Brown Sugar Marmalade Cake
Sunday, March 6, 2011 at 08:09AM 
When you love food and cooking it stands to reason that over time you’ll develop a collection of favourite ingredients, recipes and food writers. I won’t go through my entire roll of inspirations, both cupboard and book bound, but I will tell you this: Nigel Slater will always, always come top of my list. So great is my love for the man that I keep a special section of shelves (an empty wine crate no less) devoted to his books, of which I have them all. My first experience of Nigel, and indeed my first flush of cookery writing love, was a copy of his early The 30-Minute Cookbook – yes that’s right Jamie, Nigel got there first. It was a book so simple in its premise, so tantalising in its content and so wonderfully, and encouragingly, accessible. Nigel made me want to cook, but he also made it clear that I could cook, and that, I think, is the key to good food writing. I know I am not alone in this, Nigel is often cited as the countries favourite food writer. Under normal circumstances that would put me off a little, never having liked the feeling of being just one of a number. But in this case, it only goes to prove quite how appealing Nigel Slater’s writing is.
Not for him the big, flouncy shows or market-led subject matter. Even when he does finally feature in his own cookery programme it is a relaxed and genteel affair – focused on simply cooking lovely food. No pomp, no ceremony and lots and lots of crème fraiche. I love this man. Over the years there has been many a Nigel Slater recipe that’s found itself adapted for my food sensitivities. Part of me feels that it may be a little sacrilegious to mess with his fine art, but I can’t resist it. A good recipe is still a good recipe, even when tweaked a little. So this is where I find myself: leafing through the pages of Nigel’s Kitchen Diaries – a book to be read as just that, a diary; dipped into as a thought for the day, its culinary inspiration driving your appetite – only to discover this gem of a recipe.
Hands up, I really have adapted it. Plus, I may have changed the sugar, just a little. I wanted the mellow, caramel sweetness that comes from muscovado sugar, it just seemed right. This cake is heavenly, truly heavenly and entirely appropriate, the marmalade awards having recently been. Use homemade marmalade if you can – someone always has a batch, or get it from a farm shop or farmers market. Then treat yourself to a cup of tea and a slice of this cake, and think of Nigel.
MARMALADE BROWN SUGAR CAKE
Serves 8
You will need a 2lb loaf tin for this recipe
175g/6oz Doves Farm Gluten Free Self Raising Flour
175g/6oz light muscovado sugar
150g/5½oz butter replacement – Pure Sunflower Spread
3 eggs – 3 heaped tsp of Orgran Egg Replacer whisked together with 6 tbsp water
75g/2¾oz marmalade
The zest of 1 orange
The juice of ½ orange
For the icing
100g/3½oz golden icing sugar
2 tbsp orange juice
Preheat the oven to 180c (160c Fan) and lightly grease and line the loaf tin. Cream together the sugar and butter replacement until caramel, smooth and fluffy. Beat in the egg replacer, bit by bit, mixing the egg in thoroughly each time you add it - do not be alarmed if the mixture looks like it is beginning to split, the flour will put it back together. Stir in the marmalade and orange zest until combined.
Using a large metal spoon, fold the flour into your mixture. Do this until the flour has become completely blended with the remaining ingredients. Gently stir in the orange juice and then spoon the cake mixture into the loaf tin and level the top with the back of your spoon.
Bake for 35 - 40 minutes in the oven until risen and golden – you can check with a thin skewer or cocktail stick. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack. Meanwhile, mix together the icing sugar and orange juice until smooth and glossy (note, this is quite a runny icing so if you prefer yours thicker just add a little extra icing sugar). Once the cake has cooled, drizzle the icing over the top and leave to set before cutting into slices and serving.
You can also find this recipe at Cybele Pascal's Allergen Free Cuisine.
Reader Comments (7)
This looks fabulous and wonderfully moist and zesty. My mum makes fab marmalade so will have to give this a go. I too love Nigels recipes and his writing, you can just picture it perfectly
It really is delicious and I can say that as it is all down to Nigel! I too use my mum's marmalade, it's such a nice way of eating it as it lends a really subtle citrus note to the cake - the perfect balance of sweet with a hint of sharp shred.
This looks so lovely and I like the use of brown sugar - it's got such a nice caramel flavour which is totally different to white. Yum.
Thanks Sarah, I really do agree about the brown sugar; i think (despite it having the same level of sugar/sucrose as white) brown sugar tastes and feels much more mellow on the tongue, plus, it just felt right: marmalade and brown sugar, mmm.
Nigel Slater really is brilliant and this cake is seriously good. I made it for my girlfriend who can't eat eggs and dairy - she was a very happy lady, thank you!
Paul, thanks so much. So glad that you and your girlfriend liked it! There's nothing nicer than being baked for! Enjoy.
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