marzipan-centre-bundt-cake.png
This is a half-cake, half-stollen confection bursting with festive flavours, mixed spice, dried fruit and nuts that can be served and made as a last-minute Christmas bake that doesn’t need to mature. The bundt shape also makes it round, like a coin; so it can be served for good luck as a New Year cake.
Prep time 40 minutes/Cook time 60 minutes/Serves 12
Ingredients:
225g (1 1/8 cups) unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
225g (1 5/6 cups) self-raising flour, plus 1 tbsp extra for the tin
250g (1 ¼ cups) dark muscovado sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature, beaten
1 tsp baking powder
100g (3 ½ oz) pack ground almonds
1 tsp mixed spice (pumpkin pie spice)
1 tsp ground cinnamon, plus a pinch extra to decorate
250g (1 ¼ cups) grated butternut squash
250g (1/2 lb) mixed dried fruit
100g (3 ½ oz) walnut pieces, chopped, reserving a few whole to decorate
For the marzipan centre
flour, for dusting
200g (1 cup) marzipan
50g (2 oz) glacé cherries, roughly chopped, plus a few whole cherries to decorate
Finely-grated zest of 1 orange
For the icing:
140g (2/3 cup less 2 tbsp) full-fat cream cheese, chilled
175g (7/8 cup) icing sugar, sifted
50g (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
2 tsp whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Method:
Lightly and evenly grease a 25cm (10 in) diameter bundt tin with soft butter, making sure you get well into any flutes or ridges. Sift 1 tbsp flour over the tin, then tilt and turn the tin until the inside is completely covered with a very thin layer of flour. Tap to gather any excess at the bottom a few times as you go. Once the butter is coated, tap and tip out the excess flour. Pre-heat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan/360°F/gas mark 4).
For the marzipan filling, dust the work surface with a little more flour, knead the marzipan briefly, then work in the cherries and orange zest. Roll into a sausage about 3cm (1 in) thick, then press the ends together to make a ring.
For the cake, combine the butter, flour, sugar, eggs, baking powder, almonds, spices and 1/4 tsp salt in a large bowl. Use an electric whisk to beat the ingredients until smooth, then fold in the squash, fruit and walnuts.
Spoon half the batter into the base of the prepared bundt tin, then press the ring of marzipan on top. Cover with the remainder of the batter and smooth the top.
Transfer to your pre-heated oven and bake for 30 mins then – without opening the oven – reduce the temperature to 160°C (140°C fan/320°F/gas mark 3) and bake for a further 30 mins. The cake will be risen, golden and will have shrunk away from the sides when it’s ready. Allow to cool in the tin for 15 mins, then give the tin a sharp tap on the bottom before turning the cake out onto a cooling rack.
For the icing, beat together half the cream cheese with the icing sugar and butter until evenly blended. When smooth, beat in the remaining cream cheese along with the milk and vanilla to make a thick, but still gently flowing, icing (it should have a consistency similar to semi-whipped cream).
When the cake is cold, spoon over the frosting, letting it drip down the sides of the cake. Sprinkle with a little cinnamon, then chill for 10 mins to set the frosting a little. Decorate with whole cherries and walnuts. Store in the fridge and eat within 5 days.
