Esther Bolick's Marmalade Cake

Being in possession of a large amount of homemade marmalade, I decided it needed to be made into a recipe I had read about for years: Esther Bolick's Marmalade Cake. Yes, I did make a cake based on a recipe by a fictional character from the Mitford series by Jan Karon. I later realized that this may have been the geekiest thing I've ever done. That's why I had to wait until I was visiting with my mom who is also a big Mitford fan.

The cake did take a little bit of effort, but it was quite delicious, especially the frosting, which was a combination of whipped cream, sour cream, and sugar. We decided the cake would also be delicious with strawberries, peaches, or lemon curd.

When I got home, I was able to find the answer to one of my questions. Did Jan Karon love orange marmalade cake so much that she incorporated it into her story or did she have to invent the recipe after she wrote about it so often? It turns out that she (by that I mean a couple of famous Southern chefs) had to invent the recipe after she got so many requests from readers.

Of course some day I will have to take this cake to a potluck at our tiny Episcopal church to really fulfill its destiny.