Marble Cake-Denmark #105

Marble Cake- Denmark #105

The Marble Bundt Cake is a classic dessert. A moist vanilla pound cake, swirled with chocolate and so buttery it melts in your mouth. The reason for the moistness is due to the bundt pan's shape, allowing plenty of the cake's surface exposed to higher temperatures. Having said that, if you don't have a bundt pan you can use a loaf pan.

Cake:

• 1/2 c. natural cocoa powder, such as Hershey's
• 1-1/2 c. sugar, divided
• 1/2 c. water 
• 4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, such as Ghirardelli, broken into 1 inch pieces.
• 1 c. buttermilk
• 4 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 c. all-purpose flour, 
• 1 tsp. baking powder 
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

Glaze:

• 5 T. unsalted butter
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 1/4 c. water
  
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Cake: Preheat oven 325F. Set oven rack in the middle position.  Spray a 10" Bundt pan generously with nonstick cooking spray with flour, such as Baker's Joy or Pam with Flour.
2. In a small sauce pan, combine the cocoa powder, half cup of the sugar, and the water. Bring to a simmer over high heat, whisking until smooth. Off the heat, immediately add the chocolate; whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the butter milk, eggs, and vanilla. Set aside. (The mixture will start to look curdled as it sits; that’s OK. )
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or beaters, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and remaining 2 cups of sugar. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds to combine.
5. Add the softened butter and half of the buttermilk mixture and mix on low speed until moistened but still a little crumbly, about one minute.
6. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the remaining butter milk mixture until Inc., then increase the speed to medium and mix for three minutes, stop and wants to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bottle with a rubber spatula. The battery should look pale and creamy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl again making sure the batteries evening next.
7. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the remaining buttermilk mixture until Inc., then increase the speed to medium and mix for three minutes, stop and wants to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bottle with a rubber spatula. The batter should look pale and creamy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl again making sure the batter is evenly mixed.
8. Transfer about 2 1/2 cups of the batter to medium bowl. Add the chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth.
9. Spoon half of the remaining vanilla batter into the prepared Bundt pan. Pour the chocolate batter over top. Finished by spooning the remaining vanilla better over the chocolate (don’t worry about covering the chocolate layer completely.) Using a butter knife, swirl the batters together with a figure 8 motion, going three times around the pan. It may not look like the batters are swirled; that’s OK. It’s important not to over swirl.
10. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until the cake tester comes out clean. 
11. Glaze: While the cake is baking, in a small pan, combine the butter, sugar, water, and vanilla. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the sugar is dissolved about one minute.
12. When the cake is done,set the pan on a cooling rack. Using a skewer to pack, poke about 40 holes in the bottom of the still hot cake, going about 3/4 of the way down. Spoon or brush half of the glaze evenly over the bottom of the cake. If the glaze starts to pull on the surface. Make more holes to help it absorb. Leave the cake on the rack to cool for 30 minutes.
13. Invert the cake onto a serving platter. Brush the remaining glaze evenly over the top and sides of the cake, letting it soak in as you go. Go slowly so that the glaze gets absorbed. Let the cake set for at least two hours before serving. Cut with a serrated knife.

Results: OMG! This cake was amazing! There were no issues in making the cake. The recipe is pretty clear and straightforward. This was one of my more successful cakes. The only change I made was I did not use Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate, I used Baker’s semi-sweet chocolate.

Bottom line: This one is definitely a keeper! Folks couldn't get enough of it. 

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