Marble Cake

With leftover white chocolate from this Valentine Cake recipe, it was time to try out this recipe, a page in my Martha Stewart Baking Handbook, that has been doggy-eared for quite some time, a couple years possibly.

I think the real star that shines in this show is the glaze. The cake itself is tasty on its own, not to mention it's fun appearance, but the glaze really gives it some umph. You know? As most glazes and frostings do. You may also substitute semi-sweet chocolate for the white chocolate in the glaze if you prefer- a win-win situation I think!

My only caveat is not to get overly hyper or excited when swirling the two different cake batters. If you overdo the marbling, as Martha says, "it won't be as beautiful". Oh fine. Point taken.

Other than that, it's a simple one and sits pretty on a plate in the kitchen.

Marble Cake with White-Chocolate Glaze

1 stick butter, room temperature, plus more for pan

1 3/4 cups cake flour (not self-rising)

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla

2/3 cup buttermilk, room temperature

1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp cocoa powder

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp boiling water

White-Chocolate glaze (recipe is below)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 x 5" cake pan most generously and set aside. Whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

In a bowl, beat the sugar and butter until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrap down the sides of bowl after each egg. Mix in the vanilla. Add the flour in batches, alternating with the buttermilk and ending with flour. Set aside 1/3 of the batter.

In a bowl, mix the cocoa with the boiling water until smooth. Add the cocoa mixture to the reserved cake batter, stirring well until combined.

Spoon batters into prepared pan in two layers, alternating spoonfuls of vanilla and chocolate to create a checkerboard. To create the marbling, run a table knife or wooden skewer through the batters in a swirling motion.

Bake about 40-50 minutes until the middle of the cake is just done. Cool in pan about 10 minutes and then turn out cake from the pan and let it cool completely on a wire rack. Pour glaze over cake and allow it drip down the sides. Cake lasts in an airtight container for about 3 days.

White Chocolate Glaze

3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more if needed

2 Tbsp milk, plus more if needed

2 1/4 ounces white chocolate, melted and cooled

In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and milk. The mixture should have the consistency of thin sour cream. Add the melted chocolate and whisk until the glaze is smooth. If it is too thin, add more sugar, 1 tbsp at a time. If it's too thick, add more milk, 1 tsp at a time. Use immediately.