Marble Cake

Method

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1. Heat the oven to 170°C / 340°F. Butter a 24 cm ring or bundt tin thoroughly and dust with flour, getting into every crease.

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2. Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla for 5 minutes until pale and fluffy.

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3. Add the eggs one at a time, beating a full minute after each. If it curdles, add a spoonful of the flour.

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4. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt, then fold into the batter in three additions alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with flour.

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5. Weigh the batter and divide it exactly in half between two bowls.

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6. Sift the cocoa into one half, add the extra milk and the rum, and fold until evenly dark and the same thickness as the plain batter.

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7. Spoon the two batters into the tin in alternating dollops, roughly chequerboard, then level the surface.

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8. Drag a skewer through in a single slow figure-of-eight, once around the ring. Stop there.

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9. Bake 50 to 60 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean and the cake has pulled slightly from the sides.

   Mark done Start 50 min timer

10. Cool in the tin 15 minutes, turn out onto a rack, cool completely and dust with icing sugar.

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Chef’s Tips

• Butter and flour the tin properly, into every groove. A marble cake that sticks tears along the pattern, which is the part you made it for.
• One pass with the skewer. Two and you have a brown cake.
• Test at 50 minutes. Ring tins bake faster than the same volume in a loaf.

Pairing Suggestions

• Filter coffee
• A glass of milk
• Whipped cream and cherries

Storage & Reheating

Wrapped at room temperature for 4 days — it is better on day two. Freezes whole or in slices for 3 months.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.