Recipes: Chocolate, orange & almond simnel cake

Chocolate, orange & almond simnel cake

A rich, indulgent Easter treat with orange frosting and homemade chocolate marzipan, great for those who don't like traditional fruit cake

Ingredients

  • 250g slightly salted butter , plus extra for greasing
  • 100g orange-flavoured plain chocolate or 100g plain chocolate plus 2 tsp orange extract
  • 400g plain flour
  • 500g golden caster sugar
  • 25g cocoa , plus extra for dusting
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 2 eggs
  • 284ml tub buttermilk
  • zest and juice 1 orange

FOR THE MARZIPAN

  • 85g golden caster sugar
  • 100g icing sugar , plus extra to decorate
  • 200g ground almonds
  • 50g cocoa powder , plus extra for dusting
  • 1 egg , plus 1 yolk, beaten

FOR THE FROSTING

  • 2 x 250g/9oz tubs mascarpone
  • 250g butter , softened
  • 250g icing sugar
  • zest 2 oranges plus 100ml juice

    Method

  • Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease and line the base and sides of two deep 23cm cake tins. Boil the kettle. Put the butter and chocolate in a small pan and gently heat, stirring, until completely melted. Mix together the flour, sugar, cocoa and bicarbonate of soda with a pinch of salt in your largest mixing bowl. Whisk the eggs, buttermilk, orange zest and juice together in a jug. Scrape the melted chocolate mixture and egg mixture into the dry ingredients, add 150ml boiling water and whizz briefly with an electric whisk until the cake batter is lump-free. Divide between the tins and bake for 45 mins - swapping the tins round after 30 mins if on different shelves. To test they're done, push in a skewer and check that it comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their tins.
  • Meanwhile, make the marzipan. Mix the sugars, ground almonds and cocoa in a bowl. Make a well in the middle, tip in the egg and egg yolk and mix together with a cutlery knife before kneading with your hands to a smooth ball. Wrap in cling film and set aside. Will keep in the fridge for 1 week if making ahead.
  • Make the frosting: beat the mascarpone and butter together until smooth. Sift in the icing sugar, add the zest and juice, then beat again until combined.
  • To assemble, split each cake in half horizontally. Dot a little frosting on your serving plate and sit one of the cake halves on top. You'll use about half the frosting to sandwich the cakes together - spread the plated-up cake with some frosting, then repeat to sandwich the remaining cakes on top. Brush the top of the cake with a tiny bit more frosting.
  • Roll out the marzipan, on a dusting of cocoa if you need, to a rough 27cm circle. Using your cake tin like a cookie cutter, stamp out a marzipan circle, then carefully lift this onto the top of your cake. Roll the remaining marzipan into 11 small balls and stick them on top, using a little more frosting or water like glue. Spread the remaining frosting round the outside of the cake, then dust the top with a little more cocoa and icing sugar.