by Hello my lovely readers!
I often find myself in a situation where I am really fancying a slice of cake, especially at the weekends. But of course there is no cake at home, because I have not bought any and I do not have half the ingredients for baking a fancy and elaborate cake at home that I like making when I have time.
Are you often finding yourself in the same situation? If yes, I might have the solution for you.
The Marble Cake!
You might say this is a boring cake as there is not much going on in terms of flavour and I thought the same at first, but the humble marble cake is now a staple in my household.
You always have all the ingredients to make this cake at home, the ingredients are cheap and affordable and this cake cannot really go wrong. Unless you forget it in the oven and it comes out charred.
If you are new to baking, this is the cake to try to get you started and to build up your baking confidence.
I found this recipe on BBC Food and adapted the amounts or measures of ingredients slightly. So give the humble marble cake a go!
Ingredients (Serves 6 – 8):
- 175 g Butter
- 175 g Sugar
- 3 Large Eggs
- 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
- 225 g Self-raising Flour
- Pinch of Salt
- 2 Tbsp Milk
- 2 Tbsp Cocoa Powder
- 1 Tsp Instant Coffee Powder
Preparation:
- Take the butter out of the fridge and allow to soften for about 30 min or. If you are like me and forget to remove it before you are starting to prepare the cake, pop it in the microwave for 10 seconds. Option one is the better way though.
- Turn on the oven to preheat at 160 degrees Celsius fan. Prepare your 900g/2lb loaf tin by lining it with baking parchment. There is no need for greasing the tin if you line it fully with baking parchment.
- Now that the oven and tin are prepared, move on to the cake mixture. Once the butter has soften, combine it with the sugar and cream with an electric whisk until pale and fluffy. Beat your eggs slightly and add one by one to the mixture. Whisk well to combine after you add each egg. Next, add the vanilla extract and whisk one more time.
- Mix the flour and salt in a separate bowl and sift into the cake mixture. Fold in the flour gently until well combined and put aside.
- Now you can move on to prepare your coffee and cocoa paste. Add 2 tbsp of warm water to the instant coffee. Stir and make sure all the coffee granulates have dissolved. Add the cocoa powder and combine to form a paste. If it is a bit too stiff, add 1 tbsp extra water.
- Divide the cake mixture into two equal portions, around 350 g per portion. Add the coffee and cocoa paste to one and the 2 tbsp of milk to the other. Stir until all the ingredients are incorporated and well combined.
- Now you can fill your cake tin. To get the marble effect, spoon dollops of the cake mixtures into the tin, alternating between the vanilla and the cocoa mixture. Get a skewer and run it through the cake as well. Bake in the oven for around 50 to 60 min. Insert a skewer after 50 min. When it comes out clean, your cake is ready. If not, bake it a little longer. The cake should be springy to the touch when its ready.
- Once your cake is baked through, take it out of the oven and allow to cool for about 10 min before you remove it from the tin. Move the cake to a wire rack and allow to cool completely. This never works for me as I always want the cake right now, but it really is better when you allow it to cool.
Enjoy!
