Chocolate Vanilla Marble Cake

This chocolate vanilla marble cake is perfect for a late-morning brunch, and can even work for an indulgent midnight snack along with a tall glass of milk. Despite its skillful-looking pattern, this cake is not as daunting as it name makes it out to be.

Ingredients

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt*

4 tsp. baking powder

4 sticks (2 cups) butter, softened

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

6 eggs, room temperature

1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup cocoa powder, sifted

*Omit if using salted butter

Instructions

1) Combine dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder) in a large bowl. Whisk to incorporate.

2) Put the butter into bowl of a stand mixer. Feel free to use a hand mixer instead if that is what you have.

3) Beat butter on medium speed for about five minutes. This may seem like a lot, but this is part of what makes the cake so spongy.

4) After your butter is finished beating, add your sugar in and beat on medium speed for an additional two minutes.

5) Separate your eggs. I normally do it by cracking them in normally, and then scooping the yolks out by hand. Do whatever suits you.

6) Next, add the vanilla to the egg yolks and mix with fork. Add this to your butter-sugar mixture while mixing on low speed.

7) Beat your egg whites with a hand or stand mixer. Do not attempt to do this by hand. It won't work.

8) Now, alternate between adding the milk and the dry ingredients to the butter-sugar-egg mixture.

9) Once you've finished adding both, gently fold in your egg whites. Rough mixing can cause all the air we whipped and beat in to deflate.

10) After folding in all the egg white, get another large bowl and split the batter between them. It does not need to be exact.

11) Sift your cocoa powder into one of the bowls. Whisk to incorporate.

12) Next, scoop alternating amounts of the chocolate and vanilla mixtures into your greased dishes. Tap and shake to release any air bubbles.

13) Bake at 350° F (180° C) for 40-50 minutes.

Important Tips To Remember

Make sure to beat the butter for the whole five minutes. Negligence to do so will result in your cake being much less spongy and light than it could've been.

When separating the eggs, try your best not to break the yolks. If any yolk gets in the whites, it won't whip into that white, foamy substance.

Do not overmix your cake batter when alternating between the dry ingredients and the milk. Doing so can also cause your cake to be dense and hard. It doesn't even have to be fully incorporated because you are going to mix it again.

When creating the swirl design, make sure to get the bottom as well.

Tip: You might have to add a little more sugar to the chocolate cake batter to make up for the bitterness of the cacao powder.

See the video version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgcFJFAgtDU