Let Her Eat Cake: Breakfast Martini Cake

Before you point fingers at me for being a cake lush, IT'S NOT MY FAULT! It was Boy and his Poison, I tell you, with his Marmalade Mule, tempting me into thinking about boozy orangey things.

We've already got the drink version of a Breakfast Martini covered here. Someone once tried to make me one of these with just vodka and marmalade in a glass. I wouldn't recommend that. But I would recommend this cake, because it's an unashamed mash up of cocktail booze, buttery sponge and sticky, orangey syrup topping. We will not apologise for art.

Breakfast Martini Cake
For the cake:

• 200g butter, softened
• 200g caster sugar
• 3 free-range eggs
• 220g self-raising flour
• 25ml milk
• Zest of 1 orange
• 1 tbsp muscovado sugar
• Segments of 1 orange
• 2 tbsp marmalade (preferably thick cut)

For the martini topping:

• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tbsp muscovado sugar
• 2 tbsp gin
• 3 tbsp Cointreau (you could replace with orange juice if you like)
• 2 tbsp marmalade
• Lemon zest, to decorate

Make it!
 The cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5. Grease and line a 20cm, 9 inch deep cake tin.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. 
3. Add the eggs one at a time, along with tablespoon of the flour with each to stop the mixture from splitting. Beat well.
4. Gently fold in the remaining flour until it is just incorporated and no streaks are showing.
5. Stir in the milk and the orange zest.
6. Sprinkle the muscovado sugar over the bottom of the prepared tin.
7. Spread the marmalade over the top, then layer the orange segments in a pattern, whatever you feel like.
8. Dollop the batter over the top, smooth over and bake for around 30-35 minutes, or until it's golden and risen, and a skewer inserted comes out clean.
9. Cool in the tin for a few minutes before turning out and peeling off the paper.

The syrup:

1. Here's the boozy part!
2. Place all the ingredients in a small saucepan and stir together.
3. Bring to a simmer and reduce for 10 minutes or so over a medium heat, until the consistency thickens.
4. Whilst the cake is still warm, prick holes all over the surface with a skewer and spoon over the sticky, boozy syrup so that it soaks in.
5. Decorate lemon zest, make yourself a real breakfast martini (you know, since you have the ingredients and everything).