Orange marmalade cake

Beautifully sticky and packed with citrus flavour, this zesty Orange marmalade cake is perfect with a cup of tea or coffee at any time of the day.

I can never have enough quick, easy cake recipes, and this gorgeously sticky orange marmalade cake is no exception.

I’m very fond of using marmalade in cooking (see my Orange marmalade glazed ham) and baking – and it’s especially good in a cake.  Marmalade definitely has many more uses than merely spreading on your toast in the morning! 

In fact, I can confirm that this orange marmalade cake is very good for breakfast with a cup of tea or coffee!

what kind of marmalade can i use in this cake?

The cake can be made with any type of marmalade, from shredless to a dark thick kind with lots of peel.

I use whatever marmalade I have in the house – usually a dark, Oxford style marmalade with lots of peel.  If I have any of my homemade Seville orange marmalade I’ll use that instead, but honestly – any kind of marmalade will be fine here. I imagine a lemon version using lemon marmalade would be delicious…..

This isn’t really the prettiest of cakes – if you’re a bit heavy handed on the marmalade (as I usually am) it does tend to dip in the centre a little.  Due to the sugar in the marmalade, the top of the cake looks quite dark compared to the inside. But please don’t let these little quirks put you off, it’s an absolutely delicious cake that’s full of flavour.

ingredient list

• Butter – for sponge cakes, I usually use a baking margarine like Stork, but you can use proper butter if you prefer. Just make sure it’s nice and soft so it creams properly.
• caster sugar.
• orange zest and juice. The zest is going inside the cake and the juice is for the icing glaze.
• eggs. It’s better if they are at room temperature so if you store eggs in the fridge, remove them about an hour before baking.
• Self raising flour.
• marmalade – any kind will work fine. Use your favourite!
• Icing sugar for the glaze.

step by step instructions

(Ingredient amounts and detailed instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post!)

• Grease and line a round 20cm cake tin. Preheat the oven to 180C/160Fan/350F.

• Cream soft butter, orange zest and caster sugar together until very light and fluffy.

• Slowly add beaten eggs to the creamed mixture, beating well after each addition.

• Lightly fold in the self raising flour, followed by the marmalade.

• Pour into the tin and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the cake is shrinking from the sides of the tin and a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake emerges clean. Let the cake cool completely in the tin before icing.

• Optional tip – I like to brush the top of the cake with marmalade while it’s still a little warm – you don’t have to, but it makes the cake extra sticky and delicious!

• Mix the icing sugar and orange juice together until you have a smooth glaze and drizzle over the cold cake.

storage instructions

The cake will keep well in an airtight tin for up to 4-5 days. It’s one of those cakes that gets even better if you can leave it for a day or two (tall order I know!!)

This orange marmalade cake is loosely adapted from a recipe from one of my favourite books of all time, The Kitchen Diaries by Nigel Slater.

more easy cake recipes you might enjoy

• Easy Carrot Cake

• Lemon and lime madeira cake 

• Plum Amaretti Crumble Cake

• Easy Lemon Drizzle Cake

• Coconut and Raspberry Jam Loaf Cake

• Fruity Bran Loaf

• Banana Fudge Cake

Looking for something different? Check out my cake archives!

Did you make this recipe?

Let me know what you thought of it by leaving a comment below and rate the recipe out of 5 by clicking on the stars in the recipe card.  Thanks! 

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Orange Marmalade Cake

Yield: 8-10 slices

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Beautifully sticky and packed with citrus flavour, this zesty Orange marmalade cake is perfect with a cup of tea or coffee at any time of the day.

Print

Ingredients

• 200g Caster (Super Fine) Sugar
• Finely grated zest of one large orange
• 175g Soft Butter
• 3 Large Eggs, Beaten
• 175g Self Raising Flour
• 3 tablespoons Orange Marmalade

For the Icing Glaze:

• 50g Icing Sugar
• The Juice of half an Orange

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160Fan/350F. Grease and line the base of a 20cm round cake tin.
2. Cream the soft butter, orange zest and caster sugar together until very light and fluffy. Slowly add the beaten eggs, a little at a time to prevent the mixture from curdling. Make sure you beat the mixture for at least 30 seconds before adding more egg.
3. Lightly fold in the flour, and finally the marmalade.
4. Spoon the mixture into the tin and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
5. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Allow to cool completely.
6. For the icing, mix the icing sugar and orange juice together. You might not need all of the juice, so just add a little at a time. Spoon over the cooled cake.

Notes

I like to brush the top of the cake with marmalade while it's still a little warm - you don't have to do this, but it makes the cake extra sticky and delicious!

You could skip the icing drizzle if you like and serve the cake as a pudding with custard or pouring cream.

Adapted from a recipe by Nigel Slater.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 10 Serving Size: 10
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 268Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 93mgSodium: 361mgCarbohydrates: 28gNet Carbohydrates: 0gFiber: 1gSugar: 14gSugar Alcohols: 0gProtein: 4g

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