Gluten-free chocolate Simnel cake

Name: Gluten-free chocolate Simnel cake
Total time: 2 h 45 min
Ingredients: 300g of prunes, pitted and chopped (it’s easiest to snip them up with kitchen scissors); 150g of sour cherries; 100g of raisins; 100g of currants; 100g of sultanas; 100g of glacé cherries, cut in half (use cherries with a natural colour); 4 knobs of stem ginger in syrup, finely chopped; 4 tbsp of ginger syrup, from the jar of stem ginger; 100ml of brandy; 100ml of port; 1 tbsp of vanilla extract; 175g of dark muscovado sugar; 175g of butter; 2 oranges, zested and juiced; 25g of cocoa powder; 200g of dark chocolate, roughly chopped; 200g of rice flour; 75g of ground almonds; 4 tsp mixed spice; 2 tsp ground cinnamon; 1 tsp gluten-free baking powder; 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda; 2 large eggs, beaten; 750g of marzipan, good-quality; 2 tbsp of apricot jam

by Victoria Glass

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Cake
easy
12
2 hours 45 minutes

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Victoria offers a new twist on a classic Easter bake with her chocolate gluten-free Simnel cake recipe. Buy good-quality marzipan to decorate the cake, or make your own using our how to guide.

First published in 2019

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Ingredients

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Imperial

Chocolate Simnel cake

300g of prunes, pitted and chopped (it’s easiest to snip them up with kitchen scissors)
150g of sour cherries
100g of raisins
100g of currants
100g of sultanas
100g of glacé cherries, cut in half (use cherries with a natural colour)
4 knobs of stem ginger in syrup, finely chopped
4 tbsp of ginger syrup, from the jar of stem ginger
100ml of brandy
100ml of port
1 tbsp of vanilla extract
175g of dark muscovado sugar
175g of butter
2 oranges, zested and juiced
25g of cocoa powder
200g of dark chocolate, roughly chopped
200g of rice flour
75g of ground almonds
4 tsp mixed spice
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp gluten-free baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 large eggs, beaten
750g of marzipan, good-quality
2 tbsp of apricot jam

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Equipment

23cm springform cake tin
Baking parchment
Brown parcel paper
Kitchen string
Pastry brush

Method

Place the prunes, sour cherries, raisins, currants, sultanas, glacé cherries, stem ginger, ginger syrup, brandy, port, vanilla, sugar, butter, orange zest and juice, cocoa and chocolate in a saucepan and stir over a gentle heat until the sugar has dissolved, and the chocolate and butter have melted. Take the pan off the heat and leave to cool

150g of sour cherries
300g of prunes, pitted and chopped (it’s easiest to snip them up with kitchen scissors)
200g of dark chocolate, roughly chopped
100g of currants
100g of raisins
100g of sultanas
4 tbsp of ginger syrup, from the jar of stem ginger
4 knobs of stem ginger in syrup, finely chopped
100g of glacé cherries, cut in half (use cherries with a natural colour)
100ml of port
1 tbsp of vanilla extract
25g of cocoa powder
175g of dark muscovado sugar
175g of butter
2 oranges, zested and juiced
100ml of brandy

In the meantime, double-line a deep 23cm round cake tin with baking parchment. Make sure the parchment is a few inches higher than the tin

Next, wrap the outside of the tin with brown parcel paper (again higher than the tin) and secure it with kitchen string

Preheat the oven to 150°C/gas mark 2

Add the flour to the saucepan of cooled chocolate mixture, along with the ground almonds, spices and raising agents, then mix everything together thoroughly

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
200g of rice flour
75g of ground almonds
1 tsp gluten-free baking powder
4 tsp mixed spice
2 tsp ground cinnamon

Next, mix in the egg until fully-combined and pour half of the mixture into the prepared cake tin

2 large eggs, beaten

Roll out a third of the marzipan into a 1cm thick circle, that’s slightly smaller than the tin. Place it on top of the cake mixture and pat it down. Pour over the remaining cake mixture and level the top with a palette knife

750g of marzipan, good-quality

Pop the cake in the oven for 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours. An inserted skewer should come out clean of any chocolate goo, but if there is a little pale stickiness on it, don’t worry - it’s just the melted marzipan in the middle. Let the cake cool completely in its tin on top of a wire rack

Roll eleven small balls of marzipan in your hands to make the eleven disciples (excluding Judas). Then, roll the remaining marzipan in a circle that is slightly larger than the cake, so you have enough excess to crimp the edges

Warm the apricot jam in a saucepan and paint it over the top of the cake. Stick the disc of marzipan on top of the cake and use your thumbs and index fingers to crimp the edges

2 tbsp of apricot jam

Use a blowtorch to slightly burnish the marzipan. If you do not have a blowtorch, you can pop the cake under a very hot grill, but do keep a close eye on it, as it can burn quickly

First published in 2019

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Victoria Glass

Victoria is a London-based food writer and recipe developer. She was the Roald Dahl Museum’s first ever Gastronomic Writer in Residence and has written six books, including her latest, Too Good To Waste.

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