Chocolate and Marmalade Marble Cake

My half term started yesterday afternoon and after 6 weeks at an all-boarding school I was experiencing extreme withdrawal symptons from baking. I'm actually being totally serious - there is nothing more relaxing and stress-reducing than making magic in the kitchen. Every time I come home, whether its's 4pm or 7pm (i hate traffic jams!!), I feel the need to bake something however big or small.

So, after pondering for much too long as always, I decided on a marble cake using marmalade to replace orange in the stereotypical chocolate and orange marble cake. I have to say, it was a huge success! The marmalade I used had large chunks of peel in it, making the cake texturally exciting as well as the slightly bitter orange flavour balancing out the chocolate's sweetness.

Disclaimer: We were all getting rather hungry so I didn't have time to take a photo or make any icing I'm afraid, although when I do next make it (very soon I hope), I think I'd drizzle over a simple chocolate water icing.

Ingredients

250g butter

250g caster sugar

250g self raising flour

4 eggs

8 tbsp marmalade

3 tsp cocoa powder

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C and line a large cake tin.

2. Cream the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl.

3. Add the flour and eggs then mix again.

4. Divide the mixture in half, transferring one half to another bowl.

5. To one of the bowls add the marmalade and mix.

6. To the other add the cocoa, mixed with a little water to make a paste.

7. Spoon the mixes alternately into the tin then swirl briefly with a knife.

8. Bake for 40 mins until a skewer comes out clean.