"A nice cup of tea and a slice of cake please" ~~~~~~~~

The latest new cake recipe I've tried out is a true keeper. 

I love a cake with a dense crumb - one which ages well, even gets
 better with age. . . . . . .  if you don't gobble it up too quickly. 

Like most Brits, I absolutely love coarse cut English or Scotch

 marmalade, especially those made from Seville oranges which are 
slightly bitter. Thick, not runny, with real chunks of peel, and much less
 sugar than American-made marmalade.

Table runner from SuzAnna's Antiques 

Marmalade Tea Cake

1 1/2 sticks/175g soft butter

3/4 cup/175g granulated sugar 

3 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups/170g all-purpose white flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 cup/90g dried raisins

Zest from one orange

2 Tblsps orange juice

2 Tblsps Cointreau liqueur 

1/4 cup/75g thick cut marmalade

Icing ~

Powdered confectioner's sugar

Fresh orange or lemon juice 

Preheat oven to 350F - butter and line bottom of an 81/2 X 41/2 loaf pan with parchment.

Finely grate zest from the orange and set aside, then squeeze juice from orange.

Place raisins in small saucepan, add orange juice and Cointreau. Warm mixture over low heat then stir in zest and marmalade, set aside to cool.

In mixer bowl cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until very light, about 5 mins.

Scrape down bowl and add eggs one at a time on medium low, mix in vanilla extract and scrape bowl again. 

To aerate, sieve flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl then add to batter in mixer bowl. Mix on low speed until just combined. Add raisin mixture and beat slowly for a few seconds until mixed in. Remove bowl and scrape down with a spatula and complete mixing by hand until fruit is incorporated, but do not overbeat.

Place batter into prepared pan smoothing the top. Bake 40-45 minutes until golden brown and tester comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool 10 mins. on a rack, invert to remove from pan and place on rack to finish cooling.

To ice - in a small bowl, combine about 1 cup of powdered sugar and a small pinch of salt with enough fresh squeezed orange or lemon juice, and stir until smooth and pourable. Drizzle over the cake when cooled. 

My vintage marmalade crocks - I need to find more!