The other day whilst clearing out one of the shelves in my fridge I discovered that I had no less than five, yes FIVE, jars of marmalade hiding in between the other condiments. Now I know that I have received a few jars over the years but how I lost track and ended up with that many I do not know. Something needed to be done, and I decided that that thing needed to be a marmalade-inspired treat!
The appeal of these marmalade squares lies in their contrasting textures. The base is a buttery, crisp shortbread layer and on top is a soft, marmalade cake layer with a wonderful citrus flavour. The recipe is adapted from one I found in “The Cookie Book” by Catherine Atkinson and these squares make a fabulous treat to serve at tea time. Enjoy!
STICKY MARMALADE SQUARES
For the base:
- 350g flour
- 220g butter
- 150g soft light brown sugar
For the filling:
- ½ tsp bicarb
- 1 large egg
- 200ml single cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 50g walnuts (or pecans), chopped
- 85g mixed citrus peel
- 50ml chunky marmalade
For the glaze:
- 50ml chunky marmalade
- 2 tbsp orange juice
1.) Preheat your oven to 190ºC. Lightly grease a 28cm x 18cm cake tin and line the base with baking paper.
2.) Place the flour in a food processor. Add the butter and blitz until it has been completely incorporated. (Alternatively rub the butter in by hand.) Stir in the sugar.
3.) Tip half of the mixture into your prepared tin. Spread into an even layer and press down firmly. The mixture will be very dry so press it as firmly as you can into a compact layer – it will all come together in the oven.
4.) Bake for 15 minutes until lightly golden. Set aside to cool.
5.) Place the remaining flour mixture into a bowl. Add the bicarb and stir. Add the egg, cream, vanilla, walnuts, citrus peel and marmalade and mix to combine.
6.) Pour the batter over the cooled base. Bake for a further 35 minutes or until firm and golden.
7.) Prepare the glaze during the last 5 minutes of baking. Put the marmalade and orange juice in a small saucepan. Stir over a low heat until combined.
8.) Take the tray out of the oven and brush the filling with the orange glaze while it is still warm. Allow to cool, then cut into squares. Store in an airtight container.
Looks delicious. What if I don’t have marmalade at home, can I use another similar type of jam to make these sticky squares?
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Hi Billy, I haven’t tried that out but I’m sure you could adapt them into sticky jam squares by using whatever jam you have in the pantry. Perhaps you could let us know how it works out? 😉
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These look like they could even pass for a brunch food item!
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Well you’d certainly get no complaints from me if you served these for brunch. 😉 Why not eh?
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Great post and I can’t wait to try it and I’ll love to share it on my blog when I’m done
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I hope you enjoy the recipe Raphael!
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