Traditional English Easter cake "Simnel"

Soak the dried fruit in the brandy and cider for a few hours. Line the bottom and sides of a cake tin with greaseproof paper and sprinkle it with flour.

Cream together the softened butter and sugar until it is smooth and a bit paler.

Add the eggs, one at a time. Mix the flour and spice together and add half to the batter, a spoonful at a time.

Mix in the drained fruit, cherries, lemon juice and zest, followed by the remaining flour and spice. Then, pour half of the cake mix into the tin.

Cut the marzipan into three equal pieces. Sprinkle some icing sugar onto the worktop and roll one-third of the marzipan into a disc the same diameter as the cake tin. Lay the marzipan on the cake mix and pour the remaining cake mix over it. Place in the preheated oven to 170° and bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

When the cake is out of the oven, remove it from the tin and let it cool. Using a bread knife, cut the top flat. Turn the cake over.

Roll out another third of the marzipan into a disc. Spread the top of the cake with apricot jam and lay the marzipan on. Score a criss-cross pattern in the marzipan or make radial lines.

Divide the remaining marzipan into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and arrange them around the edge of the cake. Stick them with a little dab of jam on the bottom.

Place the cake under the grill/broiler for a few minutes to lightly toast the marzipan. Serve and enjoy!