Gluten Free Simnel Loaf Cake

Place the gluten free self raising flour, sugar, ground almonds, margarine, eggs and mixed spice and whisk together using an electric mixer.

Cut the glace cherries in half and add these and the dried fruit to the cake batter, fold in until evenly distributed.

Grease and line a 2lb loaf tin and pour in the cake mix. Bake in an oven preheated to gas mark 4/180c for around 1 hour 15 mins. Push a skewer into the middle and it should come out clean, if not leave for another 15 mins and check again.

Turn the cake out onto a cooking rack and allow to go cold. Once cold level off the top of the cake using a serrated knife.

Spread about half the apricot jam on the top of the cake.

Roll out about 3/4 of the marzipan to about 2-3mm thick big enough to cover the top of the cake, trim off the excess from around the edges.

With the remaining marzipan split into 11 equal pieces (11 marzipan balls for the 11 apostles) roll them into nicely rounded balls. Use a little bit of jam to stick the balls onto the the marizipan top.

Brush the marzipan with egg and place under a grill, keep a close eye as you don't want the marzipan to burn and it reaches this stage pretty fast! Leave under the grill for just a few minutes to caramelise the top of the balls.