Chocolate Slump Cake

A couple of weeks ago I was reading the Sunday Times Style Magazine & saw a recipe by Lucas Hollweg for a chocolate marmalade slump cake which made me very excited indeed.  He used orange marmalade to make the cake so I thought I'd change it a bit and use the one marmalade I really love : Lime Marmalade because I am a huge fan of a chocolate & lime pairing.  So off I trotted to the supermarket in search of a jar.  It's sods law really, when you don't want something, there's loads of it on the shelves and when you actually need a jar of Rose's Lime Marmalade, there is NOT ONE JAR to be found.  Seriously!

Desperate times call for desperate measures, so I moved to my favourite marmalade No. 2 : Blood Orange.  It's a world away from the jars of meh which scarred my childhood where the only question was "thick cut or no peel".  This is fragrant and sweet and absolutely perfect for a cake such as this.  I made it as a gift for a girls night in.  Normally my girlfriends would pick at it, but this cake vanished in the blink of an eye, such was its chocolate allure... and when I revealed the secret marmalade ingredient, they were astonished... and ate some more.  I made this cake in a 10 inch square tin  so I could cut a piece off for the photo without anybody at the dinner being the wiser, but it would work equally well in a 9 or 10 inch round tin.  Just line the sides as well as the base with baking paper.

It's a bit of a washing-up intensive cake but the end result is well worth the added clean-up time - it's rich and fudgy with a gorgeous hint of orange & it will keep for 3-4 days in an airtight container.  Personally, I don't see it lasting more than a night!

Chocolate Slump Cake

100g Orange Marmalade
125g Caster Sugar
150g Butter
150g Dark Chocolate
4 Eggs, separated
50g Cocoa Powder
Pinch of Salt
Icing Sugar, for dusting

Heat your oven to 190c/Gas Mark 5.  Line the base & sides of your chosen tin with baking paper.

Put the marmalade into a food processor & blitz until slushy.  Add the sugar & blitz again until the sugar has merged with the marmalade.

Put the butter into a pot & melt on a gentle heat.  Add the chocolate & remove from the heat - allow this to sit for 2-3 minutes before stirring.   Add the marmalade & sugar slush and transfer to a large bowl.

Beat the egg yolks into the chocolate mixture, then add the cocoa powder.

Now it's time to beat the egg whites & the pinch of salt together until it hits the soft peak stage.  Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture as gently as you can, to keep all the air in the mixture.

Pour the mixture into the prepared baking tin, smooth the top & bake for 30 minutes or until the centre has risen and set.

Remove from the oven & allow to cool in the tin for at least 15 minutes.  Remove it v-e-r-y carefully, peel off the paper and serve, dusted with icing sugar.