Easter Simnel Cupcakes Recipe

This cupcakes Easter recipe is based on a traditional cake recipe from England called a Simnel Cake. This was originally a cake given to mothers on Mothers day but is now for Easter. It is full of fruit and almond paste (often called marzipan). It has 11 marzipan balls to represent the 11 true disciples of Jesus and one is left out for Judas. I have made the recipe into 12 cupcakes for a traditional Easter cupcake with a difference for those who like tradition and also enjoy fruit, almonds and spices. I have only 11 cupcakes below I could not resist trying one.

To make the cupcakes;
Ingredients
110gm--4 oz--8 tablespoons of butter or margarine
110 gm--4 oz--3/4 cup soft brown sugar
3 eggs beaten
150 gm--5 oz--1 1/4 cups plain flour with no raising agent
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of mixed spice
350 gm--12 oz--3 cups of mixed raisins, currants, and sultanas
55 gm--2 oz--1/2 cup mixed candied peel
55 gm--2 oz--1/2 cup glace cherries
grated rind of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon of rum or brandy
1-2 tablespoons of apricot jam to glaze the cupcakes
Almond Paste Ingredients
125 gm--4 oz--1/2 cup caster sugar(fine but not powder)
125 gm--4 oz--3/4 cup ground almonds
1 egg beaten
1/2 teaspoon of real almond essence

Equipment

A cookie cutter the same diameter as the cupcake cases

Pastry brush for the melted jam

Method
To make the almond paste, place the sugar and ground almonds in a bowl. Add the essence of almond and add enough beaten egg to make a thick paste that you can knead or press together easily with your hands without it sticking then divide it into 2. Put some flour on the working surface to stop the almond paste sticking.See photo

Simnel Cakes Method

Cream the butter and sugar together by hand or with a mixer.

Add the eggs one by one and beat into the mixture

Add the flour baking powder and mix gently

Add the raisins, currants, sultanas, glace cherries, candied peel, mixed spice, lemon rind, rum or brandy and mix.

Separate the mixture into 2, I just divide in the bowl.

Put 12 large cupcases(muffin size) into a baking tray.

Divide half the mixture out into the 12 cupcases.

Now go back to the almond paste and roll out half the paste. See photos

Cut out 12 almond paste circles and place them on the top of the mixture in each cupcase.

Now go back to the cupcake mixture and divide this out between the 12 cupcakes and put it on the top of the almond paste. So you have 3 layers in a cupcake:

1. mixture

2. almond paste circle

3. mixture.

Put the cupcakes in a pre-heated oven at gas 5, 190C, 375F for 20 minutes. Do not open the oven for 15 minutes as you will stop the cooking process. I put them in the middle of my oven where I usually do cupcake recipes.

Now roll out the other half of the almond paste and cut out 12 circles and roll out 11 small balls of almond paste.

Remove the cupcakes from the oven.

Put the apricot jam into a pan and heat gently and melt. Brush the top of each cooked cupcake with melted jam.

Place a circle of almond paste on the top of each cooked cupcake.

Roll 11 balls of paste in your hands. Dip each ball into the melted jam and then put in the centre of a cupcake. One for Judas will have none.

Put the cupcakes back into the oven for 5 minutes until the almond paste has gone brown to golden but not burned.

Remove cupcakes and cool on a rack.

These can be eaten individually or sliced onto a serving plate . I have shown some ideas. These are great for those who like fruit . The main process for these traditional cupcakes are in the photos below.

Place the first circles of paste on top of the first half of the mixture. then put the second half of the mixture on the top so each cupcake has 3 layers, mixture, circle of almond paste and mixture.

Glaze the cupcakes with melted apricot jam and add on the top the circles of almond paste and the balls of almond paste on the top of the cooked cupcakes

These cupcakes are so moist and fruity. I would serve them for Easter with flowers and eggs as a centre piece for friends. I hope these give you some good ideas for cupcakes for Easter. Thanks for reading

Enjoy

Crazycupcakes

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