The Great British Bake Off and a Sticky Orange Marmalade Cake

Tuesday 23 August 2011



I had the pleasure recently of having been sent a lovely baking book to review. You all know how much I love baking (and eating baked goodies, but we won't talk about that!) It's entitled The Great British Bake Off, How to Bake the perfect victoria sponge and other baking secrets, and is the companion book to the newest 8 part series of the hugely popular Great British Bake off on BBC2.

This is the brand new book to accompany the latest Great British Bake Off series, and features over 120 new recipes, Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood's 'technical challenges,' and the best contestants' recipes!



Divided into 8 delicious chapters, there is plenty to challenge keen bakers here, showcasing everything from brandy snaps to elaborate pastries, pavlovas to iced celebration cakes, and everything in between!



Two guesses as to which is my favourite chapter!!



It is filled with Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood's expert advice and tips which can help just about anyone to achieve baking perfection. Each chapter begins with a specific baking skill, which once mastered, allows you to tackle Mary and Paul's technical challenges, as seen in the series, with the utmost confidence.



There are over 120 recipes in the book ranging from mary's Coffee and Walnut Battenburg and Tarte au Citron to Paul's Pork Pies with Quails' EGgs. It's not just a collection of tasty recipes however, as it also covers the essential techniques, terms and ingredients to help your baking taste, look and smell it's very best ever!



I am most impressed with the variety of recipes and it's practical yet pretty design as well as the full-colour, step-by-step photography included.



Of course you know I wouldn't judge any book by it's cover alone. I need to put it to the test before I can actually declare it a winner or a dud, and this one is a real winner by all counts!



So far everything has turned out beautifully, including this delicious Sticky Orange Marmalade Cake which I baked this afternoon.



It's moreishly moist and chock full of flavour, with a delicious old fashioned appeal. I love the stickiness of the marmalade glaze which covers all that buttery cake goodness, and lurks just beneath a simple icing sugar glaze. I gave it 10 out of 10 and Todd gave it a definite two thumbs up!



*Sticky Orange Marmalade Cake*
Makes one 9 inch single layer cake
Printable Recipe

You want to use a really good Seville Orange marmalade for this cake, with an intense bittersweet flavour, plus decent chunks of peel in it.

For the sponge:
175g unsalted butter, softened (3/4 cup)
175g of caster sugar (3/4 cup)
3 large free range eggs, at room temperature and beaten
175g self raising flour (1 1/2 cups)
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 TBS chunky Seville Orange Marmalade
2 TBS full fat or semi skim milk

To finish:
3 TBS chunky Seville Orange Marmalade
100g icing sugar, sifted (1/2 cup)
2 TBS warm water

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a 9 inch round cake tin and line with baking paper. Butter the paper. Set aside.

Cream the softened butter with an electric mixer or spoon until nice and creamy. Beat in the sugar gradually, then continue to beat until it becomes pale and fluffy.

Gradually beat in the eggs, beating well after each addition. Add a TBS of the flour with the last portion of the egg. Sift the remaining flour, the salt and baking powder into the bowl and gently fold into the mixture with a large metal spoon. When thoroughly combined, stir in the marmalade and milk.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until golden brown and firm to the touch. Run a round bladed knife around the inside of the tin to loosen and then carefully turn the cake out onto a wire rack. Flip to right side up. Gently warm the marmalade to finish and brush it all over the top of the warm cake. Allow the cake to cool completely before proceeding.

Sift the icing sugar into a bowl. Add the warm water and mix to a smooth and runny icing using a wooden spoon. Spoon the icing over the cake, allowing it to run down the sides a bit. Leave to set before cutting into wedges to serve.

Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.




The Great British Bake Off:
How to bake: the perfect Victoria Sponge
and other baking secrets

by Linda Collister
with foreword by Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood

Available from BBC Books @ £20
or Amazon.co.uk

The English Kitchen gives this book 10 out of 10!




There is a tasty Roasted Vegetable Lasagne Verde cooking over in the Cottage today!

21 comments

  1. OH my! I am off to amazon.co.uk right now to order the book ~ thanks Marie and that cake looks DIVINE! I did not realise the book was out just yet!!
    Great thanks!
    Karen

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  2. Sounds delicious but I'm not into baking much anymore. You could send me a piece though, LOL The veggie lasagna is more my cup of tea and I just might make that one. Thanks Marie

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  3. another addition to the wish list! the cake looks fantastic :)

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  4. Agree with the comment above-another addition to my already long list.Cake looks delicious:)

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  5. I had a flick through this one in the shops and loved all the photos, im definitely a magpie to cookery books that have lotsa helpful scrummy photos in. Im glad to see the recipes work out well too as i am rather a sceptic with new cookery books i have to say, might well have to return and buy it now...! Great looking cake too by the way :)

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  6. Thank you for sharing these treats.
    I love when you get little perks:) I do..you share..and inspire!

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  7. THIS book looks amazing! I can't wait to watch tonights episode.. I've been looking forward to it all week! Have you ever thought of entering? xx

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  8. How lovely book dear Marie! I love cook book!! Cake look delicious!!

    huggs my dear, gloria

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  9. Ralph is swooning here... he needs a Marie cake....lol

    Hugs

    Sheilagh

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  10. The cake looks fantastic - just like the picture!

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  11. Maria! I have never seen so wonderful blog about traditional British cuisine!I am so glad that I found it occasionally during searching after recipes in web. Today I prepared this wonderful pie and it's gorgeous. I mean to prepare a lot of recipes from your blog in future!

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  12. I tried this recipe .. Although the cake tasted just fine, its the cooking temperature u have to watch out for .. I baked it at 180°C for only 35 mins and my cake was burnt below .. So plz watch out for it next time .. :)

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  13. It could be that your oven burns hotter than mine , or you had it too low down in the oven? I don't know. I can on,y say my experience and what it says in the book.xx

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  14. How fun! Thanks for sharing! I love Mary Berry!

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  15. I tried this one and the center of the cake never rose completely in the oven. I must have left it in too long hoping it would rise because it tastes dry. Also I left it in the fridge to cool before putting the icing on but the icing is just a clear glaze on the cake. Do you have any ideas as to why it turned out this way? I used powdered sugar for the icing, is that the same thing as icing sugar?

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    1. I have no idea Tedi, without knowing the variables for your oven, etc. What kind or brand of flour you used. If you are in a high altitude area, etc. These things all can have an effect on baking. Also the icing is meant to be a drizzle glaze. Not a fluffy icing. As you can see mine is not clear. I used icing sugar which as far as I know is the same as powdered sugar. Did you brush warmed marmalade over the warm cake before it cooled? This has the effect of soaking into the cake and creating a bit of a barrier for the icing, so that it doesn't soak into the cake. As you can see my cake turned out perfectly. Sorry you did not have the same experience. xo

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  16. Just took this out of the oven. It's delicious. Mine was golden brown at 30 minutes at 350 F. Thanks so much for the recipe. I'll bake it again soon. The cake has this perfect moist texture. I didn't put the sugar and water glaze, just the marmalade on top of the cake since the cake is plenty sweet already. Thanks again.

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  17. Thanks for sharing, Maria. Just made this cake and it was done in 30 minutes too. I think the original recipe says to use an 8-inch pan. This version uses a 9-inch so the cake is flatter and will cook more quickly.

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    1. I'm not sure as I did the recipe exactly as it was in the book. I gave the book away to a friend so I can't even go and check it again. In any case its a great cake! xo

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