Serves 8
There was a time at uni when I was so poor, I ate rice and peas for a whole term. My mum was living in St Lucia at the time and it was only when I went to visit her that I realised “real” rice and peas bore no resemblance to the boiled rice and frozen peas I had been eating. Ho hum!
I still remember those days when my budget only stretched to carbs and carbs and to this day, I can not resist a bargain… Or a freebie. So when my friend Pippa phoned to say she was clearing out her pantry and she had a load of stuff that her friend Anisha had given her when she cleaned out her pantry and did I want it, of course, I could not say no. In my defence, the goods included all my favourites like beans, chickpeas and other pulses that appealed to my inner vegetarian, not to mention my inner survivalist. The only edible anomaly were the bag of marshmallows which were begging to be upcycled into something delicious.
The baking planets aligned when my neighbour gave me a bag of oranges and I acquired this bag of marshmallows at the same time and that’s how this cake came to be. It’s inspired by Mary Berry’s cake of the same name, but I increased the ingredients, converted the recipe to the Thermomix and added more orange because orange is awesome. Naturally.
I love the way the marshmallows sink into the warm cake and morph in to something squidgily delicious. I also love the way the icing runs into all the nooks and crannies in between the marshmallows and how fun it is to cut yourself a slice with the most marshmallows possible. Because marshmallows matter.
In fact, when I was at boarding school andI was known as Mandy (don’t ask, it’s complicateed,) everyone called me Mandy Marshmarlow because my last name was Marlow. If only I had known this recipe then, my friends would have eaten their words, and of course, this cake. It would totally have been my signature bake.
So tell me, did you have a nickname at school? Have you ever eaten rice and peas? Are you a pantry hoarder too?
Ingredients
150g butter, softened
150g caster sugar
150g self raising flour
1 1/2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
3 eggs
grated rind of 1 large orange
2 tablespoons orange juice
FOR THE TOPPING
100g marshmallows
175g icing sugar, sifted
3 tablespoons warm orange juice
How to
- Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C fan-forced. Grease and line the base of a 7 inch springform tin with baking paper.
- Place all the cake ingredients in a bowl and mix for about 2-3 minutes until thoroughly combined.
- Pour the mixture into the tin and smooth the top.
- Bake for about 30-35 minutes.If the cake is browning too quickly, cover with some foil. The cake is ready when it is well risen and golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean.
- While the cake is cooking, cut the marshmallows in half horizontally with a pair of sharp kitchen scissors. As soon as the cake is cooked, take it out of the oven and place the marshmallows over the top, cut side down, covering as much of the cake as possible. Leave the cake in the tin to cool.
- When the cake has cooled completely, blend the icing sugar and the warm orange juice together. Gently remove the cake from the tin, place on a serving plate and pour the icing over the top.
How to – Thermomix
- Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C fan-forced. Grease and line the base of a 7 inch springform tin with baking paper.
- Add the butter to TM bowl and chop for 5 seconds on speed 7. Scrape down base and sides of bowl.
- Add the rest of the cake ingredients and mix for 15 seconds on speed 4. Scrape down base and sides of bowl and repeat, mixing for another 15 seconds on speed 4.
- Pour the mixture into the tin and smooth the top.
- Bake for about 30-35 minutes.If the cake is browning too quickly, cover with some foil. The cake is ready when it is well risen and golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean.
- While the cake is cooking, cut the marshmallows in half horizontally with a pair of sharp kitchen scissors. As soon as the cake is cooked, take it out of the oven and place the marshmallows over the top, cut side down, covering as much of the cake as possible. Leave the cake in the tin to cool.
- When the cake has cooled completely, blend the icing sugar and the warm orange juice together. Gently remove the cake from the tin, place on a serving plate and pour the icing over the top.
Prep and Cooking time: 35-40 minutes
