Manic Monday-Marble

According to Mo the word is MARBLE. Now I don't know about you kids, but when I hear marble...I instantly think CAKE! SO thanks to Mo I want some CAKE and all I have in the house is coffee CAKE and some old Angel Food CAKE that no one wants to finish. What's up with that? To give Mo a visit click here .

For all the CAKE lovers in our group!

This recipe has been adapted from Sherry Yard's 'The Secrets of Baking'. This pretty pound cake is a combination of white and chocolate batters that are swirled together just before baking to give that wonderful marbled affect. Like all pound cakes it is rich and moist with sour cream and the melted semisweet chocolate adds just the right amount of chocolate flavor.

This cake is baked in a bundt pan and if it is a dark colored pan, make sure to reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Since dark colored pans absorb more of the energy coming from the oven walls the pan becomes hotter and transmits heat faster than light colored pans. Reducing the oven temperature slightly will help compensate for this. Although I usually serve this cake plain, with just a dusting of powdered sugar, you can frost it with your favorite chocolate icing or else a Chocolate Glaze, Ganache or even the Chocolate Confectioners' Frosting.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Butter, or spray with a non stick spray, a 10 inch (25 cm) bundt or tube pan. In a stainless steel bowl, over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the semisweet chocolate with the coffee. Remove from heat and set aside. In a separate bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon. Set aside. In bowl of electric mixer, cream the butter. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until the mixture is light and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Add beaten eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract and sour cream. With the mixer on low speed alternately add the flour mixture and the milk to the batter, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour. After preparing the batter, pour half of the batter into a separate bowl. Stir the melted chocolate into one half of the batter, mixing well. Place the batter into the prepared pan by alternating spoons of vanilla batter and chocolate batter. Then, with the end of a wooden spoon, gently draw swirls through the batter to marbleize it. Don't over mix or you won't have that wonderful marble affect. Bake for about one hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes before removing the cake from the pan to cool completely. Serve warm or at room temperature. This cake will keep for a couple of days at room temperature or it can be frozen. Adapted from: Yard, Sherry. 'The Secrets of Baking'. Houghton Mifflin Company. New York: 2003.

Recipe: 2 ounces (55 grams) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped 1 tablespoon brewed coffee or espresso 2 1/4 cups (290 grams) cake flour 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter 1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated white sugar 2 large eggs 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 3/4 cup sour cream 1/3 cup (80 ml) milk

Yeah I think I'd like to get to know Stephanie Jaworski too! Now I haven't made this cake so if you do...let me know how it turns out!

Hugs, Happiness and Harmony!
Julie