Orange Marmalade Cake

Orange marmalade does double duty in this cake. It sweetens the batter, lends citrus perfume, and leaves tiny chewy pockets of candied peel throughout the crumb. The result tastes like an English tea cake rather than a typical American bundt, with a slightly bitter edge that keeps it from going cloying.

The technique is one-bowl mixing, which sounds sloppy but works here because the marmalade gives the batter plenty of moisture and structure. Two minutes of medium-speed beating after a slow start develops just enough gluten to hold the walnuts in suspension without turning the cake tough.

Dusting the buttered tube pan with vanilla wafer crumbs instead of flour is the trick that makes this cake release cleanly. The crumbs form a thin sweet crust on the outside and you avoid the pasty flour coating you’d get otherwise.

Warm spices (cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg) round out the citrus without overpowering it.

Chef Tips

• Use a thick-cut marmalade with visible peel. Smooth orange jelly works but robs the cake of texture and visual appeal.
• Soften the butter fully. Cold butter won’t blend evenly in a one-bowl method.
• Test with a skewer at 50 minutes. Ovens vary and a few extra minutes can turn this cake dry.
• Cool exactly 5 minutes in the pan before inverting. Longer and the cake sticks; shorter and it can break.

Variations

• Swap walnuts for toasted pecans or sliced almonds.
• Drizzle with a simple glaze of powdered sugar and orange juice once cooled.
• Add 1 teaspoon of fresh orange zest for extra citrus punch.