Chocolate Marzipan Cake

I am concentrating on creating recipes to use up ingredients leftover from the Christmas baking marathon as I am determined not to waste anything. Along with fruit mincemeat and dried fruit I have marzipan to use up.  I decided to try making a cake and substituting marzipan for some of the butter and sugar.

The cake was lovely and moist with a background taste of marzipan.  I used my 23cm/9inch round cake tin which meant the cake wasn't too deep, perfect if you want to moderate portion sizes ;o)  If you want a deeper cake then use a 20cm/8inch round cake tin.

Chocolate Marzipan Cake

125g caster sugar

125g marzipan, cut into smallish cubes

100g softened butter

4 medium free range eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

25g cocoa powder

60g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

Preheat your oven to 170C/150C Fan/Gas Mark 3.

Line your cake tin with non-stick baking parchment or butter and flour the tin to grease it.

Put the sugar and marzipan into a stand mixer and mix until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.  You could use a pastry making tool to do this if you don't have a mixer.

Pastry/Scone making tool.

Add the butter and cream everything until it is light and fluffy.  Crack the eggs in to a jug, add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.  Add the eggs in a thin stream with the mixer running at medium speed as this will help stop the mixture curdling.

Mix the flour, cocoa and baking powder together then sift into the mixer bowl.  Gently mix through on a low speed, don't be tempted to beat it too much or your cake will be tough and heavy.

Pour the cake mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake for about 45 - 50 minutes, a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake should come out clean with no crumbs sticking to it.

Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool completely in the tin.  I decorated mine with a dusting of icing sugar.

1 comment Cakes, Christmas, Vegetarian