Gluten-free simnel cake

Method

1. Heat the oven to 130°C fan/gas 2. Grease and line the cake tin. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until creamy and slightly lighter in colour and texture (about 5 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between additions, then add the lemon zest.
2. Sift in the flour, xanthan gum and baking powder, then mix in the ground almonds until combined.
3. Stir in the milk and almond extract, then stir in the dried fruit, glacé cherries and flaked almonds so everything is evenly dispersed.
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4. Grab the marzipan and use about a quarter of it to roll out 11 marzipan balls roughly 12g each. Cut the rest of the marzipan in half. Roll one half between 2 sheets of baking paper into a 20cm disc. Put the other half to one side.
5. Spoon half the cake mixture into the prepared tin, then put the disc of marzipan on top, followed by the remaining mixture. Spread it out so it’s even, then bake for 1¾-2 hours until a skewer comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 30 minutes, then remove and leave on a cooling rack to fully cool.
6. If the cake has a dome, carefully level it off with a serrated knife before inverting onto a cake stand or plate to give a really flat top.
7. Roll out the remaining marzipan to a disc just larger than the cake. Warm the jam and brush it over the top of the cake. Lay the marzipan on top and crimp the edges.
8. Brush a little jam on each ball of marzipan and stick them around the cake. Use a kitchen blow torch to brown the top of each marzipan ball and the centre of the cake. Or you can caramelise the marzipan under a hot grill – watch it carefully  and remember this is optional.