Gorgeous Marble Cake Recipe

This cake and the accompanying photo, was one of my favourites from the book shoot for our new book “For The Love of Cake”.

The gorgeous swirls of Neapolitan colours made me think of the simple pleasure of baking and texture of this cake has the most perfect home baked buttery feel. Cake decorating has come a long way in the past 20 years and sometimes as parents we think that our kids demands have increased. Make this gorgeous marble cake and you will soon see your children’s eyes light up. There is nothing like a giant slice of pink, chocolate and vanilla swirls on a plate to make any kid’s day. No decorating required aside from a lovely pile of simple buttercream frosting on top.

Ingredients

• 250g (8 ounces) butter, softened
• 1 cup (220g) caster (superfine) sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2½ cups (375g) self-raising flour
• 1 cup (250ml) milk
• 2 tablespoons Dutch cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons extra milk
• 125g (4 ounces) raspberries
• ½ teaspoon pink food colouring
• 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste

Butter cream frosting

• 100g (3 ounces) butter, softened
• 1½ cups (240g) icing sugar, sifted
• 2 tablespoons milk

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Grease and line base and sides of deep 20cm round cake pan.
2. Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in half the flour and milk until just combined, then repeat with remaining flour and milk.
3. Using the back of a spoon push raspberries through a fine sieve, extracting as much juice as possible and discard the seeds.
4. Divide the cake mixture equally between three bowls. Add combined cocoa and extra milk to one bowl, raspberry juices and pink colouring to another and the vanilla to the remaining bowl.
   5. Drop alternate spoonfuls of each mixture into the prepared pan. Pull the blade of a knife through the cake mixture in a backwards and forwards motion to create a marble effect.
   6. Bake the cake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Stand the cake in the pan for 10 minutes before turning top side up onto a wire rack to cool completely.
   7. To make butter cream frosting, beat butter in an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add sifted icing sugar and milk, beating until combined. Spread frosting over top of cooled cake.

TIP: Don’t over swirl! The beauty to this cake is the gorgeous contrast in colours. Over swirl and your marble will look more like granite swirl!

Preparation and cooking time 1 hour 20 minutes (+ cooling time)
Serves 10

Recipe – Adam Cremona
Photography – Frank Selmo
Text – Louise Vansleve

This recipe is from our gorgeous new book “For The Love of Cake”