And, apart from a more recent addition of fluffy chicks, eggs or Easter flowers, you’ll find every Simnel Cake is finished with eleven marzipan balls, to represent each of the twelve apostles, minus Judas! Make a well in the centre and pour in the egg. Simnel Cake History . Introduction. Simnel cake history. Bake for 2 ¼ to 2 ½ hours. A simnel cake is a key part of Easter baking.This fruit cake is simple to make but will take a little time in the oven. Simnel flour and simnel bread had both begun to recede from view and simnel cake had moved centre stage, beginning to assume a more definite form. A myth as to the origins of the Simnel Cake is that Lambert Simnel who was a false claimant in 1487 to the Throne of England when King Henry VII ruled. A proper Easter bake. However, the general consensus seems to be that, in years gone by, girls in domestic service would bake a simnel cake to take home to their mothers on Mothering Sunday (also known as Simnel Sunday! This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. I did use ready made almond paste and used 3 X 7oz tubes as we all love it. When folk were fasting during Lent, Mothering Sunday, appearing in the middle of the fast, offered a respite from 40 days of religious austerity. The history of the Simnel Cake To trace the origin of Simnel cake, you need to go right back to mediaeval times where it began life as a yeast-leavened bread, which may or may not have been enriched. They are made up very stiff; tied up in a cloth, and boiled for several hours, after which they are brushed over with egg, and then baked. Some people just put a large ball in the centre of the cake to signify Jesus. In most modern versions marzipan or almond paste is used as a filling for the cake, with a layer laid in the middle of the mix before the cake is cooked, and it is also used as decoration on the top. Share on twitter. Share on facebook. Bury, Devizes and Shrewsbury produced large numbers to their own recipes, but it is the Shrewsbury version that became most popular and well known[by whom? Great post , Pingback: Lent podcast episode 5: Lent & Diet | British Food: A History. Use a little icing sugar to roll the marzipan out, just like you would use flour to roll out pastry. When cold, roll out half of the marzipan in a circle slightly larger than the cake – the best way to do this is to use the outside edge of the tin it was baked in as a template. It is only when you get to the tail end of the 19th century that it starts to look like something we would recognise as a cake, though surprisingly it is not until the 20th century that the familiar marzipan layers and decorative disciples appear. ", "Mother's Day: From medieval brawls to greeting cards and flowers", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Simnel_cake&oldid=996159036, Articles incorporating a citation from the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia with Wikisource reference, Articles incorporating text from the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia with Wikisource reference, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2019, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2019, Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from March 2019, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 24 December 2020, at 21:43. This classic cake was originally made by girls in service to give to their mothers on the 4th … In a large bowl, beat together the softened butter, caster sugar, eggs, flour, cinnamon and zests. Simnel cakes are often associated with Mothering Sunday,[18] also known as Simnel-Sunday. Fast forward to the 17th and 18th centuries, and the bread mixture had been swapped for a pudding batter, not dissimilar to spotted dick, enriched with dried fruit, spices and almonds. Simnel cake is a light fruitcake formerly eaten during the pre-Easter period in the United Kingdom, Ireland and some other countries but has become a traditional cake for Easter Sunday. Originally, this cake was made for Mothering Sunday, but it has for a long, long time been an essential Easter confection, the marzipan balls on top representing the apostles: eleven in total as, for understandable reasons, Judas is persona non grata. Email to a friend. Simnel cake is a light fruitcake that is an Easter classic and is often associated with Mother's Day. Pingback: 8 Moving Mother’s Day Traditions from Around the World – Develops your Dog’s “Hidden Intelligence”, Pingback: Mother’s Day Traditions from Around the World | LiputanKini, Pingback: Twelfth Night Cake | British Food: A History, Pingback: Easter celebrations - The English Home, Thanks for linking to the blog! Simnel cake is a light fruit cake with two layers of almond paste or marzipan, one in the middle and one on top, that is toasted, and traditionally eaten at Easter but will last a … Bread regulations of the time suggest they were boiled and then baked, a technique which led to an invention myth, in circulation from at least 1745 until the 1930s, whereby a mythical couple, Simon and Nelly, fall out over making a Simnel. There is an anniversary in Bury, and I believe only in that place in England, called "Simnel Sunday." I used to make one for my Mum every year, when I lived in England! To trace the origin of Simnel cake, you need to go right back to mediaeval times where it began life as a yeast-leavened bread, which may or may not have been enriched. The 1799 edition of Johnson’s Dictionary gives the simple definition of ‘simnel’ as ‘A kind of sweet bread or cake’, but one of the earliest mentions is in the short poem by Robert Herrick, first published in 1648: To Dianeme. When ready for sale the crust is as hard as if made of wood, ...... the accompanying engraving, representing large and small cakes as now on sale in Shrewsbury. We don't quite know how it tasted but it's often described as being boiled as well as baked. Using a hand mixer, beat together until smooth. I shall try to remember to update the other post. [14] Most recipes require at least 90 minutes of cooking, and advise using several layers of baking parchment to line the tin, and sometimes brown paper wrapped around the outside to stop the marzipan burning.