Modern Simnel Cake 2.0: "Can any cake be a Simnel cake? Or must it be fruit cake?" (Wheat Free with Dairy Free Option)

Alleluia! Christ is risen!

Happy Easter all, and to celebrate here is a delicious carrot cake with super luscious cream cheese icing, decorated with cake truffles made from leftover cake and icing.

Last year, I did a raspberry and almond cake for Easter, taking inspiration from the original marzipan element of the traditional Simnel cake, but fashioning little marzipan icons for each Apostle. This year, however, the only thing Simnel-y about this cake is mixed spice in the carrot cake. And, of course, the decoration.

No-one can agree on the origin of the word Simnel, but what most people agree on is that it's made of a fruit cake with a marzipan filling and topping, and has 11 marzipan decorations on top to represent the Disciples of Christ, without Judas.

So, in reality, any kind of cake can be a Simnel cake as long as it has the 11 disciples on top: for example, this is a fairly run of the mill carrot cake with cream cheese icing, but because of its decoration, it has Easter significance.

This time, the Disciples are represented by cake truffles which I made out of crumbling the sliced-off dome of the carrot cake and some icing. Usually, the eleven decorations are just arranged on top as if it's normal, but seeing an uneven number arranged like it's nothing very irritating. So, this time I decided to make a point of the missing Disciple to give it some evenness, and also I feel it gives its greater weight and significance.

The icing I used in this recipe was a little bit of an experiment, and before I share it with you I want to do some fine tuning. When I demonstrate it in a video, I will share the updated recipe. For now, just use whatever cream cheese icing you like.

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DIFFICULTY

Requires mixing, cake slicing, and layering

TIME

About 2 hours

RECIPE RATING

Easy!

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INGREDIMENTS

For one deep 8 inch (21 centimetre) round cake

8 ounces (225 grammes) white spelt flour

2 teaspoons (10 millilitres) baking powder

2 tablespoons (30 millilitres) ground mixed spice
¼ teaspoon (2 millilitres) salt

8 ounces (225 grammes) finely grated carrots
Zest of half an orange

4 medium (US Large) eggs

6 ounces (170 grammes) light brown sugar

4 fluid ounces (120 millilitres) sunflower oil

1 teaspoon (5 millilitres) vanilla essence

Optional: 3 ounces (85 grammes) raisins
Optional: 3 ounces (85 grammes) chopped walnuts

To decorate
1 pound (455 grammes) cream cheese icing, of your choice (see below for my recipe)
Icing sugar
Ground mixed spice

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FREE FROM

Wheat, yeast, dairy

CONTAINS

Eggs, spelt, nuts (unless you omit them), refined sugar

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METHOD

• In a mixing bowl, sieve in the flour, baking powder, mixed spice, and salt. Stir in the carrots and orange zest, and the raisins and nuts if using, and toss through the flour.
• In a wide jug, beat the eggs with the brown sugar with an electric hand mixer for a full five minutes, until doubled in size and pale, and when you lift the beaters you can leave a trail of mixture on the surface.
• With the mixer running, gradually add in the sunflower oil and mix in well. Beat in the vanilla essence.
• Make a well in the centre of the flour and carrots mixture and pour in the whipped eggs and sugar mix. Gently fold the whole thing together with a metal spoon or rubber spatula.
• Pour the mixture into your prepared tin and bake in the centre of the preheated oven for 45 minutes to an hour, or until a cocktail stick stuck in the centre comes out completely clean.
• Allow the cake to cool completely before cutting off the dome and slicing in half horizontally.

To decorate

• Crumble the cake dome until very fine and mix with just enough icing to make a dough like texture. Roll the mixture into 11 balls, and chill for an hour until set.
• Fill and ice the cake with the remaining icing (my cake was only one layer because I made a smaller cake). Place the cake truffles on top, using the lid of a cola bottle to replace the twelfth ball.
• Dust the tops of the balls with icing sugar, and then mixed spice for visual contrast. Remove the cola bottle lid, and chill for an hour. Allow to temper to room temperature for half an hour before serving.

Mock "Cream Cheese" Icing

I made a cream cheese icing that doesn't actually have any cream cheese in, instead it had yoghurt. I find here in Ireland cream cheese varies so much in quality that it's unreliable: some days it whips up beautifully, and other days it turns to water.

