Marble Cake

*  2 cups all-purpose flour
    * 2 teaspoons baking powder
    * 1/2 teaspoon salt
    * 1 cup white sugar ( I used 1 cup granulated sugar and then grinded it)
    * 1/2 cup butter, softened
    * 2 eggs
    * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    * 1 cup milk
    * 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1. Grease and line an 8" round pan and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). 

2. Beat the butter with the sugar until light and creamy. Then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

3. Now add a third of the flour and beat until combined, then add half the milk. Again beat the batter until milk is mixed in. Add another third of the flour, mix it in, and then add the remaining milk. Finally add the last of the flour and the vanilla essence. Beat just until everything is well combined.

4. Stir cocoa into the 3/4 cup reserved batter and mix well

5. Pour the vanilla batter into prepared pan then pour the chocolate batter on top of it. Using a knife, swirl everything together to create a marble effect. 

 6. Bake in a regular preheated oven at 180 C for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean.

Remove from pan and let it cool completely before icing and slicing.

I decorated with powdered sugar but once can frost with butter cream frosting too. 

Zebra Cake

INGREDIENTS
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup (8 oz / 250 g) granulated sugar ( I added bit more)
1 cup (8 fl oz / 250 ml) milk, at room temperature
1 cup (8 fl oz / 250 ml) oil (corn, vegetable or canola is fine)
2 cups (10 oz / 300 g) all-purpose flour
1/3 teaspoon vanilla powder
1 tablespoon (equals 3 teaspoons) baking powder (if not available, substitute with 1 teaspoon baking soda)
2 tablespoons dark cocoa powder (make sure it is not very bitter) such as Dutch-processed ( Dark zebra patterns won’t stand out with light cocoa powder)

Method

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs and sugar. Using a hand-held electric mixer or wire whisk beat until the mixture is creamy and light in color

2. Add milk and oil, and continue beating until well blended.

3. In a separate bowl, combine and mix flour, vanilla powder and baking powder. Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and beat just until the batter is smooth and the dry ingredients are thoroughly incorporated.  (DO NOT OVERBEAT to prevent air pockets from forming in the batter.

This is the consistency of the batter: neither very thick not too loose. If the mixture is too thin, add a little more flour.

4. Divide the mixture into 2 equal portions. Keep one portion plain. Add cocoa powder into another and mix well.

5. Preheat the oven to 350F (180C).

6. Lightly grease the pan with oil. If you don’t have non-stick baking pan, grease whatever pan you have then line it with parchment paper (baking paper).

7. The most important part is assembling the cake batter in a baking pan. This is what you do. Scoop 3 heaped tablespoons of plain batter (you can also use a ladle that would hold 3 tablespoons) into the middle of the baking pan. Then scoop 3 tablespoons of cocoa batter and pour it in the center on top of the plain batter. IMPORTANT! Do not stop and wait until the previous batter spreads - KEEP GOING! Do not spread the batter or tilt the pan to distribute the mixture. It will spread by itself and fill the pan gradually. Continue alternating the batters until you finish them. The pictures below will guide you through.
his is how the cake will look before it goes in the oven.

8. Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes. Do not open the oven door at least the first 20 minutes or the cake will shrink and will not rise. To check if the cake is ready, insert a toothpick into the center. It should come out clean when ready. Remove from the oven. Immediately run a small thin knife around the inside of the pan to loosen the cake, then invert the cake onto a cooking rack. Turn the cake back over and let cool. You can sprinkle the top of the cake with some powdered (confectioner’s) sugar or leave it plain.

I coated it with chocolate ganache recipe from here

And some strawberry and white chocolate drops ( Using piping bag is better for this as my experiment was messy)

Date Walnut Cake

Inspired by Fauzia's Kitchen

Ingredients

1 cup self-rising flour (120gm) or For every cup of plain flour, add 1 and a half tsp of baking powder and a pinch of salt. Sieve together and use. ( I used plain)

½ cup all-purpose/plain flour (60gm)

150 gm. chopped dates (de-seeded then weighed) (three-quarter cup)

1 cup of very hot water or milk (200ml) ( I used milk)

1 ½  tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. vanilla essence

2 tbsp. soft unsalted butter (30gm)

1 egg, lightly beaten

¼ cup sugar (50gm) ( I used 1 cup as I prefer sweet)

¼ cup crushed nuts (optional) ( I used walnuts) 

Instructions

1. Put the chopped dates in a bowl, sprinkle the baking soda then add the cup of boiling water. Mix together, then cover and set aside for about 15-20 minutes until the mixture thickens and cools.

2.Grease a loaf pan/  and line with baking paper. You can also use an 8" round pan ( I used cake pan)

3.Sieve the two flours together, then add the nuts into them if you are using. Toss together so that the nuts are well coated with flour.

4.Mix the sugar and butter until creamy (you can use a machine or by hand), then add the egg and mix until the egg is well combined. Add the vanilla and beat for a few more minutes. Now add the dates mixture and stir using a spatula or wooden spoon. Add the flours with the nuts, and fold into the mixture until well-combined.

5.Pour into the prepared pan, and bake in a preheated oven at 180C for about 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.