Name: Classic Marble Cake
Yield: 10 servings
Ingredients: 2 cups All-purpose flour; 2 tsp Baking powder; 0.5 tsp Salt; 0.75 cup Unsalted butter or vegan butter (softened to room temperature; vegan butter keeps the cake pareve); 1 cup Granulated sugar; 3 Large eggs (room temperature); 2 tsp Vanilla extract; 0.75 cup Whole milk, almond milk or oat milk (room temperature; 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp for the vanilla batter, 2 tbsp for the chocolate); 3 tbsp Unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder; 1 tbsp Granulated sugar (for the chocolate batter)

Preparation Steps

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Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan and line it with parchment, leaving an overhang on the long sides so the loaf lifts out.

Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.

Beat the softened butter with 1 cup of sugar on medium-high for 3-4 minutes, until pale and fluffy.

Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Scrape the bowl down, then mix in the vanilla.

On low speed, alternate the flour mixture in 3 additions with 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons of milk in 2 additions, mixing just until combined. Do not overmix.

Transfer about 1 cup of the batter to a second bowl. Stir in the cocoa powder, the remaining 2 tablespoons of milk and 1 tablespoon of sugar until smooth and evenly dark.

Spoon alternating dollops of the vanilla and chocolate batters into the pan.

Draw a butter knife or wooden skewer through the batter in figure-8s or an S-pattern down the length of the pan 2-3 times. Stop there — over-swirling muddies the two colours into one.

Bake 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick in the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. If the top is browning fast at 40 minutes, tent a sheet of foil loosely over the pan.

Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then lift the loaf out by the parchment onto a wire rack and cool completely before slicing.

Chefs Culinary Tips

• Room-temperature butter, eggs and milk emulsify instead of splitting, which is most of what keeps the crumb tender.

• Swirl 2-3 times and no more. Each extra pass blends the batters further towards a single brown cake.