simnel

1 9.9

A light fruit cake often covered with marzipan, eaten at Easter or Lent in Britain

noun
/ˈsɪmnəl/

: simnel

Have you ever tried a simnel cake?

Examples

She baked a delicious simnel for the family to enjoy on Easter Sunday.
Many British bakeries offer simnel during the spring festival season.
A traditional simnel is decorated with eleven marzipan balls representing the apostles, excluding Judas.
She baked a delicious simnel for Easter dinner.
During Easter, we always enjoy a simnel cake, which is a delicious fruitcake covered with marzipan.
At our family gathering, my grandmother baked a traditional simnel cake that everyone looked forward to each year.
Many people celebrate Lent by making a simnel cake, especially because it symbolizes the end of fasting.

Surface Forms

simnel singular

simnels plural

Etymology

Simnel comes from the Latin root simila, which meant 'semolina' or 'fine wheat flour'. So the name originally pointed to a rich, finely made cake, which is why a simnel is a special fruitcake often eaten at Easter.