CHOCOHOLIC DELIGHT

An expert shares her Easter favourites

An Easter tradition that can be traced back to medieval times, simnel cake is a fruit cake made with a marzipan filling and a topping featuring 11 balls of marzipan to represent the 11 disciples — excluding Judas. This is a twist on the traditional version 225g butter, softened

225g light muscovado sugar 4 large eggs

240g (2 cups) cake flour

5ml (1 tsp) baking powder 10ml (2 tsp) mixed spice 350g mixed dried cake fruit 100g red glacé cherries

Finely grated zest of 2 lemons 100g ground almonds

100g chocolate chips

Marzipan: 350g marzipan Chocolate ganache: 300g dark 70% chocolate, in pieces 150ml cream

30ml (2 tbsp) butter

To decorate: 1 egg white

A handful of caster sugar 11 chocolate discs and edible flowers

Preheat the oven to 150°C and spray a 20cm, deep, round cake pan and line the base and sides with baking paper.

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and creamy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Sift the flour, baking powder and spice, stirring into egg mixture, then add the cake fruit, cherries, lemon zest, almond and chocolate chips.

Pour half the mixture into the prepared pan. Divide the marzipan and roll one half into a disc the size of the cake pan and place the disc on top of the cake mixture. Spoon the remaining cake mixture on top of the marzipan circle and level the surface.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 2½ hours until risen, evenly brown and firm to the touch. Leave to cool in the pan for 10 minutes and remove the paper and cool on a wire rack.

For ganache place chocolate, cream and butter in a pan and, stirring with a whisk, melt over a low heat. Set aside to cool allow to thicken in the fridge.

Spread cake evenly with the chocolate ganache mixture. Use the remaining marzipan to make 11 balls, then brush with egg white and sprinkle with sugar.

Brown the marzipan balls lightly with a blow torch or under the grill. Place the chocolate discs around the edge of the cake, top with marzipan balls and decorate with flowers.