An Intense Citrus Marmalade Cake a la Marketman

Not for the faint of palate. This is an INTENSELY flavored cake, almost pudding-like in consistency. A small slice with a hot cup of tea is perfect on a rainy Manila afternoon. I had seen a recipe for a marmalade cake with candied orange peel in an old issue of Bon Appetit magazine, so that is where the idea for this cake came from. But instead of just orange juice and orange marmalade, I used lime juice (from our Cebu lime tree), lime zest and kalamansi marmalade instead. I also used chopped dried mangoes soaked in Grand Marnier instead of the originally suggested dried currants.

First, I chopped up some dried mangoes into 1/4 inch pieces (about 1 cup worth) and soaked them in half a cup of Grand Marnier liqueur for about 30 minutes. In a separate bowl, shift together 1.5 cups of cake flour, 1 tsp baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and set the dry ingredients aside.

In a mixing bowl, add 1.5 cups of butter, and beat for about a minute, then slowly add 3/4 cup sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy. Add two eggs, one at a time and make sure they are well incorporated into the batter. Beat in 4 measured tablespoons of kalamansi marmalade, 2 tablespoons of lime/orange zest, and about 1/3 cup of citrus juice (I used equal parts lime and orange, for a total of 1/3 cup of juice). Add half the flour mixture and beat on low speed, add 1/8 cup of milk, the second half of the flour and a final 1/8th cup of milk until just well mixed. Don’t overbeat. Mix in the mangoes and liqueur with a spatula and pour the batter into a buttered and parchment lined pan.

Bake at 350F for roughly 35-40 minutes or until done and a toothpick poked into the cake comes out clean.

If you want another hit of kalamansi, heat a couple of tablespoons of kalamansi marmalade in a small sauce pot with a teaspoon or two of water. Brush this glaze onto the top of the cake. Serve in modest sized slices. Wow! Did this have zing or what?! A hint of bitterness from the kalamansi rinds, the tartness of the lime juice, the sweetness from the mango… yum. Not something I would make too often, but with some extra kalamansi marmalade on hand and some nice fresh limes, this was a very good use of those ingredients.