Orange Marmalade Sponge Cake

Who doesn't like the tanginess of oranges in their cake for a change from the usual flavors? This cake started out as a quick whip-up on the morning of my then 2-year-old's birthday. We had planned for dinner out with the family over the weekend, so weren't planning to do anything special on the day. But how could we not cut at least a small cake on his birthday? I didn't want to make anything 'regular' and was too lazy to go by a proper 'new' recipe, so I just stood in front of the open fridge to see if there was anything that would grab my attention. And there it was, a bottle of orange marmalade.

Using my mom's basic butter cake recipe and adding a little marmalade instead of vanilla, I quickly mixed all the ingredients together and popped it into the microwave. I even used the same marmalade to top the cake. Here's a throwback picture (I didn't have time to do anything fancy for the words so I dug into the stationary cupboard and used Adrian's alphabet crayons to spell out Dylan's name 😁):

After trying more combinations, I've finally come up with the most perfect, moist, and absolutely refreshing orange marmalade cake with marmalade topping. Do give it a shot!

Ingredients:

For the cake:

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar
4 eggs
3/4 cup butter
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup orange marmalade

1-2 tbsp orange zest
1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup orange juice

a pinch of salt

For the filling:

1/2 cup fresh cream
1 orange
2 tbsp caster sugar (can add more if you like it sweeter)

For the marmalade glaze:

3/4 cup marmalade
1/4 cup water
3 tbsp sugar (can add more if you like it sweeter)

Method:

Beat the eggs till light and fluffy.

Cream the butter and the sugar till the mixture is visibly lighter. 

Add the beaten eggs, marmalade, and oil, and mix.

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Add to the egg-butter-sugar mixture and mix thoroughly. Do not over-mix.

Mix in the orange zest.

Pour into an 8-inch baking tin and bake for 30-40 minutes at 360 degrees or gas mark 4 till a wooden pick inserted comes out clean.

Allow the cake to cool completely, then slice it horizontally into two halves and place them side-by-side with the inner surface facing upwards.

Poke holes into the two halves using a toothpick, and sprinkle the orange juice onto both halves, ensuring that they are evenly and lightly soaked (you may not need all the juice).

Prepare the filling by mixing the fresh cream and the caster sugar.

Peel the orange, segment it, remove the segment walls and chop into pieces.

Mix the chopped orange segments into the fresh cream. 

Spread an even layer of the fresh cream mixture onto one half of the cake, and stack the other half on top. Make sure they are aligned.

Prepare the marmalade glaze by blitzing the marmalade, water, and sugar in a blender.

Coat the cake with the marmalade glaze and refrigerate for the glaze to set.

Serve cold or at room temperature.

Note: Depending on how strong you prefer the tanginess to be, adjust the sugar in the marmalade glaze. You can also add a pinch of salt to neutralize the tanginess.

Tip #1: If you're out of time, this recipe works like a charm in the microwave too! Bake the cake for about 6 minutes, and if it's not done yet, bake for about 2 minutes till it is ready.

Tip #2: You can skip the fresh cream mix for the filling and just use marmalade.