If orange and chocolate are the most compatible match in the world of fruit & chocolate, then consider this cake the fun married couple that’s always in sync. I have made this 4+ times, and each time, the result has been great. Of course, depending on the quality of chocolate used, the result can be a “high great” or a “medium great,” but great all the same.
The first time I made this I used a bar of Lindt dark chocolate and it was divine. The second time around, I used a block of generic dark baking chocolate, and the result was a little lesser than the first attempt, but still very good. All subsequent times, I have been sure to use Lindt or Callebaut dark chocolate because it just makes it so much richer.
The recipe calls for orange marmalade, but I like drizzling a little freshly squeezed orange over the cake once it’s done- it adds gloss and stickiness to the cake; and while a sticky cake may not be for everyone, I enjoy it because it makes me feel like a kid again, cleaning out jars of fruit preserves with my fingers. (Wait. I still do that.)
The cake is quite dense, as you can see, with a moist and sticky crumb. It can be a little too intense for some; so some vanilla ice cream to cut through the richness of the cake is a good idea.
NIGELLA LAWSON’S STORE-CUPBOARD CHOCOLATE-ORANGE CAKE (From How To Be A Domestic Goddess.)
INGREDIENTS
- 125 g butter
- 100 g good quality dark chocolate, broken into pieces (I used Lindt)
- 300 g marmalade
- 150 g castor sugar
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 150 flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3-4 tablespoons (preferably freshly squeezed) orange juice
- A little orange zest for decoration
METHOD
- Preheat the oven to 180 C
- Sift together the flour and baking powder in a bowl and set aside.
- Place the butter in a largish heavy-bottomed saucepan and melt over low heat. When it has melted completely, add the chocolate pieces, give them a stir and allow them to sit for a minute. Pull off the heat, and stir with a wooden spoon until the chocolate melts and the chocolate-butter mixture is completely smooth and without lumps.
- Next, add the marmalade, sugar and beaten eggs, and stir till everything is combined well.
- Beat in the flour little by little until everything is incorporated and there are no streaks of flour in the batter.
- Pour into a greased 9-inch baking tin and bake at 180 C for 50 minutes to an hour or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
- Once the cake is done, allow it to cool for a few minutes, then poke some holes over the top with a skewer.
- Pour the orange juice over the cake and allow it to seep into the still-warm cake.
- Grate some orange zest over the top if you’d like to.
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Reblogged this on chen tai ji and commented:
lovely recipe, lovely blog….
I made this cake yesterday. I had been looking for a recipe that would use up a large quantity of marmalade, and this one was perfect! I live in China and good black chocolate is hard to find, and expensive when you do, so I used cheaper stuff and added some cocoa powder. The cake is still really good. Would you mind if I reblog this at some point?
Thanks so so much Taiji! And yes, you can reblog whatever you like! No permission required. I was lucky to have Lindt on hand when I made this, but the marmalade was not of the highest quality. Still tasted good! Many times I end up making cakes and cookies with whatever brand of sugar/cocoa/chocolate I can find, and the result is good. Agreed, buying the more expensive stuff (unsalted butter, Callebaut chocolate) elevates the taste, but basic ingredients can also make a great dessert. And if you have more marmalade you need to get rid of, you should try Melissa Clark’s marmalade cake recipe- and no chocolate required. http://www.nytimes.com/recipes/1016043/orange-marmalade-cake.html
Thanks! Will check that out at some point….
😀
wish i could eat a piece right now:)
What a beautiful cake addition to your delicious week, it looks so moist! 🙂
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru