Lemon molasses marble cake - a cake with a workout

This cake was the first recipe I tried from this book, which is full of amazing recipes and perfect for a sweet tooth like me; lemon cake, no surprise there, but the idea of marbling it with a molasses cake sounded too good not to try.

Indeed the flavor combo is delicious and the cake is very tender; do not be put off by the different steps of preparation – think of them as a great workout, which will allow you to have an extra cake slice at the end. :)

And don’t forget to nominate your favorite blog on Saveur’s 2011 Food Blog Awards! ;)

Lemon molasses marble cake
slightly adapted from the delicious Classic Home Desserts

Molasses batter:
1 2/3 cups (233g) all purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
6 tablespoons (84g) unsalted butter, softened
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons (60g) light or dark brown sugar, packed
3 large egg yolks
¾ cup (180ml) molasses
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons (105g) plain yogurt

Lemon batter:
1 2/3 cups (233g) all purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
6 tablespoons (84g) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
grated zest of 1 large lemon
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
¾ cup (195g) plain yogurt
3 large egg whites
pinch of salt

confectioners’ sugar, for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter and flour a 22-25cm (9-10in) Bundt or tube pan.
Start by making the molasses batter: sift the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves into a small bowl and set aside.
In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until very light. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, then beat in the molasses. Add the sifted ingredients to the batter alternately with the yogurt, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Do not overmix.
Now, make the lemon batter: sift the flour, baking soda and cream of tartar into a small bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream butter, sugar and lemon zest until very light. Add the lemon juice. Add the sifted ingredients to the batter alternately with the yogurt, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Do not overmix. Beat the egg whites with the salt until nearly stiff. Gently fold into the lemon batter.
Drop 3-4 large dollops of the lemon batter into the prepared pan. Top with 3-4 dollops of the molasses batter (give it a nice stir for it was sitting around while you were making the lemon batter). Continue layering the batters. With a butter knife, swirl the batters together a couple of times to get the marbled effect – don’t mix them much.
Bake for about 1 hour or until the cake is risen and golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool the cake in the pan over a wire rack for 20 minutes, and then carefully unmold it onto the rack. Let cool completely. Sprinkle the cake with icing sugar to serve.

Serves about 12 – I made 2/3 of the recipe above and used an 8-cup capacity ring pan