Marble Cake

So simple yet so fancy
so easy yet so perfect
so swirly.

I love marble cake, it's the best, like a reliable friend or an old pet.Often the request of my older brother, it's definitely a favourite. Always there for you, it never leaves you crying in a crumpled mass on the floor and never fails to impress either! It's got to be those swirls, they're tantalizing. Oh and it's magic cake, the chocolate batter sinks to the bottom without mixing with the vanilla,
(Paris Hilton voice) 'that's hot.'

One often has to make the decision: 'Vanilla or chocolate?' ...nah... vanilla and chocolate. No effort has to be made trying to choose between two great things, save those brain cells, this cake is the best of both worlds.



Marble Cake
slightly adapted from Baking Bites - Chocolate Marble Yogurt Pound cake

1 1/3 cups (10.5 oz) sugar
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp (3 oz) butter
1 egg + 1 egg white
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups + 2 tbsp (8.6 oz)  flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking power
1 cup (250 ml) milk
1/3 cup (1.3 oz) cocoa powder
1 tsp instant coffee, dissolved in...
1/4 cup (60 ml) warm water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, grease a large loaf pan or bundt/tube pan (8-10").
Cream sugar, butter, egg and egg white together until fluffy and light. Mix in the salt, vanilla and lemon juice.
Stir in the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and baking powder alternating it with the milk in no more than 3 additions.
Pour 2/3 of this mixture into your greased pan. Add the cocoa and coffee dissolved in water to the reamining 1/3 of the mixture and mix until just combined. Pour this into the pan on top of the vanilla.
Take a butter knife and swirl it only slightly through the batter, 4 's' shapes are enough.
Now put that cake in the oven and bake for 40-50 minutes until set completely and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Let the cake cool in it's tin on a wire rack. Turn the cake out onto the wire rack and dust the top with powdered sugar. Transfer the cake to a suitable platter and serve.

Tip:
You can brush all sides of the the warm cake with a simple sugar syrup (equal amounts of sugar and water heated until sugar dissolves and mixture begins to bubble), to make the moist goodness stay within, before topping with powdered sugar.