Expert: Elyse Grau - 11/25/2009

Question
I have made two attempts to produce a successful Marmalade Cake from a recipe by a local chef. The recipe contains a quarter cup of marmalade, 1 tsp. grated orange rind, one and a half cups of flour, half cup of butter, 2 eggs, 2 tsp. of baking powder, one cup of sugar, and half a tsp. of salt.
It is beaten in one bowl for three minutes with an electric mixer, and baked for 45 to 50 min. at 350 F in an 8-inch pan. It is supposed to be covered by a piece of parchment paper during the final 15 min. of baking to prevent over browning, but just at that point the centre of the cake falls. The edges rise well and are set at that point.
The cake is delicious (even in its fallen condition) It is glazed with sugar and orange juice after baking.  

Answer
Cheryl:
There is a lot of sugar in this cake, which weakens the structure. Opening the oven door often causes a delicate cake to fall, so you might try skipping the parchment. Of course, the cake might still fall just because of the high sugar.

Shirley Corriher in her book "BakeWise" suggests baking cakes like this in a bundt pan. (All this does is to allow you to hide the sunken top). If it were me, I would reduce the sugar a bit, maybe 3/4 to 7/8 cup sugar.

Elyse