[15]. Simnel Cake is an Easter time fruit cake, made with lemon, dried fruits and peel, treacle and marzipan. Though there were 12 disciples, Judas Iscariot is omitted as he betrayed. The name simnel probably comes from the ancient Roman word simila, meaning fine flour. ( Log Out /  ( Log Out /  Below is the recipe I use – I can’t claim it as my own, but I don’t know where I got it from, so if you recognise it let me know, you know I always like to credit my sources! Like most British food eaten during winter and early spring, the Simnel cake contains lots of dried fruit, but it is much lighter than boozy Christmas cake and contains a layer or marzipan both on top and within, and is decorated with eleven marzipan balls, each symbolising Jesus’s disciples (minus the treacherous Judas of course). Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Simnel cakes themselves seem to be disappearing from our Easter tables altogether and are getting more and more difficult to find in British bakeries. Sometimes orange flower water or brandy is used, either in the cake batter or to flavour the almond paste. It is distinguished by two layers of almond paste or marzipan, one in the middle and one on top. This doesn’t sound that much like a special bread, you may think, but what made it special is that it made out of the highest quality flour possible; simnel derives from the Latin simila – the whitest and finest of flours. [19] According to historian Ronald Hutton, in 17th Century Gloucestershire and Worcestershire the custom of live-in apprentices and domestic servants going home to visit their mothers on Mothering Sunday started, checking that their families were well and taking food or money if needed. One wishes to boil it, one to bake it and, after beating each other with various household implements, they compromise on one which uses both cooking techniques. As with so many classic recipes, there are many conflicting stories of how the simnel cake first came about! Using a mixer or your hand, form a dough. Simnel cake is a light fruitcake with delicious dried fruits and topped with marzipan and apricot jam.It is a classic holiday cake popularly served during Easter in certain European countries. Now fold in the mixed fruit and cherries with a spatula or wooden spoon. 1: The Be-Ro Book. This may not sound like a special bread, but what made it special is that it made from the highest quality flour possible; Simnel derives from the Latin simila – the whitest and finest of flours. [3] However, in more recent times it is also eaten throughout the pre-Easter period, and especially on Easter Sunday. Simnel cakes have been known since at least medieval times. Brush the top of the cake with some apricot jam (if it is very thick, you may want to warm some with a little water in a pan) and lay the marzipan on top, then brush the marzipan with the beaten egg. [citation needed], Different towns had their own recipes and shapes of the Simnel cake[citation needed]. Begin by greasing and lining an 8-inch cake tin and preheating your oven to 150°C. Spoon half of the mixture into your tin and level it off. Simnel cake is a light fruitcake formerly eaten during the pre-Easter period in the United Kingdom, Ireland and some other countries but has become a traditional cake for Easter Sunday. [9][10] An early reference to decorating with marzipan balls appears in May Byron's Pot-Luck Cookery[11][12] but with no mention of the modern story, and her version may well be derived from earlier styles, which were sometimes crenelated. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications by email. A Ceremonie in Glocester. The Simnel Cake is a symbolic Easter cake decorated with eleven marzipan balls around the cake to represent the 11 disciples. Simnel cake. Bread regulations of the time suggest they were boiled and then baked, a technique which led to an invention myth, in circulation from at least 1745 until the 1930s,[16][17] whereby a mythical couple, Simon and Nelly, fall out over making a Simnel. When folk were fasting during Lent, Mothering Sunday, appearing in the middle of the fast, offered a respite from 40 days of religious austerity. We love making different kinds of holiday desserts for the kids and family to try something new. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. 325 g mixed fruit (currants, sultanas, currants), 125 g glacé cherries, quartered or left whole. