Traditional Easter Simnel Cake — Fiona Cairns

Ingredients

• 200g ground almonds
• 140g icing sugar, plus more to dust
• 140g golden caster sugar
• 2 drops of almond extract
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 220g unsalted butter, very soft, plus more for the tin
• 170g self-raising flour, sifted
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 50g ground almonds
• 220g light muscovado sugar
• finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• finely grated zest of 1 orange
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 200g sultanas
• 70g currants
• 150g glacé cherries, halved
• 50g mixed peel, in chunks
• 2 tbsp apricot jam (or honey)
• 1 egg yolk, beaten
• freshly picked and dry edible flowers, such as primroses
• selection of 70cm lengths of 4-5mm-wide ribbon