Simnel cake doesn't have to be silly goop. I make a simnel cake that is lighter in texture and I don't soak it with whisky. Instead I add Beer to the batter. I suppose mine is more like Porter cake. A long time ago, I posted an Americanised Porter Cake recipe and that's my base for Simnal cake. The only real difference is the inclusion of ground almonds for part of the flour and I use freshly ground apples in place of most of the dried fruits. The spices are a little different as well.

Yes I know, sounds less and less like a Sinmal cake but that's how my Grandmother always made hers. She was born in Ireland but never really likedcandied peels and glacee cherries. She did add sultanas and currents though. It's hard for me to find current so I usually use dried blueberries or finely chopped dates in their place. I have had other Simnel cakes from the Midwest of the USA that were more like a spicy Cardamom flavored Gingerbread but they did have Marizipan. I wonder if that's due to the Scandanavian influence.

If you don't like Marizipan, you can always used rolled Fondant icing. It's far swetter but more to the common person's taste. You can spice the fondant with Vanilla paste, Almond extract or add whisky to it if you want more traditional flavor.