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Simnel cake. Traditionally made to mark Mothering Sunday, this cake is also known as an Easter Cake; Simnel cake has a fascinating cultural heritage with roots that stretch back to the Romans and Athenians. History Simnel Cake. Mix all of the ingredients except for the egg in a bowl. I added some almond essence to the batter as well as a little cinnamon allspice ginger and nutmeg. Learn how your comment data is processed. This was a time of year when food stocks were low, and the high-calorie simnel cake was useful nutrition. When cooked, it was wrapped in pastry, glazed with egg and baked until a good hard crust formed. Simple, everyday, simnel bread has been made in England since as far back as the 11th century. [13], Simnel cake is a light fruitcake, generally made from these ingredients: white flour, sugar, butter, eggs, fragrant spices, dried fruits, zest and candied peel. While the people of Shrewsbury, Bury and Devizes all made theirs in slightly different ways, they all avoided using milk or butter and they all added generous quantities of raisins, sultanas, candied fruits and saffron to the mix. The meaning of the word "simnel" is unclear: there is a 1226 reference to "bread made into a simnel", which is understood to mean the finest white bread,[21] from the Latin simila – "fine flour" (from which 'semolina' also derives). 8 Moving Mother’s Day Traditions from Around the World – Develops your Dog’s “Hidden Intelligence”, Mother’s Day Traditions from Around the World | LiputanKini, Twelfth Night Cake | British Food: A History, Lent podcast episode 5: Lent & Diet | British Food: A History, Favourite Cook Books No. It would be boiled like a pudding. The top layer is capped by a circle of "eggs" made of the same paste, and is lightly browned under a grill. One account, often now discounted, attributes the invention of the Simnel cake to one Lambert Simnel, who was the ten-year-old pretender to Henry VII’s throne, of whom it is alleged for the purposes of the cake story at least, that he was spared death and sent to work in the royal kitchens where he came up with the recipe. Mothering… A proper Easter bake “This traditional Easter treat is a great one to make with kids – they’ll love rolling out the marzipan, but leave any blow-torching to the grown-ups! ( Log Out /  It would be like the Scottish black bun, a traditional Christmas food north of the border. A Simnel Cake is a fruitcake that is decorated with two layers of almond paste or marzipan – one in the middle and one on top. [20] One wishes to boil it, one to bake it and, after beating each other with various household implements, they compromise on one which uses both cooking techniques. The Simnel Cake according to many, is an Easter Cake, baked during the Easter period. The marzipan recipe below is different to my previously published one and I think much better. This is a very straight-forward cake mixture made using the all-in-one method; it is very important that you use very soft butter so that the cake batter creams quickly without developing the gluten too much. Our answer. Level off with your spatula and make an indentation in the centre, so that the cake doesn’t rise with too much of a peak. The book what I has finished and the book what I has started. The history of the simnel cake. John de Garlande felt that the word was equivalent to placenta cake,[3] a cake that was intended to please. Cool on a rack for about 30 minutes before removing the tin and greaseproof paper. Simnel cake has been eaten since medieval times as both a rich, sweet treat and a symbolic ritual. Simnel Cake, in these times, is associated with Easter but this was not always the case. … I’m sure that was a very welcome respite. He was only 10 years old and the King knew he was being used by others as a pretender so pardoned him and employed him as … ( Log Out /  [22], A popular legend[citation needed] attributes the invention of the Simnel cake to Lambert Simnel; however, references to the cake were recorded some 200 years before his birth. How to make simnel cake - recipe. Felicity Cloake’s simnel cake. This traditional Easter fruit cake is topped with home-made almond paste – with 11 balls to represent the faithful disciples, so make sure you count correctly! Often described as being simnel cake history as well as a little cinnamon allspice ginger nutmeg. Off so it 's as flat as possible year, when I in! England since as far back as the 11th century also eaten throughout pre-Easter. Fruits and peel, treacle and marzipan, 125 g glacé cherries, quartered or left.. Simnel bread has been eaten since medieval times, it was used to celebrate Mothering Sunday occurs the. 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A very welcome respite this blog and receive notifications by email Lent & Diet | British food: a.! First came about throughout the pre-Easter period, and living in their workplace, were allowed to visit their on! Love it a hand mixer, beat together until smooth trimmings into 11 equally-sized balls arrange..., different towns had their own recipes and shapes of the cake later simply. Bowl, beat together until smooth came together beautifully butter, caster sugar eggs..., You are commenting using your Twitter account your simnel cake history address to follow this blog and receive by., flour, cinnamon and zests in pastry, glazed with egg and baked until good... As being boiled as well as being decorated with toasted marzipan simply Easter... Your hand, form a dough that no other cake can compete with or your hand, form a.... One in the mixed fruit ( currants, sultanas, currants ), You are commenting using WordPress.com! Below or click an icon to Log in: You are commenting your. 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