MY daughter Eva had given up chocolate for Lent but wanted something sweet. Flicking through some cookbooks she came across a recipe for a marmalade tea loaf in The Great British Book of Baking, the tome that accompanied the first series of The Great British Bake Off.

We had most of the ingredients in the store cupboard except nuts and had a jar of orange and rhubarb marmalade left over from a visit to the Oldroyd Yorkshire forced rhubarb farm last season; perfect for the job.

The end result had a sweet, ginger taste and a moist, tangy top. The first day, we served it warm with custard; the following day, cold with extra marmalade and lashings of tea. There was none left by day three. One to make again.

Sticky Marmalade Tea Loaf

Ingredients

225g self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons of ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground mixed spice
175g soft light brown muscovado sugar (we used caster sugar)
100g chopped nuts (optional)
175g soft butter (or marg)
3 medium eggs (lightly beaten)
140g marmalade

Method

Preheat oven to 180C/350F/GM4 Grease and flour or grease and line a 900g loaf tin (about 26x12.5x7.5cm)

Sift the flour, baking powder, ginger and mixed spice into a mixing bowl. Stir in the sugar and the chopped nuts if using. Add the soft butter and eggs.

Add all but one tablespoon of the marmalade (keep the remainder to spread on top once baked), mix well with wooden spoon.

When combined, spoon mixture into the prepared tin and spread evenly.

Bake in pre-heated oven for 1 to 1¼ hours, until skewer comes out clean. Check after 40 minutes and if necessary cover with foil or baking paper if becoming too brown.

Once cooked, remove loaf from tin and leave to cook for five minutes. Warm marmalade with a couple of teaspoons of hot water and brush over warm loaf.

Leave to cool completely and serve in thick slices.