simnel cake

simnel cake [sim-nl] Word Origin noun Chiefly British.

1. any of several kinds of rich fruitcake covered with almond paste.

Origin of simnel cake 1830–40; simnel, Middle English simenel Old French, ultimately Latin simila or Greek semídālis fine flour Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019 British Dictionary definitions for simnel cake simnel cake noun

1. British a fruit cake containing a layer of marzipan, often coloured with saffron and topped with marzipan, traditionally eaten at Lent or Easter

Word Origin for simnel cake C13 simenel, from Old French, from Latin simila fine flour, probably of Semitic origin; related to Greek semidalis fine flour Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012