Traditional Easter Simnel Cake

A great traditional cake for an Easter tea, this is light, spicy and deliciously sweet. We've added lemon and orange zest to give it a fruity flavour

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease a 20cm (8in) spring-form cake tin and line with parchment paper. Whisk together the butter, sugar, and lemon and orange zest in a bowl, until smooth and creamy.
   
   In another bowl, mix together the spices, baking powder and almonds, and sieve in the flour. Add 1 egg and 3tbsp of the dry mixture to the creamed butter and sugar. Slowly beat in the remaining eggs, dry mixture and vanilla, and mix well. Then add the milk, dried fruit and cherries.
   
   Sprinkle a little icing sugar on your work surface and roll 400g (14oz) of marzipan into a neat ball. Roll out a 20cm (8in) circle. Scoop half of the cake mixture into the tin and flatten, then place the marzipan circle on top of the cake mixture and add the remaining cake mix.
   
   Bake for 30 minutes and then turn the oven down to 150C/130C fan/gas 2 and leave to bake for 1½ hours, or until the cake is golden and firm on top. Leave to cool completely before releasing from the cake tin.
   
   Spread 3tbsp of apricot jam on top of the cake. Take another 400g (14oz) of marzipan and roll into a neat ball.
   
   Cover your work surface with icing sugar and roll out the marzipan to make a 20cm (8in) circle and place it on top of the jammed cake. With the remaining marzipan, roll out 11 equal-sized balls, then, using small amounts of jam, stick them around the top of the cake. Place the cake under a high grill for 2-3 minutes. Leave to cool and decorate with ribbon.