Chocolate marble cake

Posted by violeta pasat April 19, 2021

Chocolate marble cake

This easy marble cake combines two of my favorite flavors -chocolate and vanilla.The cake batters are layered one on top of the other,alternating the colours for a gorgeous swirled cake.I grew up eating this cake,i mean my mother's marble cake because this is my version of the cake she used to make for us whenever we had been asked something chocolatey.

I only made one change,i added crème fraîche to the batter and the crumb is deliciously tender and moist,even the day after.Actually stays moist for several days after baking and it's perfect for dessert,mid afternoon snack or even breakfast accompanied by nothing but a steaming cup of coffee.

HOW IT'S MADE THIS MARBLE CAKE

I've tested this recipe, so many times that i've lost count.Heavy cream,greek yogurt have found their way in this loaf too and with excellent results,i must say and i can confirm this is the easiest and most versatile recipe.

It may look fancy but it's actually easy to make and you don't need two different batters to make this cake.The cake batter is divided equally between two bowls(i actually used my scale to evenly divide batter among my bowls),cocoa powder is folded in one of them and vanilla extract is added in the other one-that's it!

Also,you can make several flavor variation with this recipe.Chocolate and vanilla work very well together but if you don't like vanilla or you don't have it,you can swap it for orange zest,lemon zest,almond extract or whatever flavour you like.Or if you want something different then you can make it with instant pudding powder instead and the best part is that you can make it with whatever pan you like-a bundt pan,springform one or a square tin,etc

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Cooking Time:40 Minutes

Yield:1 loaf

INGREDIENTS:

5 large eggs,room temperature
180g AP flour
150g caster sugar
50g full fat crème fraîche (smetana or smantana for eastern Europe)
50ml vegetable oil
15g dutch cocoa powder
5g(1tsp) baking powder
pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS

Preaheat oven to 175ºC /345ºF(convection/fan forced mode)
Grease and line with parchment paper a 25cm x 11cm loaf pan.
In a small bowl,add crème fraîche and vegetable oil and mix until smooth.Set aside for later use.
Separate the egg whites from egg yolks.
Add egg whites and salt to a large clean bowl and with your mixer at high speed start to whisk adding sugar gradually.Whisk for about 4 minutes until stiff peaks form.

Add egg yolks,one at time beating well after each addition.

Reduce your speed mixer to medium and gradually add crème fraîche mixture, mix until just combined.
Add the flour in several additions.Sift the flour and baking powder on top of the egg mixture,a little at a time.Fold it gently,from bottom to top,using a silicone spatula or a hand whisk

Divide the batter evenly between 2 bowls.
Stir vanilla extract in the first one,fold cocoa powder in the second one.Sift cocoa on top of the mixture and gently fold it using using a silicone spatula or a hand whisk.

Spoon 3 tablespoons of vanilla batter in the middle of the prepared pan then spoon 3 tablespoons of cocoa batter over top.Repeat the process alternating cocoa and vanilla layers until all the batter has been used up.

Bake at 175ºC /345ºF(convection/fan forced mode) for 35-40 minutes until the skewer plunged into the center comes out clean.
Let the cake cool into the pan for 30 minutes then remove from the pan and place it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
You can serve it simply,dusted with icing sugar or you can top it with chocolate ganache.
Store at room temperature covered with cling film or in an airtight container for up to 5 days.