Simnel cake buns recipe

Turn the classic Easter Simnel cake into bite-sized buns with this Simnel cake buns recipe. It's really easy to make a batch of 12 of these delicious buns. Decorate with traditional marzipan and give them a touch of spring by adding flowers on top.

Ingredients

For this Easter recipe

you will need:

• 125g butter, softened
• 125g light soft brown sugar
• 2 medium eggs
• 125g self-raising flour
• 1-2 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 125g mixed dried fruits
• grated zest 1 orange and 1 lemon
• 100g marzipan
• 2 tbsp apricot jam, melted
• 12 sugar flowers (we used ones from Waitrose)

Method

1. Heat oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, flour and mixed spice one half at a time, mixing well. Add the milk, fruit and zests, then mix again.
2. Divide the mix between a greased 12-hole silicone muffin mould. Bake for 15 mins, or until a skewer comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in the mould on a rack.
3. Roll out the marzipan to the thickness of a £1 coin. Use a flower cutter to stamp out flower shapes a similar size to the cakes. Once the cakes are cool, brush each one with a little melted apricot jam and top with the marzipan and a sugar flower.