Simnel cake is a rich fruit cake, similar to a Christmas cake, covered in marzipan, and eaten at Easter in England. A layer of marzipan or almond paste is also baked into the middle of the cake. On the top of the cake, around the edge, are eleven marzipan balls to represent the true apostles of Jesus; Judas is omitted. In some variations Christ is also represented, by a ball placed at the centre. Fruitcake is a heavy cake made of dried or candied fruits and nuts that are soaked in brandy or rum, often used in the celebration of weddings and Christmas. ... Christmas Cake is a type of fruitcake served at Christmastime in the U.K., Ireland and many Commonwealth countries. ... Marzipan that has been colored and molded Fruits molded from Marzipan Marzipan is a confectionery consisting primarily of ground almonds and sugar that derives its characteristic flavor from bitter almonds, which constitute 4% to 6% of total almond content by weight. ... Easter is the most important religious holiday of the Christian liturgical year, observed in March, April, or May to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, which Christians believe occurred after his death by crucifixion in AD 27-33 (see Good Friday). ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my [birth]right) Englands location (dark green) within the British Isles Languages English (de facto) Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked... Alternate meaning: See Apostle (Mormonism) The Christian Apostles were Jewish men chosen from among the disciples, who were sent forth (as indicated by the Greek word απόστολος apostolos= messenger), by Jesus to preach the Gospel to both Jews and Gentiles, across the world. ... Jesus (8-2 BC/BCE – 29-36 AD/CE),[1] also known as Jesus of Nazareth, is the central figure of Christianity, in which context he is known as Jesus Christ, where Christ is a Greek title meaning Anointed, corresponding to the Hebrew term Messiah. The main sources of information... Judas Iscariot (died April 29–33 AD, Hebrew יהודה איש־קריות ) was, according to the New Testament, one of the twelve original apostles of Jesus, and the one who is said to have betrayed him. ...

The cake is made from rich ingredients: white flour, fragrant spices, dried fruits and peel. An ingredient used in many foods, flour is a fine powder made from grain or other starchy food sources. ... Screen shot of Spice OPUS, a fork of Berkeley SPICE SPICE (Simulation Program with Integrated Circuits Emphasis) is a general purpose analog circuit simulator. ... Dried fruit is fruit that has been dried, either naturally or through use of a machine, such as a dehydrator. ...

Simnel cakes had been known from mediaeval times, it was originally a Mothering Sunday tradition, when young girls in service would make one to be taken home to their mothers on their day off. The word simnel probably derived from the latin word simila, meaning fine, wheaten flour with which the cakes were made. The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... In contrast to Mothers Day, Mothering Sunday is not a celebration of motherhood. ...

Different towns had their own recipes and shapes of the Simnel cake. Bury, Devizes and Shrewsbury produced large numbers to their own recipes, but it is the Shrewsbury version that became most popular and well known. Location within the British Isles Bury is a town on the northern side of Greater Manchester in North West England, between Rochdale and Bolton and just west of the M66. ... Arms of Devizes Devizes is a town and civil parish in the English county of Wiltshire. ... Map sources for Shrewsbury at grid reference SJ4912 Porthill Bridge crossing the Severn at Shrewsbury Shrewsburys Old Market Hall and The Square Market Street, behind the Old Market Hall, with the Music Hall on the left Shrewsbury (pronounced either /ˈʃɹuːzbɹiː/ or /ˈʃɹəʊzbɹiː/) is a town of...

External links

• BBC recipe
• Delia Smith's recipe
• A regional variation on Simnel cake from Bury, England.