The glazed cakes filled with orange marmalade are delicious treats that literally melt in your mouth. The very soft dark chocolate glaze encloses a soft cocoa cake, embellished with a layer of bitter orange marmalade. The cakes, thanks to their small size, can be made for a children’s party, as finger food desserts for a buffet, to accompany a coffee break or to organize a refined and inviting teatime. Try them also with raspberry jam.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Valentine's Day
Ingredients
- 6.7 oz Butter (very soft)
- 6.7 oz Sugar
- to taste Citrus peel
- 3 Eggs (medium)
- 2.5 cups All-purpose flour
- 0.35 cups Unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 packet Baking powder
- 0.3 cups Orange juice (fresh)
- 0.3 cups Milk
- 1 pinch Fine salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Vanilla paste
- to taste Bitter orange marmalade
- 0.6 cups Milk
- 7 oz Dark chocolate 60-69%
Preparation
1) Remove the butter from the fridge, cut it into cubes and let it soften at room temperature for at least half an hour.
2) Grate the zest of the orange and lemon and squeeze the juice from the orange only.
3) In a bowl, combine butter, sugar, and grated citrus peel and beat with an electric mixer until you get a cream.
4) Add the whole eggs and, with the mixer, incorporate them into the butter and sugar mixture.
5) Preheat the oven to 340°F.
6) Sift together flour, cocoa, and baking powder and add them to the butter and sugar cream. Add vanilla, salt, milk, and orange juice. Mix just enough to obtain a smooth and homogeneous mixture.
Do not overwork the cake batters, as you risk overheating them, ruining the final result. Stop the mixer as soon as you notice that the ingredients are perfectly amalgamated.
7) Line a rectangular mold 10 x 8 inches with parchment paper and pour the mixture. Level it with the back of a spoon and bake the cake in the middle of the oven for about 30/35 minutes.
To check if the cake is ready, pierce it with a skewer that should come out perfectly dry and clean. Remove from the oven and let it cool well before cutting it.
8) Open the cake in half, cutting it along the long side.
Spread one half with a thin layer of marmalade, then cover it with the other part, making sure they match perfectly. Now you can cut it into square cakes, of the desired size.
9) Prepare the dark chocolate glaze. In a saucepan, put the milk and the broken dark chocolate and melt it in a double boiler. Stir with a steel whisk until you have a thick, smooth, and shiny cream.
10) Place the cakes on a wire rack placed over a bowl. Space the cakes a finger apart, pour the chocolate glaze over the cakes, letting the excess fall into the bowl below. Let the glaze dry for at least an hour. Now the cakes are ready to be enjoyed. Complete the cakes by decorating them with candied orange zest, whose very easy procedure you will find at the link below.
Easy and quick candied orange zest
Additional idea. You can also use a square mold of about 9 x 9 inches.