To make this mock "cream cheese" icing, I melted together 4 ounces (115 grammes) each of Greek yoghurt and sugar and then simmered it for one minute (it will split slightly, but don't worry: you'll be whipping it later and won't notice it much). I removed it from the heat before adding in 8 ounces (225 grammes) of white chocolate and 4 ounces (115 grammes) of unsalted butter, in small pieces. I returned to pan to very low heat and cooked very gently, stirring all the time, until it was smooth and flowing. I then added a full quarter teaspoon of coarse salt and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to give it that salty sourness associated with cream cheese icing.

I then allowed to cool and thicken, stirring every so often, until it reached a spreadable consistency. I lightly whipped mine with a hand mixer for a lighter texture, but this is optional. This icing is stable at room temperature.

THIS TIME IN 2017: College Classes are Over! Hoorah! (Chocolate Butter Cake with Simple Fudge Icing)
THIS TIME IN 2013: Different Sponge Cake Flavours (no April Fool, it's after 12pm)
There were no blogs on this day in 2014, 2015, or 2016

Carrot and Orange Cake with Fresh Cream Icing (Wheat Free)

This Monday just past was my brother's girlfriend's birthday, and he managed to sneakily ascertain that her favorite cake is carrot cake. And as such, I delivered!

I made a carrot cake for my blog a while back, but since then I've honed the recipe. I made sure to grate the carrot more finely, and find a good balance of carrot to cake mixture, and it turned out really well. However, traditionally, carrot cake is traditionally decorated with cream cheese icing, made by mixing cream cheese, butter, icing sugar and lemon juice, but I personally find this a bit sweet and heavy for carrot cake. Instead this time, I opted for a lighter icing, made with cream cheese and whipping cream.

I took a leaf from the book of making a gelatine free set cheesecake, where cream cheese and whipping cream are beaten together and mixed with lemon juice to set it, the acid reacting off the dairy. I sort of made up an icing recipe using the same logic (except with orange juice, because orange in a carrot cake is good and traditional) and it worked really well! It set up a little, but still remained light and fluffy. A nice accompaniment to the denseness of carrot cake.

FREE FROM

☑ Soya (check for soya lecithin)
☑ Yeast
☑ Wheat

CONTAINS
☒ Eggs
☒ Dairy
☒ Gluten
☒ Nuts
☒ Refined sugar products

INGREDIMENTS:

For two round 8 inch (20 centimetre) sandwich cakes:

• 2 ounces (55 grammes) cornflour
• 6 ounces (170 grammes) white spelt flour
• 2 teaspoons (10 millilitres) baking powder
• 4 ounces (115 grammes) caster sugar
• 2 teaspoons (10 millilitres) cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon (3 millilitres) ginger
• ¼ teaspoon (2 millilitres) coriander
• 2 pinches ground cloves
• Pinch of salt
• 4 medium eggs
• 4 ounces (115 grammes) sunflower oil
• 2 ounces (55 grammes) brown sugar
• 8 ounces (225 grammes) finely grated carrot
• 4 ounces (115 grammes) raisins

For the fresh cream icing:

• 9 ounces (250 grammes) cream cheese
• 9 fluid ounces (250 millilitres) whipping cream
• 2 ounces (55 grammes) caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 1 tablespoon orange juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

To decorate:

• 18 whole or halved nuts, for example pecans, walnuts, or almonds

METHOD

First, make the cakes:

• Preheat oven 180ºC (350ºF, Gas Mk.4). Grease two 8 inch (20 centimetre) round sandwich tins with a little butter or margarine. 
• In large bowl, sieve the cornflour, spelt flour, baking powder, spices, salt, and caster sugar. Take a spoonful of this mixture and use it to dust the tins, returning the excess to the bowl.
• In a jug, beat together the brown sugar, sunflower oil, and eggs until fully combined. Mixing the brown sugar with the wet ingredients makes it easier to dissolve out the lumps.
• Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet mixture. Mix with a spatula or wooden spoon until it is half mixed, and then add in the carrot and raisins. Mix until completely combined and smooth.
• Divide the mixture between the two tins and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until springy to the touch and a cocktail stick poked into the centre comes out clean.
• Cool in the tins for about 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges to loosen. Turn out the cakes and allow them to cool completely.

Then, prepare the icing and decorate:

• In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth, then add in the cream, a third at a time,beating until smooth between additions.
• Once all the cream is added, beat until the cream reaches soft peaks. This could take a while, especially if you're whisking by hand with a balloon whisk. I recommend a electric mixer for this.
• Once it has formed soft peaks, add in the juice, zest and half the sugar. Beat until mixed in, then add the rest of the sugar. Continue beating until stiff peaks form, being careful not to over whip as the cream will split.
• If the cakes have a big dome, cut them off before decorating. Put one cake on the serving platter, top with about a quarter of the cream. Then place the other cake on top, upside down. Ice with another two quarters, then use the last quarter for piping little rosettes along the top and bottom edges.
• Place the nuts on top of the rosettes in a pretty pattern, spacing them evenly.
• Chill for at least 2 hours to allow the icing to set, then allow to temper to room temperature before serving.

