Friday, May 21, 2010

Marble Cake

So, Wednesday was Ryan's 14th birthday. That forced me to acknowledge today that I have to enroll him in our local high school. I really didn't want to, but, on the other hand, I don't want him to tell me I ruined his life by making him stay home forever. (True story: one of my older sons told me that I ruined his entire slementary through high school experience by making him wear pullover sweaters to first grade, and everyone made fun of him for that until he graduated from high school. After hearing enough of this - like the second repetition - I told him to stuff it. All true.)

The traditional birthday cake in our house is marble cake. Plenty of times I've used a box, but I've recently been forced to learn to make a marble cake from scratch. So here's the recipe, just in case any of you have a burning desire to make one.

MARBLE CAKE

2-1/2 cups flour
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup (1 stick or 1/4 pound) butter, softened
3/4 cup milk
5 egg yolks
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

3 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp milk


Sift the dry ingredients together into a mixing bowl. Add the butter and 3/4 cup milk, and beat for 2 minutes. Add the egg yolks, 1/2 cup milk and vanilla extract, and beat 2 minutes more. Pour 2/3 of this batter into a 13"x9" baking pan. To the remaining batter, add the cocoa powder and 1 tbsp milk, and beat for a minute, until it's combined. Drop by spoonsful into the vanilla cake, and swirl with a knife. Bake at 350F for 36 to 42 minute, until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

If you don't want to make the cake from scratch, just follow the directions from adding the cocoa powder on, using a yellow cake mix. No one will be the wiser.

Frost with a good buttercream frosting, and enjoy.

Oh, and save the 5 egg whites for a daffodil cake, which I will tell you about on Monday.

11 comments:

Paula said...

So ... is he interested in participating in the Iditarod? Love the sled dogs on the cake! We'll have to console each other next year when our kids go off to high school. Sniffle. Mine are really looking forward to going ... how about Ryan? Of course, that means my son will have to get up early in the morning. Ha! Love his cake ... you know that my wedding cake was marble flavor!

Christo Gonzales said...

happy birthday - maybe this one should wear pullover sweaters to high school as an experiment....

Pam said...

I've never made a marble cake but now I want to try - it looks amazing. I bet he will have fun in high school.

Barbara said...

And a Happy Birthday to him! It looks like everyone LOVED your cake!

waikikimum said...

Happy Birthday to your son and that cake looks soooo yummy. Hope he enjoys school.

pam said...

Happy Birthday to Ryan! So, do your kids get nervous going to the public high school, since they didn't attend the middle school?

Diane said...

I am sure there was little left of that cake. Looking forward to the daffodil cake. Diane

SissySees said...

Happy birthday, Ryan!

Somehow, I don't see Thor racing across the frozen tundra...

buffalodick said...

I was in Public Schools when my parents decided Sunday wasn't enough church for me and talked of sending me to Christian school..I told them I would leave home first- and I wasn't kidding, either!

gMarie said...

Happy Birthday to your boy. I'm sorry he'll be flying the nest to go to high school.

Funny thing is - my oldest still blames me for ruining her life by moving from Montana between 1st and 2nd grade. thing is, it was move or starve. I thought feeding them was a good idea :) g

grace said...

pretty, on the inside and outside! i bow to your decorating prowess--i'm practically inept at doing such things, but i AM a good eater. :)