Because of Dylan's love for marble cake, I have at least four recipes in my collection. This is the marble cake I've made the most often, as Alice Medrich recipes are very reliable, and this one is no exception. (For a "hipper" take on marble cake, check out Medrich's Tiger Cake made with extra-virgin olive oil and some white pepper.) In fact, this is one of the best cakes I've had in a while. I make this cake in my cheap Fox Run Kugelhopf pan, which is the perfect size and turns out a great-looking cake.
Happy Birthday, Dylan! Live it up while your executive functioning skills are still in full flower. And don't forget to enjoy some scrummy (or is that crummy?) store-bought frosting on your big day.
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| Before swirling the white and chocolate batters together |
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| After swirling the batters together |
Dylan's Marble Birthday Cake
Adapted from Chocolate and the Art of Low-Fat Desserts (1994) by Alice Medrich
2 cups (8 ounces) cake flour; or substitute 1¾ cups (210 grams) all-purpose flour + ¼ cup (30 grams) cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup (30 grams) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1⅓ cups granulated sugar, divided
1 teaspoon instant espresso or coffee powder
¼ cup (59 grams) water
1 large egg (~57 grams in the shell)
1 large egg white (~30 grams)
2 teaspoons (10 grams) vanilla extract
6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes and softened
1 cup (240 grams) plain yogurt, preferably whole-milk but even nonfat is okay
1. Place a rack in the center of the oven, and heat to 350 degrees. Spray an 8- to 10-cup tube, Bundt, or Kugelhopf pan generously with nonstick cooking spray, or grease and flour the pan for extra assurance of a clean release.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, ⅓ cup (66 grams) of the sugar, espresso powder, and water until completely smooth.
4. In a 1-cup measuring cup, whisk together the egg, egg white, and vanilla.
5. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter and remaining 1 cup (200 grams) sugar together on medium-high speed for 3 minutes. With the mixer on low to medium speed, dribble the egg mixture in slowly down the side of the bowl, about 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Sift one-third of the flour mixture over the batter (sifting is especially important if you are substituting all-purpose flour and cornstarch for cake flour). Beat together on low speed. Beat in half of the yogurt on medium speed. Sift over another one-third of the flour mixture, then beat in on low speed. Beat in the rest of the yogurt on medium speed. Sift over the rest of the flour mixture, then beat in on low speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed throughout the mixing process.
6. Remove 1½ cups (~300 grams) of the batter and mix gently but thoroughly into the cocoa mixture.
7. Use a large spoon to fill the bottom of the prepared pan with about three quarters of the white batter in dollops. Cover the white batter with dollops of all of the chocolate batter. Top the chocolate batter with small dollops of the white batter spaced so that the chocolate batter shows through. Use a thin knife (preferably a plastic one if your pan is nonstick) to marble the batters together in a circular or zigzag motion, being careful not to blend them too much.
8. Bake until the cake starts to pull away from the sides of the pan and a skewer inserted into the center of the cake in several places comes out clean, about 40–45 minutes depending on the type and size of pan you used.
9. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10–15 minutes. Turn the cake out onto the rack. Cool completely before serving, with or without store-bought frosting. Makes 12–16 servings.
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