By Melissa Clark
- Total Time
- 1½ hours
- Rating
- 5(1,337)
- Notes
- Read community notes
This beautiful, tender, citrus-scented loaf cake filled with bits of candied orange peel is everything you want with your afternoon tea. The key is finding the right marmalade; it needs to be the thick-cut (also known as coarse-cut) marmalade made with bitter oranges, which will be laden with big pieces of peel. Look for the British brands in the international section of your supermarket if the jam aisle lets you down. (And not give up and use the neon orange marmalade that's more like jelly.) Your reward is a fine-grained, not-too-sweet cake that will last for days well-wrapped and stored at room temperature (if you can manage not to eat it up all at once).
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Ingredients
Yield:8 servings
- 215grams coarse-cut orange marmalade (⅔ cup), divided
- 12tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus ½ tablespoon for glaze, and more for greasing pan
- 150grams granulated sugar (¾ cup)
- 2teaspoons grated lime zest
- ½teaspoon grated orange zest
- 3large eggs, at room temperature
- 2tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 190grams all-purpose flour (1½ cups)
- 7grams baking powder (1½ teaspoons)
- 3grams fine sea salt (¾ teaspoon)
- 30grams confectioners’ sugar (4 tablespoons)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
427 calories; 20 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 59 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 39 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 277 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coarsely chop any extra-large chunks of peel in the marmalade. Grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.
Step
2
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together softened butter, sugar, lime zest and orange zest until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Beat in ⅓ cup marmalade and the orange juice.
Step
3
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Fold dry ingredients into wet until just combined.
Step
4
Scrape batter into prepared pan. Bake until surface of cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center emerges clean, 50 to 55 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer pan to a wire rack. Cool 10 minutes; turn cake out of pan and place on rack right-side up. Place a rimmed baking sheet under rack to catch the glaze.
Step
5
Heat remaining ⅓ cup marmalade in a small pot over low heat until melted; whisk in confectioners’ sugar and ½ tablespoon butter until smooth. Slather warm glaze over top of cake, allowing some to drizzle down the sides. Cool completely before slicing.
Tip
- Measurements for dry ingredients are given by weight for greater accuracy. The equivalent measurements by volume are approximate.
Ratings
5
out of 5
1,337
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Cooking Notes
Pat O
Made this last week for a dinner party -- warm with vanilla ice cream on top -- frankly did not need the ice cream -- made it 2 days ahead. Before serving I heated up a sauce of 1/2 c. OJ, 1 T gran marnier and a small pat of butter. With a chopstick, punched about 8 holes in the top of the cake and let the sauce fill the holes while I heated the cake in the oven. Divine.
joan
this is delicious- i've made it many times, but i've learned it's impossible to wrap without losing the sticky topping, so i now use the entire quantity of marmalade called for in the batter, and i sprinkle a little coarse sugar on top. it might take a few extra minutes to bake... even when i tried freezing it, unwrapped, and then wrapped it, it was too sticky and the glaze came off. it freezes well, though
Jan
To Constance Theodore, I use Trappist Seville Orange Marmalade regularly. It tastes much like Dundee for less money. America's Test Kitchen recommends it highly. This cake recipe looks wonderful and I will use the Trappist marmalade in it.
Zeldie
This cake and Marion Cunningham’s sour cream coffee cake are the 2 best cakes I have made over 40 years of baking. My husband and family always ask for these cakes when I’m baking. I followed the recipe exactly and it’s moist and delicious but do watch the baking. Depending on your pan it can take less time to bake so check after 40 minutes. I take the cake out when 2-3 crumbs are on the tester.
Kerry Molinari
Twelve tablespoons butter is 170 grams
Su S.
I made the cake twice, using the Trader Joe's marmalade. The first time, I ran out of time and couldn't make the glaze, and the second time I made the glaze. My family thought the glaze overpowered the cake. We all liked it better without the glaze.
Jacques Triplett
This cake is terrific and has always been a winner in my home. As mentioned by others here, one does better not to exceed 50 minutes in the oven. Any longer and the loaf turns out a bit too dry. For those so inclined, try incorporating Cointreau or Grand Marnier into your glaze made with a bit more marmalade, sugar and butter. Take the pot off the heat a minute or two afterward the liqueur has been added and slather generously over the cake. Yum!
iloevt
I used Trader Joe's marmalade, which is as good if not better than the English ones. I will use more next time and perhaps substitute lime juice for the OJ. It was hard for me to figure out when the marmalade was melted, so perhaps I heated it too long because the topping was sticky. And--my oven is usually slow but the cake was overcooked at 50 minutes. What to do next time? 50 minutes at 325? 45 minutes at 350?
Mary
I have made this cake many times, always to rave reviews. Recently I made it to take to my mother's 91 birthday party. It was in my carry-on bag as I went through security. The cake received extra scrutiny from the TSA as the marmalade glaze appeared brown in their scanning machine, a telltale sign of an explosive. There was not any explosive residue on the plastic bag it was packed in and together we were allowed to continue on our journey. Just sharing in case you have the same plan.
