Reduced Sugar Simnel Swirl Cake
Fans of fruit cake and marzipan will love this low-sugar and vegan take on the classic Easter Simnel cake.
Simnel cake is synonymous with Easter, but it’s also synonymous with lots of sugar and dairy. Joanne Wood, of The Balanced Kitchen, says it doesn’t have to be this way, however, as this alternative, reduced sugar recipe proves!
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Total Time: 7 hour 50 mins
Prep Time: 6 hours soaking overnight
Servings: 12
Total Time: 7 hour 50 mins
Servings: 12
Ingredients
Method
Ingredients
(Servings: 12)
- Simnel cake
- 12.5 12.5 g dried figs
- 12.5 12.5 g dried apricots
- 8.3333333333333 8.3333333333333 g dried goji berries
- 25 25 g mix of raisins and sultanas
- 4.1666666666667 4.1666666666667 g mixed peel
- 12.5 12.5 ml fresh orange juice
- 0.16666666666667 0.16666666666667 tsp almond extract
- 0.083333333333333 0.083333333333333 zest from a whole orange
- 0.083333333333333 0.083333333333333 zest from a whole lemon
- 0.083333333333333 0.083333333333333 Tbsp mixed spice
- 16.666666666667 16.666666666667 g dairy-free spread
- 8.3333333333333 8.3333333333333 g xylitol (available as Total Sweet in health stores and supermarkets)
- 0.083333333333333 0.083333333333333 large ripe banana
- 8.3333333333333 8.3333333333333 g buckwheat flour
- 8.3333333333333 8.3333333333333 g ground almonds
- 5.8333333333333 5.8333333333333 g gram flour
- 5.8333333333333 5.8333333333333 ml water
- 0.125 0.125 tsp baking powder
- 0.083333333333333 0.083333333333333 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- Marzipan
- 8.3333333333333 8.3333333333333 g ground almonds
- 5.8333333333333 5.8333333333333 g xylitol powdered using a coffee grinder or similar
- 2.5 2.5 ml water
Method
You will need: 2 Litre / 8.5 cup Bundt Tin
- Begin by placing the dried fruit, mixed peel, almond extract, zest and orange juice into a large bowl, mix together until the ingredients are coated in the orange juice, cover with a plate or clean tea towel and leave to soak overnight or for at least 5 hours.
- After soaking, stir through the mixed spice.
- In a separate bowl, cream together the dairy-free spread, banana and xylitol until smooth, then add this mixture to the fruit mix and stir until combined.
- Next, add the flour, ground almonds, gram flour, water, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.
- Spoon the mixture into the cake tin and compress down with the back of a spoon. Cover with foil and bake in a fan oven at 160 degrees C for 1 hour 15 mins.
- After 1 hour and 15 mins of cooking time, remove the foil from the cake tin and cook for a further 15 mins until starting to brown on top.
- Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool for 20 mins before turning it out on to a cooling rack and leaving to cool completely.
Sugar-free Marzipan
- Mix the ground almonds and xylitol together in a small bowl and gradually stir in the water until the ingredients start to stick together.
- Take 1 TBSP level measure of the mixture and, with clean hands, roll it together in your palms to form a smooth ball shape. Set to one-side and continue with the remaining mixture until you have 12 equal-sized balls.
- Place each ball on the cake before serving.
After a life-changing medical experience, Joanne Wood decided to have a complete overhaul of her diet and now shares her experiences and vegan recipes on her popular blog and Instagram account thebalancedkitchen.co.uk
