How To Make Sour Cream Marmalade Cake – Moist & Bittersweet

 

 

Most weekends I like to bake a cake to have in the house to enjoy with a hot drink or as a simple dessert. There is nothing as delicious as a nice piece of cake served with a hot cup of tea. In my case I like the nutty tea from Tealish. Not only is it pink, but it is delicious and goes very well with cake!

I love, LOVE marmalade cake. I have made one on here before. You can find that recipe here. In that case the marmalade was stirred right into the cake batter, giving you little bits of that bitter sweetness scattered throughout.  It also has a lovely glace icing and bits of marmalade decorating the top.

No surprise there, as I really love marmalade. It is one of my favorite things to spread on my morning toast. It is a beautiful balance of sweet, bitter and tangy citrus flavors. A trinity of great taste.

 

This Marmalade Cake recipe I am sharing with you today is more of a snack cake. It is moist and buttery and vanilla scented with lovely pockets of bittersweet marmalade swirled throughout its batter.  A streak of it here and a streak of it there along with dense little pockets of the stuff.

You do need to like marmalade, however.  I used an orange marmalade today but am thinking lime marmalade would also be very nice.

This is the kind of cake that goes wonderfully with hot drinks for your mid-morning or afternoon break. It would also make a great breakfast cake.  Simple. Unadulterated.  Beautifully moist and dense with wonderful flavors.

Prepare to fall in love!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED

TO MAKE

SOUR CREAM & MARMALADE CAKE

 

This is a great way to use up that last bit of marmalade in the jar!

• 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup (220g) dairy sour cream
• 1/2 cup (115g) butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch salt
• 1 1/2 cups (190g) all-purpose plain flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1.2 tsp baking soda
• 1/3 cup (80g) small shred marmalade
• icing sugar to dust (optional)

 

I used Kirkland organic granulated sugar. In the U.K. use Castor sugar. The granulated sugar will be far too coarse over there and will not melt into the batter properly.

I use salted butter and full-fat sour cream.

You could use vanilla paste if you have it and want to use it.

I do not recommend using self-rising flour.

Use a good quality marmalade without huge chunks of peel in it. You want a smaller shred which will not sink to the bottom of the cake when baking.

I did not use any icing sugar.  A simple glaze drizzle would also be nice. Just whisk 1/2 cup (65g) icing sugar together with milk or lemon juice to give you a thin drizzle.

  

HOW TO MAKE

SOUR CREAM & MARMALADE CAKE

This is a simple cake to make and results in a beautiful cake with a moist crumb and lovely flavor.

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter an 8-inch square baking tin. Line it with baking paper, leaving an overhang on two sides to lift the cake out when done. (I do this with most cakes. It really helps to make removal so much easier.)
2. Whisk the sugar and eggs together in a bowl, using an electric whisk, for about a minute until pale and foamy. (Don't over mix.)
3. Beat in the sour cream, butter, salt, and vanilla until emulsified. (You want a smooth evenly mixed mixture without lumps or pockets of cream, etc.)
4. Sift the flour together with the baking powder and baking soda. (This helps to distribute the baking powder and soda in the flour equally.)
5. Stir this into the creamed mixture to combine, making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. The batter will be thick. (I use a wooden spoon, beating it lightly and adding the flour in thirds.)
6. Spoon into the prepared pan, smoothing over the top. (You can also tap the pan lightly on the countertop to remove any air bubbles.)
7. Spoon the marmalade over top of the cake batter using a teaspoon. Using a wooden skewer, swirl the marmalade gently through the cake batter without over-mixing it. (You want to end up with some streaks of marmalade as well as small pockets of it.)
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 45 minutes. The cake is done when it springs back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
9. Leave to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before lifting out to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
10. Dust with icing sugar if desired. Serve cut into squares.

 

HINTS AND TIPS FOR SUCCESS

If you follow these hints and tips, your cake should turn out perfectly.

