If, like me you got carried away and made too much marmalade or still have lots left from last year why not make a marmalade cake.
A friend of mine picked up a flyer from Waterstones Bookshop for me with a recipe from The Great British Bake Off: How to Bake. It is very easy, literally a sponge cake with three generous dollops of marmalade in it.
The recipe recommended a topping of warmed marmalade spread over the cake, covered with an icing sugar and water frosting. But as my children preferred the sound of the orange flower water version from a Nigel Slater sticky marmalade recipe, I did that one instead.
The cake was absolutely delicious - even the children who HATE marmalade were holding plates out for a second slice. Next time I would like to try the Nigel Slater cake to go with the frosting......
List of ingredients: 175g butter, caster sugar, and self-raising flour, 3 large free range eggs, baking powder, 3 tablespoons of Seville orange marmalade, 2 tablespoons of milk. Bake at 180C/350F/gas 4) for 50 minutes until golden brown and firm to the touch.
Get into the Christmas spirit..
1. Brave the cold and take a bracing walk to gather holly and ivy to make a wreath. Wrap it round a circle of florists' wire, decorate with baubles and hang on the front door.
2. Light a lantern and go carol singing down your street to raise money for a local charity.
3. Fill the house with seasonal scents and make a pomander. Take an orange, stick it with cloves and tie it up with pretty ribbon.
4. Wrap up warm and set off on a winter scavenger hunt for animal tracks, pine cones, berries, seed heads and different coloured leaves.
5. Make some star shaped biscuits to hang on the tree. Make a hole in them for the ribbon before they are baked.
