Where is marble cake from?

Marble cake is from Germany where it originated in the 1800's. Originally the dark part of the cake was made with molasses and other spices. The recipe was brought to the United States befor the Civil War. It was Aunt Babette who first published a Jewish marble cake recipe that contained chocolate in 1889.

What two flavors are in marble cake?

Marble cake is a yellow cake marbled with chocolate. A yellow cake typically contains eggs and vanilla. Jewish delis often added almond extract to the chocolate part of the batter.

How to make a marble cake design?

I will tell you that I don't like the instructions from Stella's original recipe on how to marble the cake. She has you holding a bowl in each hand and then pouring the batter into the pan at the same time. Not only am I not strong enough to hold two bowls, I can't scrape the batter from the bowl if both my hands are full. Next time I will make alternating vertical stripes with the batter and then use a sharp paring knife to reach almost to the bottom of the pan to make 4 total strokes of figure 8's of different sizes in the batter. To many and your cake will end up looking like a light chocolate cake.

Why mayonnaise in a cake?

Mayonnaise is made with oil and eggs. Oil keeps the cake moist and eggs add richness. The first recipe that featured mayonnaise in a cake was from the wife of a Hellman's sales distributor that was published in 1927. The popularity of the cake continued during WW2 when butter and eggs were rationed.

Moist Marble Cake Recipe

Description

When you can't decide whether you want a chocolate cake or a vanilla cake, make a marble cake! This easy recipe for marble cake uses mayonnaise (think eggs and oil) to create a very moist, delicious cake that had Manservant asking for more!

Ingredients

Scale

Neutral oil for the pan

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 t baking powder

1 t bicarbonate of soda

1/2 t kosher salt

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted if lumpy

1/3 cup brewed coffee, at room temperature

2 T plus 1 3/4 cups sugar

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1 1/4 cups mayonnaise, such as Hellmann’s

1 T vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups buttermilk, at room temperature (I use buttermilk powder but you may also mix vinegar with milk.)

Frosting recipe of your choice

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325. Brush the bottom and sides of a 13 × 9-inch pan with a thin layer of oil.

2. Line the bottom and two long sides of the pan with a piece of parchment paper, leaving a bit of overhang and smoothing it to eliminate air bubbles.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to combine. Set aside.

4. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, coffee, and 2 T of the sugar until smooth. Set aside.

5. In a large bowl, with a hand mixer, beat the eggs and remaining 1¾ cups of sugar and mayonnaise on medium-low speed until combined, then increase the speed to high and beat until the mixture is thick, pale, and voluminous about 3 minutes.

6. Beat in the vanilla.

7. Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low and add about one-third of the dry ingredients, mixing just until the flour disappears.

8. Stream in about half of the buttermilk and beat until incorporated, then add the remaining dry ingredients in two additions, alternating with the remaining buttermilk, and mix just until the last trace of flour disappears.

9. Fold the batter several times with a flexible spatula, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl to make sure it’s evenly mixed.

10. Pour half of the batter—about 4 cups if you want to be exact—into the bowl with the cocoa mixture and beat with the hand mixer on medium-low until the chocolate batter is streak-free.

11. Alternating batters, make stripes across the bottom of the pan using all the batter. They do not need to be perfect! Scrape in every last bit of both batters, then drag a skewer or the tip of a paring knife through the pan, making 4 figure eights of different sizes, using only 4 strokes, to swirl the batters together.

12. Bake until the surface of the cake is risen and light golden across the vanilla patches, and a cake tester or skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes, rotating the pan front to back after 25 minutes. Let the cake cool completely in the pan.

Notes

Adjustments: 1 t baking powder and 1/2 t baking soda for high altitude

Frost when cool with your favorite frosting or see my favorites in post.

Cake may be halved successfully using an 8" square pan. Adjust baking time to about 30 minutes as a smaller cake bakes faster. Make sure to check for doneness by inserting a skewer in the middle. Just a few crumbs should be attached.

See post on buttermilk substitutes.

Thank you Claire Saffitz "What's For Dessert"