This Tunis Cake is a rich, buttery sponge with a hint of lemon, topped with smooth chocolate and decorated with marzipan holly leaves and berries. It’s a classic festive cake that looks beautiful and tastes delicious!

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Ingredients Needed:

225g/8oz softened butter
225g/8oz caster sugar
225g/8oz self-raising flour
70g/2½oz ground almonds
4 large free-range eggs
1 large lemon, finely grated zest only
For the topping
300ml/10fl oz double cream
400g/14oz plain chocolate, broken into small pieces
200g/7oz natural marzipan
gel food coloring, in red and green

How To Make Tunis Cake Recipe?

Preheat the oven: Set the oven to 180°C. Grease and line a 20cm deep cake tin with baking parchment.
Make the cake batter: In a large bowl, add butter, sugar, flour, ground almonds, eggs, and lemon zest. Beat with an electric mixer on high for 1 minute until smooth. Pour into the cake tin and level the top.
Bake the cake: Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes. Cover loosely with foil to prevent browning, then bake for 15 more minutes. Check with a skewer—if it comes out clean, it’s ready. Let the cake cool completely in the tin.
Prepare the chocolate topping: Pour the cream into a pan and heat until almost boiling. Remove from heat, add chocolate pieces, and stir until melted. Let it cool slightly but not set.
Cover the cake: While the cake is still in the tin, pour the chocolate over the top and spread it evenly. Leave it to set.
Make the holly leaves and berries: Knead 175g marzipan with green food coloring until it turns green. Roll out and cut 20 holly leaves using a cutter. Mark veins with a knife and drape over a rolling pin to curl. Color the remaining marzipan with red food coloring, roll it into 30 small balls, and let them dry.
Decorate the cake: Once the chocolate is set, remove the cake from the tin and peel off the parchment. Arrange the holly leaves and berries around the edge like a wreath.

Recipe Tips:

Use room temperature ingredients: Make sure the butter and eggs are at room temperature before mixing. This helps create a smooth, even batter and prevents lumps.
Do not overmix the batter: Mix the ingredients just until combined. Overmixing can make the cake dense instead of light and fluffy.
Cover the cake at the right time: After 45 minutes of baking, cover the cake with foil to stop the top from getting too brown. This keeps the cake soft while it finishes baking.
Let the chocolate cool slightly before pouring: If the chocolate topping is too hot, it can soak into the cake instead of forming a smooth layer. Let it cool for 5–10 minutes before pouring.
Shape the marzipan decorations early: After cutting the holly leaves and berries, let them dry for at least 30 minutes. This helps them keep their shape and look neat on the cake.

How To Store Leftovers?

Refrigerate: Let the Tunis Cake cool completely, then put it in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freeze: Wrap the cooled cake in cling film and foil, then freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition Facts:

Calories: 450 kcal
Total Fat: 28g
Saturated Fat: 15g
Cholesterol: 120mg
Sodium: 60mg
Potassium: 180mg
Total Carbohydrate: 45g
Dietary Fiber: 2g
Sugars: 35g
Protein: 6g

Try More Mary Berry Recipes:

Mary Berry Tunis Cake Recipe

Course: DessertCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

hour

Calories

450

kcal

Ingredients

225g/8oz softened butter
225g/8oz caster sugar
225g/8oz self-raising flour
70g/2½oz ground almonds
4 large free-range eggs
1 large lemon, finely grated zest only
For the topping
300ml/10fl oz double cream
400g/14oz plain chocolate, broken into small pieces
200g/7oz natural marzipan
gel food coloring, in red and green

Directions

Preheat the oven: Set the oven to 180°C. Grease and line a 20cm deep cake tin with baking parchment.
Make the cake batter: In a large bowl, add butter, sugar, flour, ground almonds, eggs, and lemon zest. Beat with an electric mixer on high for 1 minute until smooth. Pour into the cake tin and level the top.
Bake the cake: Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes. Cover loosely with foil to prevent browning, then bake for 15 more minutes. Check with a skewer—if it comes out clean, it’s ready. Let the cake cool completely in the tin.
Prepare the chocolate topping: Pour the cream into a pan and heat until almost boiling. Remove from heat, add chocolate pieces, and stir until melted. Let it cool slightly but not set.
Cover the cake: While the cake is still in the tin, pour the chocolate over the top and spread it evenly. Leave it to set.
Make the holly leaves and berries: Knead 175g marzipan with green food coloring until it turns green. Roll out and cut 20 holly leaves using a cutter. Mark veins with a knife and drape over a rolling pin to curl. Color the remaining marzipan with red food coloring, roll it into 30 small balls, and let them dry.
Decorate the cake: Once the chocolate is set, remove the cake from the tin and peel off the parchment. Arrange the holly leaves and berries around the edge like a wreath.

Notes

Use room temperature ingredients: Make sure the butter and eggs are at room temperature before mixing. This helps create a smooth, even batter and prevents lumps.
Do not overmix the batter: Mix the ingredients just until combined. Overmixing can make the cake dense instead of light and fluffy.
Cover the cake at the right time: After 45 minutes of baking, cover the cake with foil to stop the top from getting too brown. This keeps the cake soft while it finishes baking.
Let the chocolate cool slightly before pouring: If the chocolate topping is too hot, it can soak into the cake instead of forming a smooth layer. Let it cool for 5–10 minutes before pouring.
Shape the marzipan decorations early: After cutting the holly leaves and berries, let them dry for at least 30 minutes. This helps them keep their shape and look neat on the cake.