These Easter Simnel muffins are a delicious twist on the classic seasonal bake-lightly spiced with cinnamon, packed with dried fruit and marzipan, and topped with Cadbury Mini Eggs. They capture everything you love about traditional simnel cake, but in an easy, portable muffin form. You might also like my recipe for hot cross bun bread and butter pudding recipe.

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Quick Summary - Simnel Muffins
I love making these Simnel muffins every spring because they capture all the nostalgic flavours of traditional simnel cake in a much easier, quicker bake. The combination of dried fruit, warm spices, and sweet marzipan always reminds me of Easter baking growing up, but the muffin version feels more relaxed and family-friendly.
- Beth (Effortless Foodie)
🕒 Ready In: 26 minutes
👪 Serves: 12
🍽 Calories: 397 per muffin
🥣 Main Ingredients: Flour, caster sugar, butter, eggs, buttermilk, dried mixed fruit, marzipan, orange zest
📖 Dietary Info: Vegetarian, contains gluten, contains dairy, contains eggs, contains nuts
👌 Difficulty: Easy
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Light and fluffy (thanks to the buttermilk in the batter), these gorgeous simnel cake muffins are perfect for Easter parties, bake sales, and spring picnics, or simply enjoyed with a cup of tea. They're quick to make, full of festive flavour, and great for Easter baking with kids too.
Best of all, they're much easier to make than a traditional simnel cake. This recipe gives you all the classic flavours of simnel cupcakes-fruity, gently spiced, and rich with marzipan-without the extra time and effort of baking a full cake.
Love Easter baking? Try my gooey creme egg brownies and mini egg cookie bars next!
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✔️ Why you'll love this simnel muffins recipe!
- A fun twist on traditional Easter muffins.
- Easier and quicker than making a full simnel cake.
- Lightly spiced with cinnamon for that classic flavour.
- Freezer-friendly and great for making ahead.
🛒 Key Ingredients
A full ingredients list along with Metric and US Customary measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.

Flour (all-purpose flour) - Plain flour forms the base of the muffins and gives them their soft, tender crumb. If you only have self-raising flour, you can use it but omit the bicarbonate of soda.
Bicarbonate of Soda (baking soda) - The raising agent that helps the muffins rise and keeps them light and fluffy. It reacts with the acidity in the buttermilk to give the muffins their soft texture.
Caster Sugar (superfine sugar) - Dissolves easily into the batter, helping create a light texture. For a slightly deeper, caramel-like flavour, you can swap half the caster sugar for light brown sugar.
Butter - Use unsalted butter, melted and cooled before mixing with the other wet ingredients. If needed, you can substitute with margarine or a neutral oil such as sunflower or vegetable oil.
Buttermilk - Adds moisture and helps create a tender crumb. If you don't have buttermilk, you can substitute with natural yogurt (plain yogurt), kefir, or make a quick version by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to 240ml of milk and letting it stand for 10 minutes.
Eggs - Two large eggs at room temperature help bind the batter and give the muffins structure. Medium eggs can also be used if that's what you have.
Marzipan - Adds the classic almond flavour associated with simnel cake and creates a hidden centre of almondy sweetness inside the muffins. Almond paste can be used as a substitute, though it is slightly less sweet.
Dried Mixed Fruit - A traditional simnel ingredient that adds sweetness and texture. A mix of raisins, sultanas (golden raisins), and chopped dried apricots works well, but you can also use currants, dried cranberries, or mixed peel.
Orange - The zest adds a fresh citrus flavour to the muffin batter, while the juice can be used in the icing glaze. Lemon can be used instead if you prefer.
Icing Sugar (powdered sugar) - Used to make the simple icing glaze that finishes the muffins. If you prefer, you could dust the muffins lightly instead of making a glaze.
Mini Eggs - Used to decorate the muffins and give them a festive Easter finish. You can swap them for other small chocolate eggs, chocolate chips, or homemade marzipan eggs (marzipan balls).
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📖 Variations
- Try lemon instead of orange - Flavour the muffins with lemon zest rather than orange zest, and make a simple lemon icing for a brighter citrus flavour.
- Use golden marzipan - Swap white marzipan for golden marzipan for a deeper colour and slightly richer flavour.
- Switch up the dried fruit - Alongside the usual raisins and sultanas (golden raisins), you can add glacé cherries, dried pineapple, or candied peel for extra sweetness and colour.
- Add extra spice - Stir a teaspoon of mixed spice into the muffin batter for a warmer, more traditional simnel flavour. A pinch of cinnamon also works well.
- Make them more traditional - For a more classic simnel-style finish, decorate the muffins with homemade marzipan eggs instead of chocolate mini eggs. My kids definitely prefer the mini eggs though!
🔪 How to make Easter simnel muffins
Prep: Preheat the oven to 190°C / 170°C fan / Gas Mark 5 / 375°F and line a 12 hole muffin tin with muffin cases.
One: Mix together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, and caster sugar in a mixing bowl.
Two: In another bowl, whisk together the melted butter, eggs, and buttermilk.
Three: Gently mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until combined.
💡 Be careful not to overmix your muffins, otherwise they will become tough and rubbery once baked!
Four: Fold in the dried mixed fruit and orange zest.

