Nigella’s Chocolate Orange Cake

It’s marmalade time of year! The bitter Seville oranges for authentic marmalade are only in the shops for a few weeks in January and February. I have been busy making marmalade, around 18 pots so far. While browsing through How to be a Domestic Goddess (Nigella Lawson, 2000) I came across this recipe which I haven’t made for a while. I needed a cake for a busy weekend of entertaining, and this is quick and easy. It uses marmalade for flavour and moistness. Confession: I didn’t use my own marmalade! Why? Because home made marmalade is too precious for baking, and must be preserved (geddit?!) for toast and croissants, muffins and crumpets. Also because I happened to see marmalade with ginger in the supermarket, and I’m carrying on my recent theme of ginger. Chocolate, orange and ginger – a good combination I think.

Bubbling oranges
In the pots
And on the toast!

I really like this book, the recipes are great, and Nigella’s style of writing is readable and informative. I especially like her suggestions for variations. I haven’t tried her recommendations of substituting the marmalade for raspberry or apricot jam, but they do sound good. I also read a version online that used dark chocolate with orange instead of plain dark chocolate.

Dark chocolate and ginger-orange marmalade – key ingredients!

It’s an easy cake to make, most ingredients are melted together and then the eggs, and finally the flour mixed in. It makes a moist cake full of flavour. The ginger taste was quite subtle.

Made in honour of a visit from Georgia, our not-really-related-daughter-niece-?😂, who lives in Paris now
I really love this plate that belonged to my grandmother. This pattern was produced around 1930, so I am guessing it was maybe a wedding present.

So, I would highly recommend this cake if you are looking for a proper chocolate cake with a little extra something (ie flavour!). Have a great weekend everyone and thanks for reading!

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