When I walked into the house I was greeted by the smell of hot cake, and the sight of my friend Lolo pulling two round cake pans from the oven. A bowl of frosting sat on the table, and a pan of some sort of apple dessert graced the top of the stove. Guess who got to lick the bowl?... moi! That was some gooood batter! and I suspect the recipe for whatever that apply goodness was, AND the cakes, will be posted to this blog shortly.
When I got home to my house I was greeted by the smell of burnt bread. I whole-heartedly expected to see a burnt pan of something in the kitchen. I thought that at long last the Guru had messed up. She was human! But no. What I found in the kitchen were 2 honey-colored perfect loaves of bread; 2 darker brown, wheat loaves; 1 small chocolate-vanilla swirled cake; and 1 choco-vanilla bundt. Nothing was burnt. Nothing. Apparently there was some overflow-age when Lisa was baking her cakes... The recipe calls for a 9-inch bundt pan but all she had was a 6 or a 12. So she split the batter into the small bundt and a second rectangular pan... there was too much! The smoke detector went off, the fire-department left the station. But after the burnt-bagel incident Lisa had learned her lesson... She quickly called 911 to cancel the fire department response... "only burnt cake batter, no need for firemen!" As she relayed this story to me, I sat on my stool in the kitchen and snacked on the sour cream marble cake.
I am a truth-teller. Always. When I tell you you look pretty, you do. When I tell you you're being rude, you are. When I say that Bundt cakes are the norm at my house, bundt cakes are the norm at my house. This particular cake was light, but not too light; the chocolate was chocolate-y, the vanilla was like sweet white cake. The crumb was perfect (use cake flour to get it right)... We topped this cake with softly whipped cream and fresh raspberries. The perfect way to end a Tuesday in May where I spent 6 hours in lab... I deserved this cake today. You do too. Remember, I tell the truth.
Sour Cream Marble Cake
from Great Coffee Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins & More by Carole Walter
(makes one 9-inch bundt cake)
***** this recipe is very CHALLENGING! for an easier bundt cake try our last post- The Classic Bundt
Marbling
3 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate, such as Lindt, coarsely chopped
4 t unsalted butter
3 T Dutch-processed cocoa powder
2 T light corn syrup
3 T water
1/4 t baking soda
Batter
2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour, spooned in and leveled
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 1/4 C sour cream
1/4 C milk
1 1/2 t pure vanilla extract
3/4 C (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly firm
1 1/2 C superfine sugar
4 large eggs
Powdered sugar for dusting
1. Position the rack in the lower third of the over. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter a 9-inch bundt pan, dust w flour, then invert the pan over the sink and tap firmly to remove excess flour. Set aside.
Make the Marbling
2. Melt the chocolate and butter in a 2-quart bowl set over a pot of simmering water. (The bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) Stir in the cocoa powder, corn syrup, and water, mixing until smooth. Remove from the heat and blend in the baking soda. Keep the chocolate mixture warm over the water bath while you prepare the batter
Making the Batter
3. In a large bowl, thoroughly whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
4. In a medium bowl, combine the sour cream, milk and vanilla. Set aside.
5. Cut the butter into 1-inch pieces and place in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes, then add the superfine sugar, 1-2 T at a time, taking 6-8 minutes. Scrape down the side of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, at 30-second intervals, scraping down the side of the bowl again.
6. Reduce the mixer speed to low. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the sour cream mixture, dividing the flour into three parts and sour cream into two parts. Mix just until blended after each addition. Scrape down the side of the bowl as needed.
7. Remove he marbling mixture from the bath. Measure 1 1/2 C of the batter, and add it to the marbling mixture, folding the two mixtures together gently.
Finish The Cake
8. Spoon one-half of the vanilla batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with the back of a large soupspoon. Using about 1/3 of the chocolate batter, distribute spoonfuls evenly over the vanilla batter, smoothing it carefully to the edge and covering as much vanilla batter as possible. Spoon one-half of the remaining vanilla batter over the chocolate batter. Spread the remaining chocolate batter over the vanilla batter, then finish with the remaining vanilla batter. As each layer of vanilla batter is spread, cover as much of the chocolate as you can.
9. Insert a knife almost to the bottom of the pan and gently lift the knife up, over, and down again to fold the batters together, making about 15 folds as you rotate the pan. Smooth the top of the batter with the back of a large soupspoon.
10. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes. The cake is done when the top is golden brown and firm to the touch, and a wooden skewer inserted in the corner comes out clean.
11. Remove the cake from the oven and let stand on a cooling rack for 15 to 20 minutes. Cover with a cooling rack, invert the cake, and carefully lift off the pan. Cool the cake completely on the rack. Just before serving, dust the top with powdered sugar.
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