I recently found myself with an extra jar of marmalade in my larder that would soon be going out of date so wanted to find a way to use some of it up. Normally that isn't a problem, because we both love marmalade.
I think marmalade is one of those things that you either love or you hate. Some people love it's almost bitter tang and others . . . well, they wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole!
Me, I am a lover, from way back. I just can't get enough of it and have been known to slather so much of it on my buttered toast, the actual toast is hard to find!!!
In other words, I could eat it by the spoonful and sometimes do . . . ahh . . . I know . . . I'm incorrigible!
These soft moist cakey squares are only mildly flavoured with it's delicious tang . . . it's unmistakably there, but quite subtle . . .
Combine that with the deliciously tart lemon drizzle icing . . .
And the sweet candied orange peel topping . . .
And you get something quite close to bliss. Seriously.
Well . . . as long as you like Marmalade and cake that is!
*MarmaladeTray Bake Squares*
Makes 12
Printable Recipe
Marmalade is one of those things you either love or hate. We happen to love it. Delicious cake squares, with the underlying tang of marmalade, set off by a zingy lemon glaze icing and a garnish of candied orange peel and baby orange jelly slices.
3 ounces of butter, softened (a generous 1/3 cup)
3 ounces soft margarine (a generous 1/3 cup)
6 ounces caster sugar (a scant cup)
the grated zest of one unwaxed lemon
the grated zest of one unwaxed orange
4 TBS of orange marmalade
2 eggs, beaten
8 ounces self raising flour (a scant 2 cups)
3 TBS fresh orange juice
For the decoration:
the peel of half an orange
2 TBS granulated sugar
3 fluid ounces water
the juice of half a lemon
8 ounces icing sugar, sifted (2 cups)
petite orange jelly slices (optional)
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter and base line an 11 by 7 inch tin. (I like to leave an overhang on the two short sides for ease of removal.)
Place the butter, margarine and sugar into a bowl, along with the fruit zests. Cream together with an electric hand whisk until light and fluffy. Beat in the marmalade and then slowly beat in the eggs. Fold in the flour and orange juice to make a soft dropping consistency. (You may or may not need all the Orange juice.)
Spoon the batter into the prepared tin, leveling off the surface and making it slightly hollow in th emiddle. Bake for 30 to 25 minutes, until well risen, golden brown and just firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
Pare the peel from the orange, taking care to remove any white pith. Roughly chop into small pieces. Dissolve the sugar in the water in a small pan. Add the orange peel and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes until the peel is candied. Drain the peel from the syrup. (I like to keep the syrup to use in other things. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.) Set the peels aside to cool.
Whisk the icing sugar and lemon juice together until you get a smooth paste. Pour over the top of the cooled cake and spread to cover evenly. Pile 12 small heaps of the peel evenly spaced over the top of the cake, along with a jelly if using. Leave to set completely before cutting into pieces to serve.
