Yogurt marble cake

Hello everyone – it makes me really happy that after all this time without posting here there are still people who read me. Thank you. <3


I haven’t baked much lately, for now I have no one to share the baked goods with – my husband does not like sweets and I don’t want to end up eating everything myself… But I felt like baking a cake these days and even Joao had two slices of this cake – he told me it paired perfectly with an espresso. Success! :)

I used sheep milk yogurt because of my lactose intolerance, but feel free to use regular yogurt instead, like the original recipe calls for. The cake turned out moist, tender and delicious.

Yogurt marble cake
slightly adapted from Epicurious

1 ½ cups (210g) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon table salt
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
¾ cup (180g) plain yogurt – I used sheep milk yogurt
½ cup (120ml) vegetable oil – I used canola
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

Preheat oven to 180C/350°F. Lightly brush a 6-cup capacity loaf pan with oil, line it with baking paper and then brush the paper as well.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, yogurt, oil, eggs and vanilla until smooth. Fold in reserved dry ingredients just to blend – if batter is too lumpy, whisk for a few seconds.
Pour half of the batter into another bowl and to this half add the cocoa powder and stir to combine. Pour both batters into the prepared pan, alternating the colors to get a nice marbled effect. With a small spatula or blunt knife, swirl the batters slightly. Smooth the top and bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a skewer or toothpick inserted into center of the cake comes out clean.
Let cake cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Carefully and using the paper as a guide, remove cake from pan and transfer to the rack to cool completely.

The cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Serves 8

Lime syrup marble cake, a movie and a great soundtrack

Days ago I felt like going to the movies but wasn’t in the mood for drama or tears – that made me immediately discard the idea of watching Still Alice despite my love for Julianne Moore and since I’ll only watch horror movies when my sister comes along I completely ignored The Lazarus Effect.

There was Love, Rosie left and I guess it was exactly what I needed that day: nothing serious, a bit of romance, a bit of comedy – the perfect combo. :) But what I really loved about the movie – besides Sam Claflin ;) – was the soundtrack: I looked it up on Spotify and haven’t been able to stop listening to it.

With a good soundtrack sorted out all I needed was a good cake recipe to bake, and the limes in my fridge sent me directly to a couple of recipes with lime published by Dan Lepard on The Guardian ages ago – the cake turned out moist and delicious, and I thought it was a nice change from the usual marble cakes.

Lime syrup marble cake
slightly adapted from Dan Lepard

Cake:
finely grated zest of 3 limes
¾ cup + 2 tablespoons (175g) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons canola oil
3 medium eggs*
150g plain yogurt
1/3 cup (75g) unsalted butter, melted
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups (210g) all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
pinch of salt

Syrup:
1/3 cup (80ml) fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Lightly butter a 20x10cm (8x4in) loaf pan, line it with baking paper and butter it as well.

Place zest and sugar in a large bowl and rub them together until sugar is fragrant. Add oil and eggs, whisk until creamy, then whisk in the yogurt, melted butter and vanilla. Whisk in the flour, baking powder and salt, then tip two-thirds of the mix into the pan. Beat the cocoa into the remaining batter, spoon this into the pan over the yellow batter and gently swirl the two together. Bake for 50 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for five minutes. Meanwhile, mix the lime juice and sugar until you have a clear syrup. Prick the cake with a toothpick, then gradually spoon the syrup over the cake, waiting for the syrup to be absorbed before pouring more.
Cool completely in the pan.

* I had only large eggs at home, so I chose the smallest three I could find and used them in the recipe

Serves 6-8

Marbled sour cream pound cake with white chocolate icing

A while ago I nominated Flo Braker and Lisa Yockelson the Queens of Pound Cakes but now I have to add another name to that fabulous list: Alisa Huntsman, who to me was already the Queen of Layer Cakes, kicks ass in other fields, too, and her pound cakes have become favorites of mine, not only because they are insanely tender and delicious but also because her pound cake recipes from this wonderful book make more than one cake, and to me that is always a bonus. :)

I’ve had my share of marbled cakes and always felt that the chocolate part was usually a bit on the dry side, but not here: this cake is sheer perfection and to be honest with you the icing is not even necessary.

Marbled sour cream pound cake with white chocolate icing
cake from the absolutely delicious Desserts from the Famous Loveless Cafe and icing from the equally wonderful Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook

Cake:
1 ¾ sticks (200g) unsalted butter, softened
1 ¾ cups (350g) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
2 ¼ cups (315g) unbleached all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
2/3 cup sour cream*
85g (3oz) dark chocolate, melted and slightly cooled

Icing:
¾ cup (105g) confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons whole milk, room temperature
65g (2¼ oz) best-quality white chocolate, melted and cooled

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter two 20x10x5cm (8x4x2in) loaf pans, line with baking paper and butter the paper as well.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the whole eggs and egg yolks in 2 or 3 additions, scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat to incorporate. Sift the flour, baking soda and salt into the batter, add the sour cream and fold with a rubber spatula until batter is evenly blended.
Measure out 2 cups of the batter into another bowl. Add the chocolate and mix to combine. Spoon both vanilla and chocolate batters into prepared pans in layers, alternating spoonfuls of vanilla and chocolate. To create marbling, run a table knife (or wooden skewer) through the batters in a swirling motion.
Bake for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Cool in the pans over a wire rack for 5 minutes, then very carefully unmold, remove the paper and let cool completely on the rack.

