Cranberry and Orange Marmalade Tea Cake

I am awfully fond of tea breads or cakes as they are also known.   Delicious small cakes baked in a loaf tin, perfectly sized to slice and enjoy at your leisure with whichever hot drink you enjoy.  In my case it is lemon and ginger tea . . . 



I've been watching my DVD's of Nigel Slater's Cooking shows this week.  I do so enjoy the way he cooks.  I think he is the best cook out there.  As I have said before he cooks like I want to eat.  I spied a recipe of his online the other day in the Guardian (May 2003) online for what looked to be a delicious Marmalade Tea Cake and I thought why not . . .



I hope he doesn't mind but I did take a few liberties with the recipe . . .  first of all I added dried cranberries . . .  because cranberries go so very well with oranges and marmalade . . .  I macerated them first in a mixture of orange juice and orange flavoured liqueur.  (Grand Marnier)   I keep some on hand just for this type of thing.  This one bottle has lasted me for yonks.



Not to sound pretentious or anything, but . . .  I had a small jar of Italian Blood Orange Marmalade in the cupboard that I cracked open for just this recipe . . . it seemed the perfect fit.



Oh Nigel . . .  I can tell I have your attention now.   I'm cooking just like you do.   You are my muse . . .  You love to take an idea and fly with it, and I do too.   I am sure this would get your approval entirely.



Just look at all those  cranberries studding this cake with their sweet/tartness   . . .  and those bitter shreds of marmalade.   This is a sweet and tart combination that goes down a real treat.   I'm afraid I also added a orange flavoured glaze icing . . .  but you don't have to if you don't want to.  In any case I do hope you will give it a go.  I think you just might fall in love.

*Cranberry and Orange Marmalade Tea Cake*

Makes one medium sized loaf

Printable Recipe 

This is moist and deliciously stogged full orange liquere macerated dried cranberries! 

175g of butter, softened (3/4 cup)

175g of caster sugar (3/4 cup)

3 large free range eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

175g of plain flour (1 1/4 cups)

1/2 tsp fine sea salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

90g of dried cranberries

2 TBS orange juice

the finely grated zest of one orange

2 TBS Cointreau or other orange flavoured liquer

75g of orange marmalade (1/4 cup) 

 

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.   Line a medium loaf tin with buttered baking paper.  Set aside.

Place the cranberries into a small saucepan with the orange juice, orange zest and orange flavoured liquer.  Gently heat.   Stir in the orange marmalade.   Set aside to cool.

Cream together the butter and sugar.   Beat in the eggs, one at at time, along with the vanilla.  Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.  Stir the dry ingredients into the creamed ingredients.   Stir in the cranberry mixture to combine.  Spread in the prepared loaf tin, smoothing the top over.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour.   (It may take less, so start checking it at about 50 minutes.  It may also take a bit longer.  I don't know why this is.   1 hour is just a guideline.)  The top should spring back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the centre should come out clean. 

Allow to stand in the tin for about 10 minutes before lifting out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Optional Glaze: 

Whisk together 130g (1 cup) of icing sugar and enough orange juice, milk or water to make a thick glaze.  Spread on top of the cooled cake.