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Easter Simnel Cake

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line and grease a 10-inch round deep cake pan. Sift both types of flour with the pumpkin-pie spice. Mix the raisins, currants, golden raisins, peel and cherries in a bowl. Sprinkle two spoonfuls of the flour mixture over the fruit and add the ground almonds, then mix well.
Cream together the butter and sugar until very soft and pale. Carefully beat in the eggs, one at a time, adding a little of the flour mixture after each addition to prevent the mixture from curdling. Fold in the remaining flour mixture using a large metal spoon. Then fold in the fruit mixture and the orange juice. Transfer the mixture to the pan and spread it evenly with a spatula. Bake the cake for 2 - 3 hours. Cover the top loosely with a piece of foil after the first 2 hours to prevent it from browning.
Insert a metal skewer into the middle of the cake to check if it is done. It should come out without any sticky batter clinging to it. If there is batter on the skewer, continue baking the cake, checking after 15 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and cool on a wire rack.
Brush the top of the cake with a thin layer of apricot jam. Roll out a third of the marzipan or almond paste to cover the top and place on top of the jam. Use the remaining marzipan to make a braid or rope for the border of the cake and 11 balls to decorate the top. You could even try shaping marzipan chicks.