And here's the end result. It was very tasty, and not all heavy and sweet with too much cream cheese icing. I think this is a nice, fresh twist on a classic.

THIS TIME IN 2014: No blog
THIS TIME IN 2013: Pouring Fondant Done the Awkward Way

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing (Wheat Free)

Whether you love it or hate it, it must be said that carrot cake is one of the most ubiquitous cakes of all time; a quintessential recipe for any home baker. The idea of grating a root vegetable into a cake may seem unthinkable to some people, but it's something that just has to be resigned to and accepted for what it is. The usual placation of 'But you can't taste the carrot!' never works: it has to be fed to skeptics under the guise of something less offense.

But, more about the recipe itself! Carrot cake is kept wonderfully moist by the addition of oil and carrots, which are full of juices, and as such lends itself very well to a wheat-free rendition, as the gluten is not relied on to maintain the texture. Also, the concoction of spices can be tailored to suit any taste, or even a spoon of a shop-bought spice mixture can be used for those who don't feel confident in mixing spices; I personally like cinnamon, coriander and cloves (3 Cs)

I understand the ingredient list is very intimidating, but it's mostly spices and extras.

INGREDIMENTS
For two 9 inch (23 centimeter) round sandwich cakes

• 6 ounces (170 grammes) spelt flour
• 3 ounces (85 grammes) cornflour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• Pinch of salt
• 5 medium eggs, at room temperature
• 7 ounces (200 grammes) soft brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence 
• 5 ounces (140 grammes) sunflower oil
• 6 ounces (170 grammes) carrot, grated
• Optional: 3 ounces (85 grammes) dessicated coconut
• Optional: 3 ounces (85 grammes) chopped brazil nuts, walnuts or pecan nuts
• Optional: 3 ounces (85 grammes) raisins or sultanas

For cream cheese icing

• 2 ounces (55 grammes) butter, at room temperature
• 3 ounces (85 grammes) cream cheese, from the fridge
• 8 ounces (225 grammes) icing sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• Optional: 8 whole walnuts or pecan nuts

HOW-TO

• Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F, Gas Mk.4, or moderate). If I turn my oven on directly before preparing the cake mixture, it's usually preheated by the time the mixture is ready.
• Prepare your tin for baking by greasing it on all sides then dusting with flour. Alternatively, you can line the tin with non-stick baking paper, or waxed paper. Here in Ireland, we have this marvelous sillicone-greased paper, and it works a treat.
• Sieve the spelt flour, cornflour, spices and baking powder (and salt, if using) into a bowl and set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar together with an electric hand mixer for about 4 or 5 minutes. It's ready when it is doubled in size, pale in colour, and leaves ribbon trails on itself when the beaters are lifted. If you don't have an electric hand mixer, you can use a balloon whisk, just set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Gently heating the egg mixture speeds up the process, and this means you won't snap off your arm by whisking for hours.
• While still whisking, gradually pour in the sunflower oil until fully mixed in.
• Add in the desiccated coconut (if using) and sieve in half of the flour mixture and fold in using a spatula, balloon whisk, or metal spoon. 
• Add all the grated carrot, and then fold gently. Sieve in the second half of the flour, and fold until just mixed. If you're adding nuts and fruit, gently fold them in here.
• Pour the cake mixture into the prepared tin, and bake in the oven for about 20 to 25 minutes. Don't be tempted to open the door until after three-quarters of the cooking time has elapsed: the cake will sink.
• When the cake is baked, let it cool completely in the tin then turn out onto a wire rack.

For the cream cheese icing:

• In a bowl, beat the soft butter with a wooden spoon. You need to use a wooden spoon until the final beating, because cream cheese easily becomes runny on contact with sugar if mixed too much.
• Beat in a third of the sugar and mix until fully incorporated.
• Add in the cream cheese and zest and fold through gently. Add in the remaining icing sugar and lemon juice and mix until smooth, then beat very briefly to make it a little creamier.

Assemble the masterpiece:

• Put the bottom cake on a serving plate and cut off the dome. Save the dome for midnight snacking.
• Spread with half the icing, then put the second cake on top. Ice with the remaining icing, then streak or swirl on the top for prettiness. Decorate with nuts, if using.