There is something nice about having an individual cake to sink your teeth into. Instead of my usual large Simnel cake I have made smaller cupcakes.

This recipe will make about 12.

You will need:

• 100g Soft Brown Sugar
• 100g Butter
• 2 Eggs (beaten)
• 2 tbsp Milk
• 120g Plain Flour (sifted)
• 1tsp Mixed Spice
• ½ tsp Baking Powder
• Grated Zest of one Orange
• 100g Sultanas
• 100g Raisins
• 60g Chopped Glace Cherries
• 60g Marzipan

To Decorate:

• 200g Marzipan
• Sprinkling of icing sugar for rolling out
• Microeggs

Method:

• Place your cupcake cases in your cupcake tin and preheat your oven to 170degrees.
• Divide the 60g of marzipan into 12 equal sized balls.
• Cream together the butter and sugar.
• Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition.
• Add the milk along with a spoonful of sifted flour and mix well.
• Add the remaining sifted flour along with the spice and baking powder and fold through.
• Once well blended fold in the orange zest and the fruit until the fruit is well distributed in the mixture.
• Put a spoonful of the cake mixture in each of the 12 cupcake cases.
• Place a marzipan ball into each cupcake case on the cake mixture.

• Fill each case up so the marzipan ball is covered.

• Bake for about 20mins.

• Allow to cool completely.

To Decorate:

• Roll out the 200g of marzipan to about 3-5mm thick and cut rounds just slightly smaller than the top of the cupcakes.
• Position these on the cupcakes, you can use apricot jam or honey to help this to stick.
• Roll the remainder into tiny balls to decorate the top or use microeggs.
• If you have used marzipan grill to brown, if you have microeggs grill the marzipan then stick the microeggs on top.