Easter Treat

I usually make some kind of cake over the Easter weekend and I found this recipe amongst my collection and have adapted an old favourite.

Cherry Simnel
140g butter
175g muscovado sugar
250ml orange juice
200g ready to eat apricots - cut into snips
200g glace cherries
100g raisins
300g plain flour
2tsp baking powder
2tsp mixed spice
2 eggs lightly beaten
175g marzipan

Method
Preheat oven to Gas 3/160C
1. Butter and line a loaf tin (1.5 litre) with nonstick paper
2 Put the butter, sugar, orange juice, cherries, apricots and raisins into a pan
3. Bring to the boil slowly, then simmer for 10 mins
4. Cool for 15 mins
5. Place flour, spices, baking poder into a large bowl
6. Add the melted mixture, eggs and mix well
7. Pour half the mixture into the loaf tin
8. Cover with balls of marzipan
9. Pour over rest of cake mixture
10 Bake for one and half hours
11. Check mixture is cooked by inserting a knife - clean knife - cooked
12. Leave to cool in tin before turning out onto wire rack

You can cover the top with glace icing and glace cherries - I didn't his time.
This cake improves with time and is very moist.
If your household is like mine the cake. won't last long


Happy Easter.