Jane S.
Look for marmalade that lists oranges as the first ingredient.
Yvonne
It seems silly to give dry ingredients in grams and butter in tablespoons. I prefer to weigh everything possible, especially butter
Cook-ie
A marvelous cake!
The second time I made it, I threw in some Grand Marnier and extra marmalade. Now I always add those. I suspect Cointreau or Limoncello would work also.
A keeper!
Randy
To Clara:Google "weight conversion calculator".12TBL=6ounces weight; 6 ounces=170.01 grams.To Mar:You're correct that 12TBL=1.5 "sticks" of butter in USA.However 12TBL=3/4 cup, not 1.5 cups.I totally agree that if one is writing a recipe with weight measurements then ALL ingredients should be given that way not just the dry ingredients. Come on NYT.
Mary
I baked this today, using Duerre's Marmalade. In Portland, OR, it took days to find a British coarse-cut marmalade, but I could see it was essential to the end result. The cake is delicious! Just a note: I was double tasking and baked for 25, rotated and baked for 25. The cake was overdone by probably 5 minutes. I think I need to go back to my glass Pyrex loaf pans - they were the best for me.
Wiggy
Probably only needs 40mins as was burnt around the edges at 50. Also need to line the loaf tin. This used up left over marmalade and tasted good, it is very buttery so tastes like burnt toast with butter and marmalade..which is not a problem for me
Martha
Does this loaf freeze well? I’m wondering if I could freeze it without the glaze and then add the glaze after thawing?
Patrick
Just agreeing with the poster re: using parchment paper. I could NOT get the cake out of a very well greased pan. The bottom third of the cake was stuck like glue to the pan. I’m sure what’s left will still be delicious but the presentation is wanting to say the least. Just my two cents.
Catherine
Delicious! 40 mins and it was done. Next time will put parchment paper on bottom. Unfortunately a bit got stuck on bottom and I had to eat it ;)
john
Works fine with my homemade marmalade.
Connie
Absolutely fabulous, made per the recipe
EA
had whites from 2-3 eggs hanging around, whipped those to replace the last whole egg. Rave reviews. Used homemade marmalade from last years' citrus CSA peels. baked in tall, 6 inch cake pan, at 325 for 55-60 minutes. clove scented whipped cream.
MSB
Nice recipe, a typical afternoon tea cake like they have in the UK. And like many British pastries, can be dry if you don't check on it. It helped to be really generous with the marmelade, and got better after it sat for a while.
Sabena Singh
The aroma wafting from the oven was heavenly. This cake is tender and flavorful having added 1 tablespoon of Grand Marnier to the batter. For the glaze, I only heated marmalade with butter and then added another tablespoon of the liqueur. I left it in the pan to cool then poked holes and ladled the glaze onto the top. Now it is covered with Saran Wrap and is not touching the glaze. This cake I will make again and again. Delicious!
MRusd
Sadly, my cake was dry and crumbly. The baking time is too long in the recipe, and although I babysat the cake during the last ten minutes of baking, the top wasn’t ready at 40 minutes. This was a dessert in my Thanksgiving lineup, so I’m very disappointed. I see all the rave reviews but for whatever reason, I didn’t find the glory in this recipe.
cornelius
made this twice so far. It's quite wonderful but does not rise much at all making for a very dense crumb.
Nancy S.
Made this with homemade blood orange marmalade. Wow! What a hit. The cake has a great crumb. The marmalade strands lent a wonderful texture to the cake and the glaze. I did not add powdered sugar to the glaze, just marmalade and butter. I admit, I am about to make it for the 3rd time in 3 wks. That is a first for me with recipes. I like to experiment with different recipes, but when you hit on one this good, well....
Ellen
Perfectly done at 40 minutes . I added a teaspoon of cardamom to the dry ingredients which I will do again. Took the advice of another post and added a tablespoon of Grand Marnier to the glaze. Definitely will make again.
Ann
I made this with our Coronation lunch - followed recipe exactly (weight measurements are SOO helpful! But it would have been good to include a gram measurement for the butter - 170g), used Frank Cooper marmalade and baked in a 6 cup Bundt pan for about 35 minutes. A big hit with my (English) family - perfect with a cup of tea. Will definitely make again - I love it that the NYT gave me such a perfectly English cake recipe!
wendy
I made this for a get together last night. Just delicious! And very easy to make. Do not skip the part where the topping is poured on the still warm cake.
C J Babco*ck
Options- Use 1 cup of marmalade, melt in small pan and use only the peel in the cake and use only syrup for the glaze.Increase the amount of peel in the cake by cutting up fresh citrus peel and boil in a small amount of water for 1 hr until peel is translucent. Ok to let sit overnight at this phase. Boil the peel in sugar and add to the marmalade peelFor fluted Bundt pan, bake only 40 minutes and check for doneness
Ann
Did you bake 1x the recipe in your Bundt pan, or double it as some seem to have done below?
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