Bittersweet orange marmalade
Get ready for a citrus flavour punch!
I was asked by the lovely creatives at Studio GIW to create Christmas cupcakes inspired by their beautiful Christmas tree display. Cue a rustic Christmas inspired cupcake featuring; piped Italian meringue, dried orange slices and a delicious orange marmalade filling.
If you don’t know already, I am a huge citrus lover and I simply couldn’t resist sharing my orange marmalade recipe in the hopes of inspiring you to get cooking in the kitchen.
My recipe is the perfect blend of sweet, tart and bitterness to create a pleasantly bittersweet marmalade that will pair perfectly for your cupcakes, tarts, scones and plenty of other desserts.
Let me prove to you how easy it can be to make a good marmalade from scratch!
The perfect blend of sweet, tart and bitterness…”
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE - JAM vs JELLY vs MARMALADE
There’s often confusion about the difference between a jam, jelly and a marmalade. Simply put, they’re all related to each other on the family tree, but the difference between them is the type of fruit used and how much of the fruit is used in the final product.
Jam - Made with puréed fruit and juices. You can use a variety of fruit, including the commonly used blackberry and strawberry. Jams are not usually made with citrus fruit. Typically a thick spreadable mixture.
Jelly - Made with fruit juice and sugar. The jelly is quite firm and has a very clear and smooth consistency.
Marmalade - Made with whole citrus fruits (including the rind, pulp, pith and juice) and sugar. It creates a firm and chunky spreadable mixture.
Now that you understand a little more about marmalade, let’s get cooking!
LET’S GET COOKING
I think people have the impression that making marmalade is quite complex. However contrary to popular believe, it’s actually incredibly straight forward.
Let me take you through the four ingredients we’ll be using for our marmalade today.
Oranges - I recommend using Naval oranges for this recipe for a sweeter taste! What can I say, I’m a sweet gal. Slice the fruit bigger for a chunky marmalade or finely chop for a smoother mixture. I add in the extra orange zest to further punch-up the flavour!
Lemon - In my personal opinion, the lemon adds a little more depth of flavour to the orange mixture. Its presence and impact in the marmalade is usually underestimated, so you have to trust me on this one!
Castor Sugar - Sugar is pivotal to balancing out the bitterness and sour notes of the fruit and extends the shelf life of your marmalade.
Water - Simply put, you can’t have marmalade without water!
Ready to dive into the kitchen? Scroll down for the full ingredient list and method.
BITTERSWEET ORANGE MARMALADE - RECIPE
Ingredients
3 large navel oranges
1 lemon
2 cups water
2 cups castor sugar
Method
Finely chop 2 navel oranges and the lemon. Remove any seeds.
Finely grate the remaining orange. The rest of the orange won’t be used, so feel free to eat this!
Place the chopped fruit and orange zest into a saucepan. Add in the water and bring to a simmer over high heat.
Once the mixture reaches a simmer, turn off the heat and cover with a lid. Let the mixture soak for for 24 hours.
Soaking of the mixture is really important and a step that shouldn’t be skipped! It’s important for developing the flavours, reducing the bitterness and drawing out the pectin in the oranges which will help to set your marmalade.After 24 hours, place the saucepan back on medium heat and bring the mixture to a simmer. Stir occasionally for 30mins-1hr or until the mixture is reduced by half.
Add in the castor sugar and mix until dissolved. Turn the heat to medium-high and simmer rapidly for approx 15 more minutes. Stir constantly until the mixture is nice and thick.
To test if the marmalade is ready, place a small blob of the mxiture on a plate and place in the fridge for 5minutes. The maramalade should be relatively firm and hold it’s shape. If it’s runny, continue to cook for a few more minutes and test again.
Let the mixture cool completely and store in an airtight container for up to a month.