0051 - Marble Cake

Marble Cake is one of the more "famous" cakes within my family especially with my aunt & my cousin always being the "chief" in baking heaps of them for us all. I always thought it was such a cumbersome cake to bake. It wasn't till I tried making it myself. Now that I know better, I'll be happy to bake these on any given day, come rain or shine.

Ingredients:
200gm butter, softened
1cup caster sugar
1tsp vanilla essence
3 eggs
2cups self-raising flour
1/2cup milk, reserve 2tbs of this
1tbs cocoa powder

Preparation:

1. Pre-heat the oven at 180C.
2. Prepare a lightly greased 24cm diameter springfoam pan & line with baking paper.
   

Method:

1. Beat the butter, sugar & vanilla until pale & creamy.
2. Add 1 egg at a time & beat really well.
   
3. Sift 1/2 of the flour & stir in the milk.
4. Repeat step 3 with the remaining flour and milk until well combined.
   
5. Divide the batter into 2.
6. Combine cocoa powder into the 2nd batter mixture & add the reserved milk.
7. Stir well.
8. Place alternate spoonfuls of the 2 mixtures into the prepared pan, tapping the base of the pan on a flat surface to settle the mixture.
   
9. Use a spoon or a knife to gently swirl the batters together to create a marble effect.
   
10. Tap the base of the pan on a flat surface to smooth the surface.
    
11. Bake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
    
12. Remove from oven and set aside in pan for 5 minutes.
    
13. Let it cool completely before serving. Or, keep it in an airtight container - not in the fridge though.
    

As always, with cakes like these, I prefer indulging in mine slightly warm to the touch.