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Benjamina Ebuehi’s recipe for marmalade roly-poly

Benjamina Ebuehi
·2 min read

You knew it was going to be a good day when jam roly-poly was served for pudding at school. It’s a proper comfort dish, with just the right level of stodge for a cold January day. I wouldn’t have gone near a marmalade version when I was younger, but that tangy bitterness is a taste I’m glad to have since acquired. Hot custard really is the best sidekick for this, so don’t hold back.

Marmalade roly-poly

Prep 30 min
Cook 50 min
Serves 6-8

45g cold unsalted butter, diced, plus extra for greasing
2 tbsp demerara sugar
210g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
2 tsp baking powder
50g caster sugar
Zest of 1 orange
A pinch of salt
60g suet (or vegetarian suet)
110ml milk
220g marmalade

Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4. Put a roasting tray on the bottom shelf of the oven and half-fill it with hot water.

Take a large sheet of foil and lay a sheet of baking paper on top of it. Grease the paper with butter, then sprinkle the demerara sugar over the top and set aside.

Put the flour, baking powder, caster sugar, orange zest and salt in a bowl. Add the butter and use your fingertips to rub it into the flour until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Stir in the suet.

Make a well in the centre, pour in the milk, then use a table knife to stir the mix until it comes together into a soft dough. Turn out on to a lightly floured surface and give it a brief knead to bring it together.

Roll the dough into a roughy 25cm x 30cm rectangleand spread the marmalade on top, leaving a little border around the edges. Starting from one shorter side of the rectangle, roll up the dough like a swiss roll, then pinch both ends to seal and carefully lift and place seam side down on top of the buttered baking paper.

Wrap up the roly-poly in the paper and foil, and twist the ends like a cracker to seal; don’t wrap it too tightly, though, because the pudding will expand as it cooks. Put the wrapped roly-poly directly on the oven shelf above the roasting tin and bake for 50-55 minutes, until firm; don’t worry if some of the marmalade leaks out. Remove and leave to cool for five minutes, then unwrap, sliceg and serve with hot custard.