The Simnel Cake- at Easter; for Mothers, too.

THE SIMNEL CAKE

In the late 17th century, girls brought a rich fruit cake called simnel cake home to their mothers on Easter Sunday. The cake was enriched with marzipan and decorated with 11 marzipan balls representing the 12 apostles minus Judas, who betrayed Jesus at the Last Supper.

The Simnel Cake signifies the end of Lent, a period of fasting and repentance. They are 40 days which come before Easter. It culminates in a feast of seasonal and symbolic foods. The Simnel Cake is rich with fruits, spices and marzipan, all forbidden during the period of Lent.

But, originally the Simnel Cake was made on Mother's Day (Mothering Sunday) in the days when girls in service (maids and cooks) were given the day off to visit their mothers. So this cake is used for both festivities and with different meanings. On both, it's tasty.