Marble Cake

This is yet again one of mom's best recipes. I've augmented it by just a little for a denser and moister texture. I feel so happy that mom and I share cooking ideas and tips with each other now. In the past, it was only following of her recipes and rejoicing the fact of creating edible food!

I recently made this for my husband's birthday and then iced it to portray a bunch of carefree heads who existed to bring a smile on you :)

Preparation time: 25 min
Baking time: about 50 min
Difficulty level: moderate
Source: Mom
Servings: 10 to 12

Ingredients:

Eggs – 4 (at room temperature)
Butter (melted and cooled) or Oil – ¾ cup 
Sugar – 2 cups
Baking powder – 2 teaspoons
All purpose flour/maida - 2 1/2 cups
Vanilla essence - 1/2 to 1 tsp
Unsweetened dark cocoa - 3 -4 tblsp
Salt – just a pinch
Water – 1/2 to 3/4 cup
Milk - 1/2 cup
Bake at 350 F for 50 minutes
Pan size - 8" round/8" bundt/13" x 9" rectangular





Procedure:

Sieve flour and baking powder in a mixing bowl; keep aside. If using butter, melt it and bring to room temperature. Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Grease pans with butter and a little flour; I generally use a cooking spray, available in most grocery stores. 

Pour sugar into a bowl and whisk in the eggs, one egg at a time, using the wire whisk attachment of a stand mixer, or a hand mixer, at medium speed, until the mixture is frothy - about 7 minutes. Pour in butter and continue to whisk a little longer until well blended. Lower the speed and add the sieved mixture, little by little so it is well incorporated into cake batter. Do not whisk too much once you add the sieved mixture. Add vanilla essence, milk and water, little by little to avoid sputtering of batter outside the bowl and for better blending of the batter. Pour cake batter into the greased pan leaving behind about 1/2 cup of batter. Mix cocoa into this and then pour it into the baking pan making swirls. Bake for about 50 min, check if done by pricking the cake with a knife or toothpick, it should come out almost clean with a few crumbs sticking to it. Remove from the oven and let cool for about an hour before you flip it over on a cake decorating or serving plate!

Tips:

• Do not whisk too much after you add flour to cake batter.
• Use a fork or knife to make swirls.
• You can alternate cake batter with the chocolate mix for creative marble designs!