Bury Simnel Cake
A rich, flat spiced fruit cake packed with currants and candied peel, finished with a crisp sugary crust.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 65 min
- Total
- 85 min
- Servings
- 8
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 340 kcal
Equipment
- •20cm shallow round cake tin
- •greaseproof paper
- •mixing bowl
- •sieve
- •wire cooling rack
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 340 kcal
- fat
- 11 g
- carbs
- 58 g
- fibre
- 3 g
- protein
- 4 g
- calories
- 340 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Heat your fan oven to 150°C and line a shallow 20cm round cake tin with greaseproof paper.
- 2
Sift the plain flour, mixed spice, ground ginger, and ground nutmeg into a large mixing bowl.
- 3
Rub the chilled diced butter into the spiced flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- 4
Stir in the dark brown soft sugar, mixed dried fruit, and chopped candied peel until thoroughly combined.
- 5
Whisk the beaten eggs, black treacle, and milk together in a small jug until smooth.
- 6
Pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon to form a thick, stiff batter.
- 7
Spoon the batter into the prepared cake tin and press it down firmly with the back of a spoon to flatten.
- 8
Sprinkle the demerara sugar evenly over the surface to create a crunchy crust while baking.
- 9
Bake for 60 to 65 minutes until firm to the touch and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- 10
Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin on a wire cooling rack before turning out and slicing.
Chef's tips
Press the batter firmly into the tin before baking to achieve the traditional flat, dense texture. Storing the cake wrapped in greaseproof paper for two days before cutting allows the warm spices and fruit flavours to mellow and deepen.
Ingredient substitutions
- black treacle → dark muscovado syrup or golden syrup
- dark brown soft sugar → light brown soft sugar
Storage
Store in an airtight cake tin lined with greaseproof paper in a cool, dry place for up to two weeks.
Reheating
This cake is traditionally served at room temperature and does not require reheating.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Baking at too high a temperature, which scorches the exposed fruit on the top crust.
- •Over-aerating the batter with an electric mixer, which creates a light sponge instead of the traditional flat texture.
- •Cutting the cake while still warm, which causes the dense spiced crumb to crumble.
Serving suggestions
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