Crack out your marmalade!

 Last week in the UK it was National Marmalade Week. A fact that gave preserving enthusiasts and toast munchers alike cause to celebrate.

But wait! There's much more to marmalade than just smearing it on your toast in the morning. By all means smear away, but don't be too hasty to push that jar of marmalade back in the cupboard just yet. Why not give your marmalade a whole new lease of life by putting it in a cake?

That's exactly what I did at work last week in order to share National Marmalade Week with our customers. It helped that I'd just delivered my new stock and could display it proudly next to a cake that was filled with marmalady goodness.

Before I start, I should mention that the oven at work has been a little temperamental of late, and so I cooked this cake at a lower temperature for a long time in order to get the texture I wanted. This means that you might want to keep an eye on it whilst baking. Mine took around an hour and a half at 170C, but I think in a more conventional oven an hour would be enough. Best thing to do is bake it on a day when you can keep an eye on it, and test it before you think it's done. It's done when a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs on it, not batter.

Marmalade cake with cinnamon and marmalade glaze - serves 8, generously!

Cake:

350g unsalted butter
350g light muscovado sugar
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
350g self raising flour
150g thick cut marmalade (I used my malt whiskey marmalade, and cut the peel down into chunks)
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Glaze:
Juice of one orange,
2 tbsp marmalade
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 170C and line a 24" round cake tin with parchment.

cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, adding the cinnamon and marmalade towards the end. Slowly mix in the eggs, a little at a time alternating with a spoonful of flour to stop curdling. When all the eggs are combined gently mix in the flour.

Pour the batter into the tin and smooth the top.

Bake for aprox. 1 hr - 1,5hrs, depending on your oven. You can stop it browning too much with a layer of foil towards the end of the cooking period.

Meanwhile make the glaze:

place all the ingredients in a small pan over a medium heat. Stir until combined and then bring to a gentle boil. Allow to boil for around five minutes. Leave to cool.

Once the cake is done, leave to cool for ten minutes before removing gently from the tin, pricking gently all over with a toothpick and then spoon the glaze evenly all over the cake.

This cake is delicious still slightly warm with gently whipped cream, but lasts for at least three days if kept airtight.