Simply Simnel
Blog Entry: Wednesday 10 Mar 2010
The Simnel cake has long been considered an Easter treat, but it is actually traditionally made for Mother’s Day, which is also the fourth Sunday in Lent.
Long before the greetings cards companies got hold of it, Mothering Sunday was the day when all the congregations from smaller churches would gather at the Mother Church.
By the 17th Century, Mothering Sunday had become the one day off that both girls and boys in service were allowed to go and visit their mothers – and the girls would take a Simnel cake as a gift.
Being quite tricky to bake, the cake was also seen as a test of the girls’ cooking skills and was only eaten on the following Easter Sunday to test if it was still moist – the sign of a good baker.
The end of the First World War saw the end of the service and the Simnel cake became more of an Easter cake. Today it is often decorated with eleven marzipan balls or sugar flowers, representing Jesus’ disciples minus Judas the traitor.
Follow Mary Berry’s recipe for Simple Simnel Cake on BBC.co.uk/food.
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