Marble cake

Equipment

You'll need 1 bamboo skewer.

Ingredients

185g butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup caster sugar

3 eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups self-raising flour, sifted

2/3 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted

Pink food colouring

Buttercream icing

125g butter, softened

1 1/2 cups icing sugar mixture

Pink food colouring

Method

Step 1

Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Grease a 7cm-deep, 11cm x 21cm (base) loaf pan.

Step 2

Using an electric mixer, beat butter, vanilla and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Stir in flour and 1/2 cup buttermilk. Divide mixture between 3 bowls. Add cocoa and remaining buttermilk to 1 portion. Stir to combine. Tint 1 portion pink with food colouring. Keep remaining portion plain.

Step 3

Place alternate spoonfuls of mixtures into prepared pan, tapping base of pan on a flat surface to settle mixture. Using a bamboo skewer, gently swirl mixtures together to create marbled effect (see note). Tap base of pan on bench to smooth surface. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes or until a skewer inserted in centre of loaf comes out clean (cover cake loosely with foil if over-browning during cooking). Stand in pan for 10 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

Step 4

Make icing Using an electric mixer, beat butter in a bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually add icing sugar mixture, beating constantly until combined. Tint pink with food colouring.

Step 5

Spread loaf with icing. Slice.

#birthday #cake #koek