When life hands you oranges, do as the Scots do...

     When I think of citrus fruit, abundant and at its peak in the doldrums of winter, I do not think of the UK. However, orange marmalade was popularized in Scotland (specifically Dundee) in the 18th century. A shipment of Seville oranges was offloaded to a local grocer, where his wife then turned the tart fruit into batches of sweet marmalade. Although Dundee has other treats, like its cake that it was and is known for, marmalade has reached international fame. 
      My roommate's mother makes the best marmalade around, so I decided to try to recreate it stateside. There were two things I wanted to get right: it shouldn't be too sweet, and there should be large strips of peel in the marmalade. To be considered marmalade, peel should be present in the spread. All too often this is not the case. If you want the real deal, it's gonna be a kick in the pants. I made this cake because I had just made some marmalade, so feel free to do so with a prepared version, particularly Mackays. 

Citrus Cake with Vanilla Honey Frosting 

My grandma's birthday was last week and she doesn't like chocolate cake. Although she is an inferior human for this character flaw, it is my duty to make birthday cakes for this clan. Since I had just made some luscious marmalade, I decided to go with a citrus cake. The cake is very simple to make, as is the icing. Plan to make the icing the same day you want to serve the cake. 

To begin, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Beat the eggs in until well incorporated. Add vanilla, vanilla seeds, and orange zest and mix. Combine the dry ingredients in a small bowl. Add about a third of the dry mixture into the wet and mix gently. Now add a third of the buttermilk and continue this dry-to-wet pattern until both are fully incorporated. Pour the batter into two greased cake pans and bake for 20-25 minutes; you aren't looking for a golden color. Let the cakes cool on a wire rack and then cover for later use.

To make the icing, combine the flour, vanilla, and milk over medium heat until a paste forms. Cool completely. Next, cream the butter and granulated sugar until fluffy. Add the flour paste, vanilla seeds, and honey and beat for around five minutes on high. It will take a while for the sugar crystals to dissolve completely. Add a pinch of salt to balance the sweetness of this frosting. 

To assemble the cake, place the first layer of your cake onto your serving platter and top with the marmalade. Add the second layer and frost the cake. I reserved some peels to decorate the top of the cake with, but you can go wild and do whatever you wish. This cake is really nice with black tea and some ridiculous grandparents. 

Recipe

Cake Adapted from Wonky Wonderful

375 F 20-25 minutes, 2 8-inch cake pans

Cake

1/2 c butter, softened 

1 c sugar

2 eggs

2 c unbleached cake flour

3 tsp baking powder 

1 tsp salt

1 1/4 c buttermilk

2 tsp vanilla

seeds from two vanilla pods

1 tbsp orange zest
Filling
1 c orange marmalade
Frosting
1 c milk
1/4 c plus 1 tbsp flour
1 tsp vanilla
vanilla seed from two pods
1/4 c orange blossom or wildflower honey
1 c butter, softened
1 c granulated sugar