Orange Marmalade Drizzle Cake

Perfect for marmalade making season, this cake is quick to make and delicious. It is basically a sponge with the addition of orange zest, orange juice and a little marmalade.  The 'drizzle' is made of sugar, orange juice and a tablespoon of marmalade. It can be served warm as a desert with cream or ice cream, or at room temperature with a cup of tea or coffee.  It is not overly sweet and the topping adds just the right amount of sticky sweetness to make you want more. It keeps for a week if wrapped up tightly.

Ingredients:
For the cake:
8 ounces soft margarine (Stork or Flora)
8 ounces sugar
4 large eggs
8 ounces self-raising flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
juice and zest of half a large orange
2 Tablespoons marmalade

For the glaze:
juice and zest of half a large orange
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon marmalade

Cream margarine and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add eggs, one at a time.
Mix in two Tablespoons of marmalade.
Sift dry ingredients.
Add them gently to the wet mixture, taking care not to over beat.
Add juice and rind of half a large orange and a little warm water to loosen the mixture, if necessary.

Put into a greased and lined 8" by 11" pan ad bake at 180 for 25 minutes until a skewer just comes out clean. Remove from the oven.

Melt the sugar, orange juice, zest and marmalade in a small pan.
Pour evenly over the warm cake.
Serve warm or room temperature.
Can be reheated in foil for desert.

Baby Bandanas (Make do and Mend)

 I have been making baby bandanas (rather unattractively called dribble bibs) for our first grandchild. Although I could start a pop-up shop with my stash, I didn't have anything suitable. They required soft, stretch fabric and I had purged all my old t-shirts a year ago. (Typical!) Then I remembered I had bought two pairs of soft jersey pyjamas which were still in the drawer but hardly ever worn. I managed to make five little bandanas out of them. I could probably make more but it would mean a lot of piecing.

The pyjamas I used for the bandanas.

The pattern is easy. Remember the paper hearts you cut out for Valentine's Day in primary school? It's almost the same as that. Each bandana 17" wide at the widest point and 7" deep.

Make a curve for the neck and add 1/4" seam allowances all around.

The pattern is cut on the fold.

The pattern folded out.

To make, place the fabrics right sides together and stitch around the edges (1/4" seams) leaving a gap for turning. Clip, if necessary and turn to the right side, press and hand stitch the gap. Press again then stop stitch 1/4" from the edge.

Use a small piece of Velcro for fastening,  stitching it on with a small zig zag stitch  and they are finished.

I also made two posh bandanas for Flora with some Liberty jersey fabric which I had saved for bunting.  Here is Flora, at four months, modelling one of them.

Flora looking pensive.