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Cherry & marzipan cake

Cherry fruit cake topped with icing drizzle and glace cherries

Cherry & marzipan cake

Name: Cherry & marzipan cake
Cook time: 1 h 20 min
Total time: 1 h 40 min
Yield: Cuts into 12 slices
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 250g butter softened, plus extra for greasing; 175g golden caster sugar; 5 eggs beaten; 250g self-raising flour plus an extra 2 tbsp; 1 tsp baking powder; zest 1 orange plus 2 tbsp of the juice; 250g natural marzipan coarsely grated (easiest if chilled beforehand); ½ tsp almond essence, optional; 200g glacé cherry halved; 100g icing sugar sifted; 50g toasted flaked almond; 12 natural glacé cherries; zest 1 orange

Jane Hornby

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Cuts into 12 slices

Easy

Prep: 20 mins

Cook: 1 hr and 20 mins

A star rating of 4.3 out of 5.15 ratingsRate

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Not just for Easter, this delicious cake makes a good centrepiece all year round

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Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

250g butter

softened, plus extra for greasing
175g golden caster sugar
5 eggs

beaten
250g self-raising flour

plus an extra 2 tbsp
1 tsp baking powder
zest 1 orange

plus 2 tbsp of the juice
250g natural marzipan

coarsely grated (easiest if chilled beforehand)
½ tsp almond

essence, optional
200g glacé cherry

halved

For the decoration

100g icing sugar

sifted
50g toasted flaked almond
12 natural glacé cherries
zest 1 orange

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Nutrition: per slice

kcal515
fat25g
saturates12g
carbs69g
sugars53g
fibre2g
protein7g
salt0.76g

low

Method

step 1

Heat oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3 and butter and line a 20cm round, loose-bottomed deep cake tin. Beat the butter and sugar together with electric beaters or a tabletop mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, 250g flour, baking powder, orange zest and juice and beat well till thick, creamy and evenly mixed.
step 2

Toss cherries in the extra 2 tbsp flour and fold into the batter along with grated marzipan and almond essence (if using). Spoon into the prepared tin, level and bake for 1 hr 30 mins, or until well risen and golden. A skewer will come out clean when ready. Leave to cool in tin for 10 mins, then turn onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
step 3

Mix the icing sugar with just over 1 tbsp water to make a loose but not-too-runny icing. Scatter the almonds over the top of the cake and position the 12 glace cherries around the edge, using a dot of the icing to fix. Drizzle the icing over the cake and finish with a scattering of orange zest.

RECIPE TIPS

CHERRIES

We’ve used cherries instead of marzipan, which is traditionally rolled into balls to top simnel cakes. Most people top their cake with 12 balls, which represent the 12 apostles minus Judas, plus Jesus. Others use 11 – it’s up to you.

Recipe from Good Food magazine, April 2006

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A star rating of 4.3 out of 5.15 ratings

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