
Ingredients
Marble Cake:
225g unsalted butter
225g caster sugar
4 large eggs
225g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
Split the batter in half:
For 1 half: Zest and juice of 1 large orange
For other half: 2 tbsp whole milk and 3 tbsp cocoa powder
Candied Oranges:
1 or 2 large oranges
200g caster sugar
150ml water
Chocolate Ganache Icing:
165g dark chocolate
85g unsalted butter
Method
- Start by preheating the oven to 160 C (fan)
- Cream together the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing between each one.
- Sift in the flour, add the baking powder and salt and mix until it is just combined.
- Divide the mixture into two. I weighed out the whole mixture and then weighed out half into another bowl. They don't have to be spot on, but try to get them as close as possible for a great marble effect!
- To one bowl, add the orange zest and juice and mix.
- To the other, add the cocoa powder and milk and mix.
- In a greased 2lbs loaf tin, layer up the batters alternating as you go until they are all on top of each other. Then take a skewer or a kebab stick (or a knife!) and swirl the mixture around so that it forms a marble pattern. Don't swirl too much or it will all just mix together!
- Bake for around 50 minutes, but check to see if the middle is baked. This is a deep tin so it does take a while. If it needs a little longer then cover the top with foil so it doesn't brown too much.
- One baked, remove from the oven and leave to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the tin and leaving to cool fully!
- While the cake is baking, candy the oranges!
- Add the water and sugar into a large saucepan and bring to a simmer.
- Slice them to around 3/4 a cm thick, and place them into the syrup.
- Let them simmer for around 20-30 minutes until the rind turns clear. Turn them over every now and again to make sure they are done on each side.
- Remove from the syrup and place on a baking sheet to cool off. If you want, use some kitchen towel to soak up any excess syrup. Leave them to cool fully. I put them in the fridge as it then makes them easier to cut!
- When the cake is fully cool, it is ready to ice!
- Melt the chocolate, either in the microwave or in a bowl over a pan of simmering water, and then add the butter and ensure it is all melted and combined.
- At this stage it is very runny. If you leave it to cool, it with thicken and reach a spreading consistency. Keep an eye on it as if you let it cool too much it will be too hard to spread!
- Cover the cool cake with the icing and then decorate with the candied oranges.
- Enjoy!
Head to my Instagram page @alice.fevronia and check out my story highlights for more information on how to make this!