• Measure ingredients accurately. Baking is an exact science.
• Use the correct size of tin.
• Use some baking spray to oil the tin and spray it generously.
• Have all of your ingredients at room temperature
• Do not overmix your batter of you will run the risk of toughening the cake.
• Make sure your baking powder and soda are up to date and working properly. (Dropping some in some warm water or vinegar will usually tell you if they are or not. They should fizz.)
• Try to use a thin jam or marmalade without a lot of huge chunks. Huge chunks will cause the jam to sink.
• Do not over swirl the marmalade or jam. 
• Follow instructions and timings as per the recipe exactly.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

MUST I USE AN 8-INCH SQUARE CAKE TIN?

Not at all. You can also use a 9-inch round cake tin to bake the cake in.?

CAN I CUT THIS RECIPE IN HALF?

Yes. Simply divide the ingredients by half and mix as per the recipe instructions. Bake in a 9 by 5 loaf tin. It will take approximately 20 to 25 minutes to bake.

CAN THIS CAKE BE FROZEN?

It can although you risk all of the jam being absorbed into the cake.

HOW LONG WILL THIS CAKE KEEP?

It will keep for up to three days tightly covered.

CAN I USE SELF-RISING FLOUR?

I have never done so, so I cannot really say yes with any certainty.

MUST I USE MARMALADE?

Only if you want a marmalade cake. Feel free to use any other kind of jam you wish to use and that you enjoy.

 

A FEW OTHER 

SNACK CAKES TO CONSIDER

I love snacking cakes because they are usually very simple to make, they don't make a lot of cake, and they go really well with hot drinks, or as a dessert.  Here are a few more that you might enjoy!

CRUNCHY TOPPED BANANA SNACK CAKE - A moist and delicious banana cake, 8-inches square topped with a cream, coconut, and pecan topping that gets applied to the finished cake and broiled to an almost candy bar consistency!  Can you say MOREISH!

AIRLINE COOKIE SNACK CAKE - A snack sized cake made with Biscoff Cookie Butter. The use of buttermilk ensures that it is moist. It also boasts a cookie butter frosting and a sprinkle of crumbled lotus cookies on the top.  I also decorated it with candy chocolate buttons. I adapted the recipe from a full sized sheet cake recipe to make a smaller cake for the smaller family. Incredibly delicious!

Pin this recipe to your Dessert, Cake, or Teatime boards on Pinterest and remember to FOLLOW ME on Pinterest, Facebook, or Instagram! 

That way you can be assured that you are always up to date with fresh content as soon as I post it. You can also sign up to receive a weekly newsletter from Grow. Thank you!  

Yield: One 8-inch snack cake

Author: Marie Rayner

Sour Cream Marmalade Cake

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 45 MinInactive time: 10 MinTotal time: 1 H & 10 M

This buttery sour cream snack cake is loaded with swirls of bittersweet marmalade. This goes beautifully with a hot drink!

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup (220g) dairy sour cream
• 1/2 cup (115g) butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch salt
• 1 1/2 cups (190g) all-purpose plain flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1.2 tsp baking soda
• 1/3 cup (80g) small shred marmalade
• icing sugar to dust (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter an 8-inch square baking tin. Line it with baking paper, leaving an overhang on two sides to lift the cake out when done.
2. Whisk the sugar and eggs together in a bowl, using an electric whisk, for about a minute until pale and foamy.
3. Beat in the sour cream, butter, salt, and vanilla until emulsified.
4. Sift the flour together with the baking powder and baking soda.
5. Stir this into the creamed mixture to combine, making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. The batter will be thick.
6. Spoon into the prepared pan, smoothing over the top.
7. Spoon the marmalade over top of the cake batter using a teaspoon. Using a wooden skewer, swirl the marmalade gently through the cake batter without over-mixing it.
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 45 minutes. The cake is done when it springs back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
9. Leave to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before lifting out to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
10. Dust with icing sugar if desired. Serve cut into squares.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @marierayner5530 on instagram and hashtag it #TheEnglishKitchen

This content, written and photography, is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com. 

 Thanks for visiting! Do come again!! 

If you like what you see here, why not consider signing up for my newsletter and/or subscribing/following me on Grow. You can also bookmark my recipes via the Grow platform. Check out the heart on the right-hand side of the screen.