I’ve been baking a lot recently and the most requested cake is my marble cake with buttercream icing. This recipe is Gluten free but I know the base cake recipe works just as well with bog standard flour. It could be dairy free too, if you use a dairy free spread for the cake and the icing!
Please note, I’m not a food blogger usually and am not a precise cook in general. Some of these measurements are approximate. If you want to look up a more precise chocolate icing recipe for example, go for it!
Ingredients:
Cake: 4 oz GF self raising flour
1/2 tsp Xanthan gum (omit if not GF)
4 oz caster sugar
4 oz margarine (can use butter but marg is best for a fluffy texture. butter makes it denser)
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
heaped tablespoon of Cocoa (more if you prefer a darker chocolate flavour)
Buttercream:
4 oz butter or margarine
1 tsp vanilla extract
a drop of milk (a tsp or 2 max)
tablespoon of cocoa
Lots of icing sugar…I never measure but it’ll be at least 8oz I reckon
Method:
Preheat oven to gas mark 5
Prepare either baking tin or sponge cake tin. Makes 12 ish sponge buns. I currently use a Square 7×7 baking tin to make a big square cake I cut into 9 cubes. dump all cake ingredients EXCEPT the cocoa into a bowl and mix. I use a hand whisk. Mix for a good few minutes, you should see the volume of the bowl increase, almost double and it will become light and fluffy.
Empty half of this into your baking pan or fill each cupcake cup about a third with this mix. Now add the cocoa to the remaining batter and mix until combined. add this into the baking pan (it works best if you just slop it in. no need to be neat) or on top of the vanilla mix in the cake cases. Uses a fork or spoon or chopstick to whirl the 2 colour batters together. Don’t over do this or you’ll not get the marbling.
Bake in the oven for approx 20 mins for cupcakes and 25 ish for bigger cake. It’s done when it’s gone golden on top and springs back to the touch.
Leave to cool (if you’re doing a big cake, it’s best to turn it out onto an airing rack not leave it in the tin) before icing.
The buttercream is easy too. Dump the butter, milk, vanilla and cocoa in a bowl and add a couple of heaped tablespoons of icing sugar. Mix together. Keep adding icing sugar until you get the required texture and flavour. This means tasting as you go. It’s a hard job, but someone has to do it. ;)
Add more milk if the mixture is too rigid (might happen with butter, less likely with marg) add more cocoa if it’s not chocolatey enough. slather said buttercream onto your cake/ sponge buns and you’re done!
