Seville orange marmalade cocoa ricotta cake

Most of the time I bake the same range of cakes, which appeal to my guys, and which I know will be always appreciated, but sometimes I feel like trying a more exciting recipe or experimenting with the ingredients. Thus, Seville orange marmalade cocoa ricotta cake was born.

Seville orange marmalde cocoa ricotta cake
Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 Seville orange (grated zest and juice)
190g caster sugar
140g ricotta
2 heaped tbsp Seville orange cocoa marmalade
200g sponge flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp cocoa
1tbsp whisky
150g softened butter
for the frosting:
100g softened butter
4 heaped tbsp icing sugar
110g ricotta
1tbsp cocoa

In a big bowl beat the eggs with the sugar, add the zest and juice of Seville orange, ricotta, marmalade, flour, cocoa, baking powder, whisky and mix well. Add the softened butter and mix well again.
Pour the cake mix in the cake tin (spray it with the cake release first or just butter it inside).
Place the cake tin in the oven preheated to 180C. Bake for about an hour (check with a wooden skewer if it comes clean).
Take the tin out, let it cool before removing the cake. Carefully slice the cake in two layers.
Make the frosting by beating together the softened butter, icing sugar, cocoa and ricotta.
Divide it in two, and cover the first layer with the frosting, place the second layer of cake, and spread the frosting on top.
My husband and I enjoyed the cake. It had a rather "grown-up" flavour, not too sweet and very flavourful.
My older son wasn't very impressed. He suspiciously poked the frosting and decided he was not very keen on it. Being an autie, he is very particular about which cakes he agrees to eat and which he rejects.
Anyway, even without his help, the cake disappeared fast enough.

For this cake I used Seville Cocoa Marmalade from The Artisan Kitchen. It is every Jaffa cake's lover's dream. This unusual fragrant marmalade is dark in colour and has a very intense bitter-sweet flavour.

Adding my recipe to Karen's Tea Time Treats linky hosted by Lavender and Lovage and Hedgecombers, as February theme is Chocolate.

And to Emily's weekly scrummy round-up of recipes at A Mummy Too