzipan

Icing sugar for dusting

160 g   butter at room temperature

160 g   brown sugar

4          eggs

210 g   cake flour

5 ml     baking powder

            Pinch of salt

5 ml     ground cinnamon

5 ml     mixed spice

150 g   dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

80 g     cranberries

80 g     glace cherries, halved

80 g     candied orange peel, chopped

GANACHE AND TO DECORATE

40 g     smooth apricot jam, melted

180 g   dark chocolate, chopped

90 g     cream

11        small marzipan balls (each weighing 15 g)

11        chocolate coated almonds

METHOD:

• Pre-heat the oven to 140°C and line and grease a 20 cm deep cake tin with baking paper.
• Knead the marzipan on a surface dusted with icing sugar until smooth and divide in two.
• Roll each halve into a 20cm-diameter circle, place on paper and keep aside
• Cream the butter and the sugar till light and fluffy and add the eggs one at a time, beat well after each addition.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, spices and the salt. Mix it gently into the egg mixture
• Add the chocolate and the dried fruit and mix it into the batter.
• Spoon half of the batter into the prepared cake tin, cover with one of the marzipan circles and spoon over the rest of the batter. Smooth the top and make an indentation in the centre that cuts through the marzipan layer to let steam out.
• Bake until a skewer comes out clean – about 1 hour and 20 minutes.
• Cool completely in the pan
• Turn out onto a serving plate, brush with melted apricot jam and top with the remaining marzipan circle.
• Heat the cream and chocolate on very low setting in the microwave and melt to make the ganache.
• Pour the ganache over the cake and allow the chocolate to spill down the sides
• Arrange the marzipan balls on top and place a chocolate coated almond on top of each marzipan ball
• Dust with cacao
• This cake will keep for several days stored in an airtight container