Chocolate Marble Cake

Never go to the grocery store hungry. It should be a law. Because, while it may be a rule, it's one that easily gets broken. Not long ago, I went to the grocery store with SoBA and we were both hungry at the checkout. That's when we spotted the Entemann's Marble Pound Cake single serving at the "impulse buy display." So I bought one. And we ate it. And it was good.

Later this week, many of my co-workers will gather to celebrate my friend and colleague (and sometime commenter here), NJM, who will start a new job a week from today. Mrs. BA has promised to make a cake, maybe not the marble cake below, but perhaps this one.

So here's a recipe for Chocolate Marble cake. But would it be good as pound cake bought while hungry at the grocery store?

Chocolate Marble Cake

For the cake:

• 100 grams (3 1/2 ounces) good-quality bittersweet chocolate
• 4 eggs
• 220 grams (1 cup plus 2 tablespoons) sugar (I use a blond unrefined cane sugar)
• 120 ml (1/2 cup) yogurt or buttermilk, or whipping cream
• 220 grams (7 3/4 ounces, about 1 2/3 cups) flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 120 grams (1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon) butter, melted and cooled (I use semi-salted, add a good pinch of salt if you use unsalted)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (possibly homemade)
• 1 tablespoon cacao nibs (optional)
  

For the syrup:

• 40 ml (1/6 cup) water
• 1 tablespoon cacao liqueur or liqueur/brandy of your choice (optional)
• 15 grams (1 rounded tablespoon) sugar
  

Makes one loaf.

Preheat the oven to 165°C (330°F); you can use the preheating oven to melt the butter, as described here. Use a little of the melted butter to grease a loaf pan. Mine is 9 x 26 cm (3 1/2 by 10 1/4 inches), but one that's 5 by 9 inches (12.7 x 22.8 cm) would be fine; it just needs to be about 1.6 liters (7 cups) in capacity.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave, and set aside. Combine the flour with the baking powder and set aside.

Prepare the two batters side by side: in the first mixing bowl, beat 2 of the eggs with half of the sugar. Add in half the yogurt and whisk to combine. In a second mixing bowl, beat the 2 remaining eggs with the rest of the sugar, and whisk in the rest of the yogurt.

Fold half of the flour mixture into the first batter, then incorporate half of the melted butter and the vanilla, without overmixing. Fold the remaining flour mixture into the second batter, then add the rest of the butter and the melted chocolate.

In the prepared pan, pour a third of the vanilla batter. Add in half of the chocolate batter, and sprinkle with half the cacao nibs if using. Add another third of the vanilla batter, then the rest of the chocolate batter. Sprinkle with the remaining cacao nibs, and top with the remaining vanilla batter.

Here is a visual illustration of the layering of the batters (V stands for the vanilla batter, C for the chocolate batter, and dots for the cacao nibs):

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.

While the cake bakes, place the syrup ingredients in a small pan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer, then remove from heat and set aside.

When the cake is baked, use a pastry brush to soak it with the syrup, until you've used it all up. Let rest for 30 minutes, then unmold and let cool on a rack. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.