Marmalade cake and new things

Jam is something I always have around, but I have a special kind of love for marmalade, so much it has become a staple at my house: its tangy bitterness is great on toast and/or whole wheat bread and it goes well in baking, too – delicious in cake, bar or tart form.

I used to think marmalade was way too bitter, but learned to appreciate it with time – just as I did with beer. Now, it’s really hard for me not to gobble up a spoonful of marmalade while separating ingredients for a baking session. :D

This very easy to make and very tasty cake comes from here – I had never heard of Rosemary Shrager before and the cookbook was a very nice surprise: everything looks wonderful and I have bookmarked several recipes to try. I’d also never heard of David Michôd or Michaël R. Roskam before the excellent Animal Kingdom and Bullhead and now I cannot wait for The Rover and The Drop – new things can be good, people. :)

Marmalade cake
slightly adapted from the delicious Rosemary Shrager's Bakes, Cakes & Puddings

Cake:
250g all purpose flour
1 ¾ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
130g unsalted butter, softened
130g granulated sugar
finely grated zest of 1 orange
3 eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
50ml whole milk, room temperature
150g marmalade

Glaze:
¾ cup (105g) confectioners’ sugar
1-2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

Cake: preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Lightly butter a 20cm (8in) square cake pan, line the bottom with baking paper and butter the paper as well.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Using an electric mixer, cream butter, sugar and orange zest until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally. Beat in the vanilla and the milk.
Fold in the marmalade (mixture might look curdled), followed by the sifted ingredients. Mix until combined. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 40 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely in the pan over a wire rack, then carefully unmold, remove the paper and place onto the rack.

Glaze: sift the confectioners’ sugar into a small bowl and gradually add the juice, mixing until you get a drizzable consistency. Pour the glaze over the cake and let it set for 20 minutes.

Makes 16 squares