Chocolate Seville Orange Cake with Sour Candied Orange Peel

Happy National Chocolate Cake Day!!!

Let's face it, who doesn't like chocolate cake? There is so much you can do with a chocolate cake; I make a great chocolate and pomegranate cake or even a chocolate mayonnaise cake - no I'm not crazy! It makes the most moist rich cake. But as Seville oranges are in season, I thought I would make my chocolate marmalade cake with sour candied Seville orange peel that is made in the MIRCOWAVE!! Because who has time to stand over boiling sugar?

INGREDIENTS
For the Cake
200g Sugar

200g Salted butter

4 Eggs

200g Self-raising flour

4 tbsp Cocoa powder

1 tsp Baking powder

1 tsp Vanilla powder

2 tbsp Juice of Seville orange

1/2 a Jar Peeless Seville Marmalade

For the Sour Candied Peel
1 Seville orange rind peeled into thin strips

1 cup of Sugar

1 cup of Water

1/2 cup of Citric acid (found in local Asian spice store)

For Chocolate Icing
1 cup of Icing sugar

1/2 cup of Cocoa powder

Milk

METHOD
Preheat oven to 180c and grease or line your preferred tin. I used a silicone bundt tin.

Cream together sugar and softened butter together, add vanilla powder (blitz vanilla pods in a blender/grinder), slowly add  one of the beaten eggs a time. Next, mix flour and cocoa powder together with the bicarb/baking powder (either works fine). Sift in to wet mixture and fold through gently. Next mix 1/2 a jar of Seville marmalade (I used peeless) with the juice and add to final cake batter.
Bake in oven till a skewer comes out clean about 20minsISH.

Next, add half the sugar to the water in a microwave safe bowl and microwave until boiling. BE CAREFUL THIS IS WILL BE VERY HOT. Make sure all the sugar has dissolved and keep an eye to stop it burning.
Then add the peel and microwave again until  the sugar syrup has turn slightly orange. Then strain orange peel and add to a tray covered in the remaining sugar and the citric acid. Leave to cool on a plate and it should make a noise once cool when dropped onto a plate.

Make chocolate icing by sieving icing sugar and cocoa powder together, then add enough milk or water until slightly runny. Remember you can always add more water if needed.

Cover cake in icing till it just drips over the edge then once semi dry, add the candied orange peel.