Recipe: almond marmalade cake

Tender, perfumed, and not too sweet, this is a cake for any time of day, says Sarah Johnson. Enjoy it lightly toasted with butter for breakfast or brunch. Serve it with tea in the afternoon, or dress it up in the evening with poached kumquats and softly whipped cream scented with Grand Marnier. And owing to being made with ground almonds, it will stay moist and tender for several days.

Ingredients

• 2 small jars of marmalade (about 240g total) 
• 165g caster sugar 
• 55g icing sugar 
• 90g ground almonds 
• 140g soft unsalted butter, cubed, plus extra for greasing 
• 190g eggs (about 4 medium eggs) 
• zest of 1 small orange (or lemon if you like) 
• 1½ tsp amaretto or Grand Marnier 
• 90g plain flour, plus extra for dusting 
• 1 tsp baking powder 
• ½ tsp salt

Method

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• Preheat the oven to 160°C. Grease a 900g loaf tin with butter, then dust with flour. Tap to remove the excess flour and line the bottom of the tin with baking parchment. 
• Scoop the marmalade into a heavy-based saucepan and place over a low heat. Warm the marmalade to loosen its consistency without bringing it to the boil, then strain the marmalade through a sieve and place the jelly back into the saucepan. When the peel is cool enough to handle, finely chop it and set aside. 
• Using a food processor, grind the sugar, icing sugar and almonds. Add the butter cubes, then mix until the batter is very smooth and fluffy. Follow with the eggs, one at a time, pulsing the machine until each is absorbed before adding the next. Open the machine and scrape the sides of the bowl using a spatula. Blend until the eggs are absorbed and the mixture looks smooth and glossy. Add the orange (or lemon) zest and amaretto (or Grand Marnier) then blend until combined. 
• Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add half the flour mixture to the batter and pulse the machine a few times. Add the rest and mix until no dry patches remain. Finally, scatter the chopped fruit and gently mix to combine. 
• Scrape the batter into the tin and bake for 45-55 mins, or until a skewer comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool in the tin on a wire rack. 
• Once the cake is room temperature, return the pan of jelly to the heat to gently warm through. Avoid getting the marmalade too hot here, it should be thick and syrupy, but pourable. Remove the cake from the tin and generously brush the cake top with the marmalade, applying several coats and allowing it to fall down the sides of the cake. Leave to cool completely before serving.

Taken from Fruitful by Sarah Johnson, published by Kyle Books at £30. To buy from The Week Bookshop for £23.99 (incl. p&p), call 020-3176 3835 or visit theweekbookshop.co.uk.

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