To quote Phoebe from Friends (which I do far too much), Happy Christmas Eve Eve! In my family, tonight is the start of the festive celebrations; three days of eating is about to commence. Before I do though, it's time for my final Christmas treat.
Bizarrely, the food I associate the most with Christmas is a chocolate orange. Over the years, they have been a regular little gift from various family members, so much so, that I usually end up with a small pile of them at this time of year. This is not a problem as I think chocolate and orange are a match made in heaven and, if you weren't convinced already, this cake proves it.
Tangy orange sponge combined with a deep chocolaty sponge mixed together in hypnotic marble swirls. With every slice a different pattern, there's something special about this cake. And it's not just me who thinks so; in less than 24 hours, my family and friends had polished off this baby. So what are you waiting for?!
Recipe from BBC GoodFood.
For chocolate orange marble cake, you will need:
4 eggs
2 tablespoon milk
225g butter, softened
225g caster sugar
225g self-raising flour
3 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 large orange
1 Terry's Chocolate Orange
Pre-heat your oven to 180c and line a loaf tin with baking parchment. Beat your eggs together and then combine in a large bowl with the butter, sugar and flour.
Whisk together until lump free.
Split the mixture into two separate bowls. Beat the cocoa powder and milk into one.
Zest your orange. Then cut in half, and squeeze out approximately 1 tablespoon of the juice.
Stir the zest and juice into the other half of the mixture.
Spoon alternate dollops of your mixture into the loaf tin.
Use the handle of a spoon or a skewer and drag through the mixture, in a swirling motion, creating the marble effect. Don't over mix though.
Bake for 45-55 minutes, until a knife poked in comes out clean. Once cooled, melt approximately 60g of the chocolate orange over simmering water and cover the top of the cake.
Hide from your family and friends if you want any to be left by the next day.
Merry Christmas!
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