The Ultimate Vegan Simnel Cake: An Eggless & Dairy-Free British Easter Tradition with Marzipan

Discover the joy of a truly delicious Vegan Simnel Cake! This incredible eggless and dairy-free rendition of the classic British Easter fruit cake, lavishly adorned with marzipan, is every bit as delightful and authentic as the traditional version. Enjoy a light, moist vegan fruit cake, exquisitely layered with sweet almond marzipan in the center and crowned with the iconic marzipan decorations. It’s the quintessential cake for your Easter celebrations, perfect for sharing with family and friends.

While chocolate eggs and hot cross buns often steal the spotlight during Easter, the humble Simnel cake holds a special place in the hearts of many, including mine. This traditional British bake is a true highlight of the spring season, offering a unique blend of flavors and textures.

As a lover of rich fruitcake and someone who could happily devour marzipan by the block, this light, wonderfully moist fruit cake, which features a generous layer of marzipan both inside and on top, truly represents my ideal dessert! The challenge of creating a vegan Simnel cake that perfectly emulates the deliciousness of the original was one I embraced with enthusiasm, and I couldn’t be more thrilled with the outstanding results of this recipe.

This vegan Simnel cake is remarkably moist, bursting with flavor, and generously packed with a delightful medley of dried fruits, all harmoniously complemented by a substantial and sweet marzipan topping. It’s nothing short of fruit cake heaven for anyone seeking an authentic taste of Easter, made entirely plant-based.

What Is Simnel Cake? A British Easter Tradition:

Simnel cake is a cherished traditional bake enjoyed during Easter in the United Kingdom. Distinct from its richer, heavier, and often boozy cousin, the Christmas fruit cake, Simnel cake offers a lighter, more delicate fruit cake experience. Its defining characteristic is the delicious layer of almond marzipan nestled in the middle, providing a sweet surprise with every slice.

The cake is famously adorned with another layer of marzipan on top, typically decorated with eleven marzipan balls. These balls traditionally represent the twelve apostles, excluding Judas Iscariot. However, some bakers opt for twelve balls, choosing to include Jesus in the symbolism. Regardless of the exact number, for marzipan enthusiasts like myself, more marzipan is always a welcome sight!

Historically, Simnel cake’s origins trace back to Mothering Sunday, when serving girls, permitted to visit their mothers, would bake and bring these cakes home. Over time, this sweet tradition gracefully shifted to become a beloved centerpiece for Easter celebrations, symbolizing new life and spring festivities.

This meticulously developed vegan Simnel cake recipe is not only surprisingly easy to prepare but is also so remarkably similar in taste and texture to its traditional counterpart that you would never guess it’s completely free of eggs and dairy! My inspiration for adapting this recipe came from this wonderful spiced fruit cake recipe from The Great British Bake Off’s official website, ensuring a truly authentic and flavourful result.

Crafting Your Vegan Simnel Cake: A Step-by-Step Guide

(For a complete list of ingredients with precise measurements and detailed instructions, please refer to the comprehensive recipe card conveniently located below.)

Preparing Your Cake and Batter:

Begin by meticulously preparing your baking tin. Generously grease a deep 20cm (8-inch) round cake tin. Crucially, line it with a double layer of baking parchment, ensuring both the base and sides are fully covered. This extra layer acts as a protective barrier, preventing the edges of the cake from catching or burning during the extended baking time, and helps the cake bake more evenly.

In a spacious mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients: plain flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), and mixed spice (often known as pumpkin spice in North America). Whisk them thoroughly to ensure they are well distributed, setting the foundation for your flavorful fruit cake.

Next, introduce the cubed vegan block butter into the dry mixture. Using your fingertips, gently rub the butter into the flour mixture. Continue this process until the mixture transforms into a texture resembling fine breadcrumbs, and no visible lumps of butter remain. This traditional method helps create a tender crumb and prevents the cake from becoming dense.

Now, it’s time to incorporate the vibrant flavors and sweetness. Stir in the light brown soft sugar (dark brown sugar can also be used for a deeper molasses note), the finely grated zest of fresh orange and lemon, a generous blend of mixed dried fruit, dried cranberries, and quartered glace cherries. Ensure these ingredients are thoroughly combined, infusing the mixture with rich fruitiness and citrus aromas. Finally, gradually stir in the unsweetened soy milk (or your preferred non-dairy milk) until a smooth, cohesive batter forms. Be careful not to overmix, as this can affect the cake’s texture.

Layering and Baking:

Spoon precisely half of the prepared batter into your lined cake tin, carefully spreading it out to create an even, level layer. This forms the base of our multi-layered vegan Simnel cake. Take 200g of the marzipan and, on a lightly floured surface, roll it out into an approximate 18cm (7-inch) circle. Gently place this marzipan disc directly on top of the batter in the tin. This hidden layer of marzipan is a delightful surprise that truly defines a Simnel cake. Subsequently, spoon the remaining half of the cake batter over the marzipan layer, spreading it out evenly to completely encase the marzipan.

Bake the cake in your preheated oven for approximately 1 ½ to 2 hours. The cake is ready when it feels firm and springy to the touch. To test for doneness, insert a thin skewer into the center of the cake, being careful not to pierce the hidden marzipan layer; if it comes out clean, your cake is baked. Due to the marzipan, judging doneness can be tricky, so trust your judgment and perform multiple tests. If you notice the top of the cake browning too quickly after about an hour, loosely cover it with a sheet of tin foil to prevent excessive darkening.

