Chocolate simnel cake

Prep: 45 mins

Cook: 45 mins

Marzipan and chocolate make a wonderful combination in this sinfully good chocolate simnel cake.

110g butter, plus extra for greasing

110g caster sugar

2 eggs

110g self-raising flour

pinches of salt

50g cocoa powder

50g ground almonds

2 tbsp maple syrup

175g golden marzipan, rolled to a 20cm round

175g white marzipan, rolled to a 20cm round

For the icing

250g chocolate

200 ml crème fraîche

icing sugar

To decorate

12 chocolate truffles

handfuls of glazed almonds

Heat the oven to 180°C. Take a small amount of butter and grease a 20cm round cake tin.

Cream the butter and sugar with a wooden spoon until the mixture becomes pale and airy.

Stir in the eggs while mixing continuously. Add the flour, salt, cocoa powder first and then the ground almonds and maple syrup.

Tip half of the mixture in the cake tin. Layer the golden marzipan and the white marzipan on top. Pour the remaining dough and even out the top.

Put in the oven for about 45 minutes. The cake should be firm on top and not stick to the sides of the tin anymore.

Let the cake cool in its tin then turn it out of the tin onto a wire cooling rack.

Making the icing: Heat a saucepan filled with water until it almost boils. Roughly break the chocolate into a bowl and place it over the saucepan. Be careful, the bottom of the bowl should not touch the saucepan. Leave the chocolate to melt. Once completely melted, pour the crème fraîche and gently stir until thoroughly blended. Sugar to taste.

When cool, invert a serving plate over the cake then flip over. Cover the entire cake with the chocolate icing topped with the truffles and glazed almonds. Slice and serve.

Serves
6-10

Preparation Time
45 minutes

Cooking Time
45 minutes

Main ingredients
Flour, Chocolate, Sugar

Recipe Type
Cakes & Baking, Dessert, Entertaining

Level of Difficulty
Easy

The stunning cake image above of a chocolate simnel cake is made by Emma Gardner. Check out her recipe for a chocolate simnel cake on her fabulous blog Poires au Chocolat