Nigella's Store-Cupboard Chocolate-Orange Cake
How to be a Domestic Goddess was my first ever cookbook and I still use the recipes from it to this day. I first discovered Nigella Lawson from my late mother who used to watch her cookery show when Nigella was on Channel 4 about 17 years ago. I have loved her ever since. She's a proud home cook who refuses to class herself as a professional chef and she's incredibly down to earth. I have been to many of her events (recently the Guildford Book Festival) and had the pleasure of meeting her 3 times. Her recipes are easy to follow and generally foolproof (she tests every recipe 3 times before publishing it). A journalist by trade, I love her style of writing which makes her books stand out from the rest. A cook book is not just a list of recipes but should tell a or many stories. Nigella sees her books as telling different parts of her own life. The Domestic Goddess was bought at a time when I was really interested in baking in my 20s. The majority of recipes are cakes but you will find a few savoury dishes too (like the Turkish Lahmacun, a Turkish pizza with minced meat instead of cheese). The Store-Cupboard Chocolate-Orange Cake is my favourite as it requires simple ingredients that you would find in your cupboard and there's no need for a mixer. Perfect for a weekday dessert when you fancy something sweet or have unexpected guests. The original recipe includes sugar, yet I've decided not to include it as the sugar from the marmalade and some from the dark chocolate is enough. If you feel devilish, then by all means, add it.
Recipe:
- 125g unsalted butter
- 100g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
- 300g orange marmalade
- 150g caster sugar (optional)
- pinch of salt
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 150g self-raising flour
- 20cm springform tin, buttered and floured
Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius/gas mark 4.
Put the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and put over a low heat to melt. Stir in the chocolate once it's nearly melted.. Leave for a minute, then take the pan off the heat and stir with a wooden spoon until the chocolate and the butter have melted. Add the sugar, salt, eggs and the marmalade. Stir until it is well mixed and add the flour bit by bit. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for about 50 minutes or until the cake taster or fork comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes.
If you burn the top of the cake, do not worry. Just cut the burnt bit and dust it with some icing sugar. Serve with ice cream or cream.