The Moistening Syrup:

While your vegan Simnel cake is baking, prepare the essential syrup that will keep it wonderfully moist. In a small saucepan, combine either orange juice or rum with granulated sugar. Heat this mixture gently over a low flame, stirring continuously until the sugar has completely dissolved. Once dissolved, remove from heat and set aside. This syrup is crucial for imparting extra moisture and flavor to the finished cake, so do not be tempted to skip this important step.

As soon as the cake emerges from the oven, while still warm, generously brush the top surface with a portion of the prepared sugar syrup. Allow the cake to cool in its tin for about 10 minutes. Then, with extreme care, invert the cake onto a wire rack. Remember, warm fruit cakes can be delicate, so handle it very gently to prevent any breakage.

Once on the wire rack, continue brushing the entire cake, including the sides and even the underside if you wish, with the remaining syrup. This ensures maximum moisture retention and flavor infusion. Allow the cake to cool completely to room temperature. Once fully cooled, store your beautifully baked cake in an airtight container to preserve its freshness and flavor.

Decorating Your Simnel Cake:

For the optimal decorating experience, it’s best to decorate your cake the day after baking, allowing it to fully cool and firm up overnight. On the decorating day, take a portion of the remaining marzipan and divide it into eleven equal-sized balls. For precision, I highly recommend using a digital scale; I aimed for approximately 15g per ball to ensure uniformity. Set these marzipan balls aside.

On a surface lightly dusted with icing sugar to prevent sticking, roll out the rest of the marzipan. To achieve a perfectly circular shape that’s slightly larger than your cake, use the base of a 23cm (9-inch) round cake tin or a similar-sized plate as a guide, and carefully cut around it with a sharp knife.

To create a perfectly flat surface for the top marzipan layer, place your cooled cake top-side down onto a plate. The bottom of the cake will now serve as your new top. Use small scraps of marzipan to meticulously fill in any imperfections or holes on this surface, ensuring it’s completely level. Lightly brush the now-flat top of the cake with apricot jam – this acts as an adhesive for the marzipan. Then, carefully place the large round of marzipan onto the cake, centering it perfectly.

Using your fingers, gently crimp the edges of the marzipan disc around the cake, creating an attractive, decorative border. Arrange your eleven marzipan balls in a circular pattern on top of the cake. For an authentic golden finish, use a chef’s blowtorch to carefully and evenly toast the marzipan until it achieves a lovely golden-brown hue. If you don’t have a blowtorch, you can carefully place the cake under a hot grill (broiler), but be extremely vigilant as marzipan can burn very quickly! Remember, toasting the marzipan is entirely optional, so feel free to skip this step if you prefer.

This final touch of toasted marzipan adds not only visual appeal but also a subtle caramelised flavour that perfectly complements the fruit cake. Your stunning vegan Simnel cake is now complete and ready to be stored in an airtight container at room temperature until it’s time to slice and serve for your Easter celebration!

Essential Tips for Baking the Perfect Vegan Simnel Cake:

Achieving the best possible results with this vegan Simnel cake recipe relies on precision and attention to detail. As always in baking, I cannot stress enough the importance of weighing your ingredients using accurate gram measurements with a digital scale, rather than relying on cup conversions. Cup measurements can be inconsistent and may lead to variations in the final texture and outcome of your cake.

If you prefer a simpler, yet equally delicious, fruit cake experience without the intense almond flavor, you can certainly choose to omit the marzipan layers entirely. The cake will still be a delightful treat on its own.

Feel free to customize the dried fruit selection to your liking, as long as you maintain the same overall weight specified in the recipe. My preferred blend typically includes a standard bag of mixed dried fruit (containing raisins, sultanas, currants, and candied peel, commonly sold for fruit cakes), augmented with some dried cranberries for a tart counterpoint and vibrant glace cherries for bursts of sweetness and color. However, chopped dried apricots, figs, or dates would also make excellent additions, offering different flavor profiles.

For the vegan butter, I strongly recommend using a foil-wrapped block type of vegan butter or margarine. These solid blocks have a lower water content compared to the spreadable varieties found in tubs, which is crucial for achieving the correct texture in baked goods. Brands like Naturli Vegan Block, Stork, Vitalite, or Tormor Blocks work exceptionally well. In the United States, Earth Balance Buttery Sticks are a suitable alternative.

The step of brushing the cake with a sugar syrup immediately after it comes out of the oven is vital. This syrup penetrates the warm cake, locking in moisture and ensuring it remains wonderfully moist for days. I highly advise against skipping this step, as it significantly enhances the cake’s longevity and texture.

For optimal handling and decoration, it is ideal to bake the cake at least a day before you plan to decorate it. Fruit cakes require a considerable amount of time to cool completely, and a truly cold cake is much easier to handle when applying the marzipan decorations, leading to a much neater finish.

Properly stored in an airtight container at room temperature, your vegan Simnel cake will remain fresh and delicious for a week or even longer, allowing you to enjoy this festive treat over several days.

More Delightful Vegan Easter Recipes:

Looking to expand your repertoire of plant-based Easter treats? Here are some other fantastic vegan recipes perfect for the holiday season or any spring gathering. From classic buns to decadent cakes, these recipes are sure to impress.

If you tried this delightful vegan Simnel cake recipe, we’d love to see your creations! Please tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and use the hashtag #domesticgothess to share your beautiful Easter bakes with our community.

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