Marmalade Cake

This is just one of those posts that is plain painful (but also kinda fun) to write. My cake is a flop. Delicious! But literally, flop. It's not my fault. I can't prove it yet, but I will!! I will have justice!

I made it first yesterday. Golden, gorgeous, couldn't wait to get it out and cooled off... then the center sank. Right before I pulled it out. Sigh. So we ate some. It was scrumptious, truly, but there was no way I was going to post pictures of a sunken cake! This is a food blog, after all, I take these things seriously! So I bought some more oranges.

Today, I baked this cake 2 more times. Once, I adjusted the temperature. Flop. Then, I adjusted the leavening. Flop with a capital F. Halfway through the third cake's baking... Lightbulb! Actually, all of mine flickered. For the zillionth time that morning. You see, my friend who used to live upstairs *sniff* just moved out. They wouldn't let her renew her lease because it was time for that apartment to be re-furnished and become as beautiful as mine (teehee!) and this morning they were working on the kitchen. Which is right over mine. As in, taking out flooring, and cabinets, and appliances, and stomping and banging and who knows what else. But it was shaking my whole kitchen. I suddenly remembered that you're supposed to be very gentle with cakes, or they fall!

And so, I blame my cake-flopping on the guys upstairs. Ha!! And I'm posting it anyway (even though I debated long and hard, and considered posting something else instead) because it is yummy. Even if it isn't pretty. *cringe*

Marmalade Cake (adapted from The English Kitchen)
Printable Recipe

175g unsalted butter, softened (a bit more than 3/4 cup)
175g of caster/ultrafine sugar (slightly heaping 3/4 cup)

zest from 1 orange
3 large eggs, at room temperature

1/2 tsp vanilla
175g self raising flour (1 cup plus 2 Tb)
1/2 tsp baking powder 

1/4 tsp salt
3 Tb chunky Orange Marmalade
2 Tb milk

Glaze:
3 Tb chunky Orange Marmalade

or
1-2 cups powdered sugar

zest from 1 orange

2-3 Tb freshly squeezed orange juice

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C/350 degrees F/ gas mark 4. Butter and line a 9 inch round cake pan with parchment paper. Butter the paper and set aside.

Beat the butter until nice and creamy. Add the sugar gradually, then continue to cream together until pale (nearly white) and fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time, beating well and scraping down sides after each. Add a Tb of the flour with the last egg. Sift together the remaining flour, salt and baking powder into a medium bowl. Gently fold dry ingredients into the batter. When thoroughly combined, stir in the marmalade and milk until just incorporated.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown and firm to the touch. Let cool for a few minutes, then gently run a round bladed knife around the inside of the pan to loosen and then carefully turn the cake out onto a wire rack. Invert onto plate or serving platter. To top, either gently warm the marmalade to loosen it up, and brush it all over the top of the warm cake, or wait till it cools completely, whisk zest, juice, and sugar together till smooth, and drizzle over the top.

As you can see, I used the glaze, because it's pretty. And I love orange zest. And I was out of marmalade after 3 cakes. But that's okay, because the glaze is delicious! Oranges are so fantastic right now. The Geologist is addicted to Cuties, those little tangerine things. What are they, exactly? Clementines?

This is the perfect "teatime" cake. At least, what I think they're supposed to be like. Not terribly sweet, not super-frilly and fancy, just a simple cake. Buttery and soft, with tangy-bitter chunks of orange and a creamy, bright glaze. 

It's certainly worth making, even if it sinks in the middle! Sometime after they're done upstairs, I'll try it again. Until then I'll keep cutting slivers off of this one and feeling guilty for breaking my diet. Maybe I can just skip dinner... :)