Cointreau Loaf Cake, Mandarin Orange Insert

Before starting this Cointreau Loaf Cake with a Mandarin Orange Insert recipe, make sure you have organised all the necessary ingredients.

Place the recipient on the stand mixer and fit it with the flat beater.

Place the soft butter in the bowl...

... and the icing sugar...

... and mix until homogeneous.

Add the whole eggs (beaten beforehand)...

... ground hazelnuts...

... and the cold milk.

Combine the flour and baking powder together...

... and add to the bowl. Beat constantly on low speed.

Combine until homogeneous.

Using a knife, chop the dried fruits (hazelnuts, almonds and pecan nuts).

Zest the oranges with a Microplane Classic grater...

... and add to the preparation.

Add the chopped nuts to the preparation...

... the Cointreau...

... and combine until homogeneous.

Lining the mould: Cut a sheet of greaseproof paper and cut to the length of the stainless steel loaf cake mould with insert tube. The mould has a flared shape, so make sure you measure the length at the bottom.

Check the length of the paper is the same as the mould base, or even slightly smaller.

Cut any excess paper coming out of the mould.

Place the tube inside the mould...

... and apply melted butter over the surface of the tube with a pastry brush.

Cut greaseproof paper to the length of the tube.

Wrap the paper around the tube while greasing to make sure it sticks.

The mould should look like this.

Line the bottom and sides of the mould with the paper cut earlier. The paper should perfectly line the mould. Fold the paper in the corners...

... to ensure the paper is well in place.

Transfer the preparation in a piping bag. The use of a nozzle is not necessary.

Fill the mould with the cake batter.

The whole amount should fill up to the tube. Even the surface with a rubber spatula.

The mould shouldn't be filled completely.

Slide the lid on top...

... and bake in a fan-assisted oven preheated at 150°C (gas 2) for 45 minutes, on the middle rack.

In the meantime, prepare the syrup. Pour the water and sugar in a saucepan...

... bring to a boil...

... and take the pan away from the heat as soon as the sugar is completely melted. The syrup is ready; set aside.

For the Cointreau syrup: Weigh 600 grams of syrup, then add the water...

... and the Cointreau. Set aside.

For the mandarin orange marmalade: Organise all the necessary ingredients.

Pour the mandarin purée (juice) in a saucepan.

In a mixing bowl, place the castor sugar and pectin NH coating...

... and combine with a whisk beforehand.

Heat the mandarin juice. When it gets to 40/50°C, add the pectin and sugar mix.

Stir constantly until the preparation gets to a boil. Maintain the boil for a couple of minutes to activate the pectin.

Transfer the marmalade into a food prep tray and refrigerate.

When the cake is cooked, remove from the oven...

... and transfer onto your kitchen worktop.

Remove the lid carefully.

The cake is really and should have risen inside the mould.

Carefully remove the tube and the wrapped paper.

Transfer the cake upside down onto a cooling rack placed on top of a deep baking sheet...

... and leave to cool at room temperature.

When the cake has cooled down, flip...

... and steep with Cointreau syrup. The cake should absorb the syrup immediately. We want to add a little moisture to the cake, but you shouldn't add all the syrup.

Stretch cling film on one end of the cake...

... to close it.

Place the cake back inside the mould.

Place the mould vertically with the open side facing up...

... as shown in the photo.

Take the jellied marmalade out of the fridge and transfer into a pouring jug or deep, narrow recipient.

Mix with a Bamix hand blender until smooth.

Pour the marmalade into a piping bag, then fill the hole inside the mould...

... up to the top.

Stretch cling film over the side of the mould...

... and lay the cake flat.

Wrap with cling film and refrigerate overnight. The next day, take the cake out of the fridge. The mandarin marmalade should be completely set by now, so there's no risk of it leaking out. L'envelopper de papier film.

The cake can be kept for 2 or 3 days wrapped in cling film.

Transfer the cake onto a rack, placed on top of a deep tray. Remove the cling film.

Melt the clear glaze in the microwave with a little water. Whisk until melted and smooth.

Pour the glaze over the cake in one stroke, starting from one end to the other.

Let the glaze excess drip off into the tray.

Arrange candied orange slices and candied mandarin quarters over the surface of the cake.

Garnish with a few mint leaves...

... and a few edible flowers (small pansies).

Gently lift the cake with a cranked metallic spatula and transfer on a serving plate. Reserve in the fridge until ready to serve. Bon appétit!