Marble Cake Lightened Up!

I've been baking (and eating!) but not blogging. Whoops! Moving on, last weekend we had some guests coming over at "coffee time" on a Sunday to catch up with us before watching the World Cup final. We need something to serve them with the caffeine, so it meant it was time to bake... but I guess it's time to bake all day every day anyways. 

I wanted to make something that was well liked by everyone, yummy, yet elegant. Marble cake is what came to mind. Regular marble cake follows along the lines of a pound cake with part of the batter getting flavored with chocolate. Why is this different, you ask? Well it's not pound cake, per se. You won't find a pound of butter, nor a pound of sugar in this lightened-up version of marble cake! In that sense, it fit my bill perfectly. It's perfectly light to be eaten any time of day. If you're looking for a super rich, decadent marble cake, I'd have to admit that this won't satisfy your cravings. But let me assure you... this is some gooood marble cake!

It's baked up in a loaf pan, which I love because loaves are generally fuss-free, yet always presentable! This one is just that: very easy to put together, and looks wonderful too! This marble cake is moist, and the chocolate and vanilla flavors and mellow, so feel free to up the cocoa or vanilla extract if you want a more potent flavor. It's just the right sweetness, making it perfect for a snack.

The best part about marble cake (for me!) is the marbling itself. There's just something about the way the chocolate batter is swirled through the vanilla batter. And cutting a slice and seeing that beauty... it just takes my breath away. And then you eat it.

Convinced? I see marble cake being your next afternoon snack!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

1/4 cup coconut oil

3/4 cup unrefined sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup plain yogurt

2 tbsp cocoa powder

2 tbsp melted baking chocolate

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 175 C. Line a loaf pan with baking paper and set aside. 

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt.

In a separate, medium bowl, beat together the coconut oil and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs, beating after each addition. Mix in the yogurt and vanilla extract until smooth.

Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the wet into the dry, stirring until just combined.

Separate the batter into two approximate halves, with one slightly more than the other. In the lesser one, add the cocoa powder and baking chocolate and stir gently to combine.

Pour/spoon a thin layer of the vanilla batter into the loaf pan to coat the bottom. After this, spoon the chocolate and vanilla batters in a checkerboard pattern of two layers. Once all the batter has been added, take a butter knife and very gently swirl it through the batter to create the marble effect. Be sure not to overdo the swirling, otherwise you'll be left with a light brown loaf with strands of vanilla batter rather than the gorgeous marble effect.

Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. At this point, the top should also be golden brown (in the vanilla areas, of course). Cool in the pan for a few minutes, then place on a wire rack to cool.

Slice into thick slices, gape at your creating and take a big bite.

Enjoy!