The marmalade glaze brings a touch of bittersweetness to this delicious bake
Diana Henry The Telegraph's award-winning cookery writer
Diana Henry is the Telegraph’s much-loved cookery writer. She shares recipes each week, for everything from speedy family dinners to special menus that friends will remember for months. She is also a regular broadcaster on BBC Radio 4, and her journalism and recipe books, including Simple and How to Eat a Peach, are multi-award-winning. A mother of two sons, Diana can satisfy even the fussiest of eaters.
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Published
You don’t have to glaze this cake with marmalade (just dust the top with icing sugar if you prefer), but I like the touch of bittersweetness it brings.
Overview
Prep time
20 mins
Cook time
1 hr
20 mins
Serves
8
-10
Ingredients
- 225g butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing
- 225g caster sugar
- 8 rosemary sprigs
- 125g ground almonds
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
- 200g marmalade, plus 40g for glazing
- finely grated zest of 1 orange
- 100g plain flour
- 125g polenta
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 275g rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 3cm lengths (or longer, if you like)
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
Method
Step
Preheat the oven to 160C/150C fan/gas mark 3.
Step
Butter and line the base of a 20cm springform cake tin.
Step
Put 225g caster sugar and 2 of the rosemary sprigs in a mortar and bash with a pestle for a couple of minutes, to infuse the sugar.
Step
Remove the sprigs and spines, shaking off the sugar, and discard them.
Step
Beat 225g butter and the rosemary sugar together until pale and fluffy.
Step
Stir in 125g ground almonds, then add in 3 beaten eggs a little at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Step
Fold in 200g marmalade, the finely grated zest of 1 orange, 100g plain flour, 125g polenta, 1 tsp baking powder and a pinch of salt.
Step
Lay 3 rosemary sprigs on the base of the cake tin. Spoon in the cake batter and lay the remaining 3 rosemary sprigs on top.
Step
Toss 275g rhubarb (cut into 3cm lengths) with 2 tbsp granulated sugar, then arrange this on top of the rosemary.
Step
Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. You will need to cover it with foil in the last 20 minutes, as it can get quite dark.
Step
Meanwhile, gently heat 40g marmalade in a saucepan until it becomes quite syrupy. If you’ve used a shredded marmalade, push it through a sieve to remove any bits of zest.
Step
Leave the marmalade to set a little (just enough to make it easily spreadable) then, using a pastry brush, brush the marmalade thickly on top of the cake.
Step
Leave to cool, then run a knife between the cake and the inside of the tin and carefully remove the cake. Remove the base and the paper. Slide the cake on to a plate to serve.