Icing: in a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar and milk. The mixture should have the consistency of thin sour cream. Add the melted chocolate and whisk until glaze is smooth. If it is too thin, add more sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time; if too thick, add more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time. Immediately pour over the cake.

* homemade sour cream: to make 1 cup of sour cream, mix 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream with 2-3 teaspoons lemon juice in a bowl. Whisk until it starts to thicken. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 1 hour or until thicker (I usually leave mine on the counter overnight – except on very warm nights – and it turns out thick and silky in the following morning; refrigerate for a creamier texture)

Makes 2 cakes, each serving 6

Nutella swirl pound cake

So apparently many of you have been making croûtons using a frying pan and I was the last one to jump on the bandwagon... OK, no problem. :) Now tell me: what about a marble cake made with Nutella? Have you guys tried it? Because I’d never seen it before buying this book and now I want to bake it every weekend. :D

Nutella swirl pound cake
slightly adapted from Cake Keeper Cakes: 100 Simple Recipes for Extraordinary Bundt Cakes, Pound Cakes, Snacking Cakes and Other Good-To-The-Last-Crumb Treats

4 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ½ cups (210g) all purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup (226g/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 ¼ cups (250g) granulated sugar
1 jar (13oz/364g) Nutella – I used 350g (the size of Nutella jars here in Brazil)

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter a round 20cm (8in) cake pan, line the bottom with baking paper and butter the paper as well*.
Combine the eggs and vanilla in a small bowl and lightly whisk with a fork. Set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. With the mixer on medium-low speed, pour the egg mixture into the bowl in a slow stream, stopping the mixer once or twice to scrape the sides of the bowl.
Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture, ½ cup at a time. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally. After the last addition, mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.
Scrape 1/3 of the batter into the prepared pan. Smooth the surface. Spread ½ of the Nutella over the batter and smooth with a cleaned spatula. Scrape another 1/3 of the batter over the Nutella and smooth. Scrape the remaining Nutella over the batter and smooth. Spread the remaining batter over the Nutella and smooth the top. Run a butter knife blade through the batter to create marbling – do not overmix.
Bake the cake until risen and golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan over a wire rack for 15 minutes, then carefully unmold it. Peel off the baking paper then invert it onto the rack. Cool completely before slicing and serving.
Keep cake in a cake keeper or wrapped in plastic at room temperature for up to 3 days

*you can bake this recipe in a 22.5x12.5cm (9x5in) loaf pan (buttered and dusted with flour). Bake it for 1 hour /1 hour and 10 minutes

Serves 8-10

Tangerine chocolate marble cake with tangerine icing

I keep telling you about recipes that go wrong and how I do not give up on them. This cake is sort of an example: I made the chocolate orange marble cake from DH mag (#44) and it turned out miserable - an 8-cup capacity pan would not hold that much batter, but I insisted on trusting the recipe. I ended up tossing the whole cake. :(

I decided to make it again – I adore marble cakes – and used a slightly different recipe (same source, though) and a larger pan. Tangerines replaced oranges and went along with the chocolate batter. The cake turned out delicious.

Still on the “not-giving-up-mood”, I finished watching “In Bruges” – I cannot believe how wrong I was. The movie is great and went straight to my list. ;)

Tangerine chocolate marble cake with tangerine icing
slightly adapted from the always wonderful and foolproof Modern Classics Book 2

Cake:
250g unsalted butter, softened
1 1/3 cups + 1 tablespoon (278g) superfine sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs
2 ¼ cups (315g) all purpose flour
2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
1 cup (240ml) whole milk, room temperature
¼ cup (23g) cocoa powder, sifted
finely grated zest of 3 tangerines
2 tablespoons superfine sugar, extra
1 tablespoon whole milk, extra

Icing:
1 cup (140g) icing sugar
1 tablespoon tangerine juice, more if necessary

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter generously a 10-cup capacity Bundt pan.
Place the butter, sugar and vanilla in the large bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition (scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally). Sift the flour, baking powder and salt over the butter mixture and fold through with the milk. Pour half of the batter into another bowl and add the tangerine zest. To the other bowl, add the cocoa, extra milk and sugar and stir to combine. Drop alternate spoonfuls of the two batters into the prepared pan, the swirl lightly with a butter knife to give the cake a marbled effect. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until risen and golden and a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes then carefully unmold onto a wire rack (if using a silicone pan follow the manufacturer’s instructions). Cool completely.
Make the icing: sift the icing sugar into a small bowl. Add the tangerine juice and mix until spreadable consistency. Spread over the cake.

Serves 10-12