Five: Split the marzipan into 12 equal pieces and roll them into balls. Flatten down with the palm of your hand so you get a round disc that will fit inside the muffin case.
Six: Half fill the muffin cases with the muffin batter.
Seven: Top each with a marzipan disc then spoon over the rest of the batter so it is equally distributed.
Eight: Bake for 16-18 minutes until risen and golden. Ice with the orange icing once cooled, and top with mini eggs.

Top Tips
- If you can't find buttermilk in your local supermarket, you can make it really easily at home with just two ingredients (milk and lemon juice)! Follow my easy recipe for buttermilk to find out exactly how.
- If you prefer, you can substitute the buttermilk for 100ml of natural yogurt instead. Yogurt is thicker than buttermilk so you will need approximately one-third more to achieve the correct consistency and rise.
- To make the orange icing really smooth, sieve the icing sugar and use a small whisk to beat in the orange juice.
🍴 Serving suggestions
Take the simnel muffins on Spring picnics, pack them into the kids lunchboxes, or why not make them for a school or church bake sale?
Serve at Easter gatherings along with creme egg blondies and mini egg air fryer shortbread.

Storage
Store - Keep the muffins in an airtight container or cake tin at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Freeze - These Easter muffins freeze well without the icing. Bake the muffins and allow them to cool completely, then place them in a freezer-safe container or freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature, then add the icing and decorations as directed in the recipe.

❓ Simnel Muffins FAQs
Simnel cake is light fruitcake widely eaten in the UK and is associated with the Christian festival of Easter. It is distinguished by layers of marzipan or almond paste, typically one in the middle and one on top, and a set of eleven balls (symbolising the 12 apostles minus Judas Iscariot), made of the same paste. It was originally made for the fourth Sunday in Lent, but is now more commonly associated with Easter Sunday.
Absolutely-though the marzipan give these Easter Simnel muffins their signature look and flavour.
Troubleshooting Guide
Muffins are dense or heavy - The batter may have been overmixed; mix only until the ingredients are just combined.
Muffins didn't rise properly - Check that your bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) is fresh and that your oven was fully preheated.
Muffins sank in the middle - They may have been underbaked or the oven door was opened too early during baking.
Marzipan sank to the bottom - Make sure the marzipan pieces are well enclosed in the batter rather than sitting directly on the base.
Muffins are dry - They may have been overbaked; start checking them a few minutes before the end of the baking time.
Icing is too thick - Add a few more drops of orange juice until it reaches a smooth, drizzleable consistency.
😋 More Easter baking recipes
- Mini Egg Cookie Bars
- Easter Rocky Road
- Creme Egg Blondies
- Mini Egg Cookies
- Easter Egg Nests
- Mini Egg Brownies
Tried it? Let me know what you think and rate it ⭐️ below. Tag me @effortlessf00d-I'd love to see! Don't forget to subscribe for more recipes.
Recipe
Simnel Muffins Recipe
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 140 g Caster Sugar (Superfine)
- 200 g Plain Flour (All-Purpose Flour)
- 1 teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda (Baking Soda)
- 70 ml Buttermilk or 100ml natural yogurt
- 140 g Butter melted and cooled
- 2 Eggs large
- 1 Orange zest only
- 200 g Mixed Dried Fruit
- 150 g Marzipan
For the icing
- 200 g Icing Sugar (Powdered Sugar)
- 1 Orange 2-3 tablespoon of juice
- 80 g Mini Eggs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190℃ (170 °fan/ Gas 5/ 375℉) and line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper cases.
- Mix together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, and caster sugar in a large mixing bowl.140 g Caster Sugar (Superfine), 1 teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda (Baking Soda), 200 g Plain Flour (All-Purpose Flour)
- In another bowl, whisk together the melted butter (cooled), eggs, and buttermilk.70 ml Buttermilk, 140 g Butter, 2 Eggs
- Gently mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until combined.
- Fold in the dried mixed fruit and orange zest.200 g Mixed Dried Fruit, 1 Orange
- Split the marzipan into 12 equal pieces and roll into balls. Flatten down with the palm of your hand so you get a round disc that will fit inside the muffin case.150 g Marzipan
- Half fill the muffin cases with the muffin batter.
- Top each with a marzipan disc then spoon over the rest of the batter so it is equally distributed.
- Bake for 16-18 minutes until risen and golden. Place on wire rack to cool.
- For the icing, sieve the icing sugar into a bowl and mix with 2 -3 tablespoon of orange juice. You want the icing to be quite thick so it sticks to the muffins, rather than runny. Spoon the icing over the muffins.200 g Icing Sugar (Powdered Sugar), 1 Orange
- Top with the mini eggs.80 g Mini Eggs
Notes
- Don't overmix the batter-mix just until combined to keep the muffins light and fluffy.
- Press the marzipan disc into the centre of the batter and cover completely so it doesn't sink or stick to the base.
- Allow the muffins to cool completely on a wire rack before adding the icing so it sets properly.
Nutritional Information (Approximate)
Tried it? Let me know what you think and rate it ⭐️ below. Tag me @effortlessf00d-I'd love to see! Don't forget to subscribe for more recipes.







Gina says
I am loving the flavor of these muffins and that orange icing, YUM! They are so adorable and will not last long in my house!
Claudia Lamascolo says
Super cute and the kids will have a blast helping me make these they look amazing!
Mahy says
Ah, these are too cute not to make them this year. I love this recipe!
Dannii says
I am so excited for all the mini egg recipes. These muffins look delicious.