FOOD

Recipe For Christmas Dessert: Orange Marmalade Cake

  

My husband’s younger sisters’ winter break finally arrived. I think baking is a great way to spend time together and get over the stress of their school’s finals. I didn’t really have a specific recipe in mind, but I wanted to make a cake that reflects the holiday season. We started with a simple cake batter and flavored it with orange marmalade I received through our friend Diane from Napa Farmhouse 1885 and store-bought Swedish orange gingersnaps. I crumbled the gingersnaps and added them to the batter and the top of the cake. We baked the cakes in individual Flexipan molds and I let the girls decorate their own version with orange-flavored buttercream and chocolate-covered cherries.

Have fun this holiday season!

1. Info for Christmas Dessert: Orange Marmalade Cake

  • Cook Time: unavailable
  • Total Time: unavailable
  • Servings: 6
  • Calories: unavailable

2. Ingredients for Christmas Dessert: Orange Marmalade Cake

  • 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 6 tablespoons orange gingersnaps
  • 2 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar, as needed
  • 6 tablespoons milk
  • 2 tablespoons ginger and orange marmalade (or any marmalade)
  • 1-¼ cups orange buttercream frosting (see tips)
  • 3 chocolate-covered cherries (see tips), halved

3. Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
  2. For the crumb topping: In a mortar and pestle, grind the ginger snap cookies into coarse crumbs. Set aside.
  3. Using an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks in a mixing bowl with 2 tablespoons sugar until they’re pale yellow; the texture of the eggs will be thicker. Add the vanilla extract.
  4. In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and salt.
  5. Combine the egg mixture, 2 tablespoons butter and the dry ingredients, alternating with milk so the batter is smooth. Add 2 tablespoons marmalade and 2 tablespoons gingersnaps.
  6. In another bowl, add a pinch of salt to the egg whites and whisk for about 2 minutes at a low speed. Add 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, increase the speed of your mixer and keep beating for another 2-3 minutes until it forms stiff peaks. Don’t over-beat or the texture will become grainy.
  7. Using a silicone spatula, mix 1/3 of the whipped egg whites into the cake batter to soften it. Add the rest of the whipped egg whites and gently fold them in to get an airy batter.
  8. I used individual silicone molds. Cover each cavity with a thin layer of butter. Sprinkle with about 2 teaspoons gingersnaps. Pour the cake batter into the molds.
  9. Bake for 5 minutes at 375°F; lower the temperature to 350°F and bake for another 45-50 minutes until the top is golden. A skewer or a toothpick inserted into the cake should come out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
  10. The texture of the cake should be very soft and moist.
  11. Unmold the cakes and cover the tops with a layer of buttercream; smooth it out using a spreader. Top it with a chocolate.
  12. Optional: You could also cut the cake horizontally prior to adding the buttercream and spread a layer of marmalade in the center of the cake (which I did). I also covered the buttercream frosting with additional gingersnap crumbs, which are very forgiving of any imperfection.
  13. Serve warm with a hot cup of tea.
  14. Bon appétit!

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