Chocolate Marble Bread
This cake is a combination of vanilla and chocolate batters that are swirled together. First, you need to preheat the oven to 350F. You will need a loaf bread pan and butter it with melted butter using a pastry brush (adds a little more buttery flavour to the cake) or just spray it with non-stick spray. Take a little piece of parchment paper and line it at the bottom of the pan. In a heatproof stainless steel bowl add semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, add coffee which is freshly brewed, or use water instead. Melt them together.
Remove them from heat and let them cool at room temperature. In your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter (at room temperature) until it is nice and smooth. Add sugar for about 3 minutes until it is light and fluffy. Add in eggs and vanilla extract for flavour, one at a time, until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
In a separate bowl, whisk or sift the cake flour (gives the marble bread low gluten nice soft tender crumb), use (all-purpose flour as a substitute) with the baking powder and salt (leave out if you used salted butter). With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture (in three additions) and sour cream (in two additions), beginning and ending with the flour.
Spoon a little less than half of the batter into a separate bowl and then stir in the melted chocolate. With two spoons, place a spoonful of the two batters alternately into your loaf pan (chocolate, white, chocolate, etc.). Run (don’t stir) a wooden skewer or toothpick through the two batters to achieve a marbled effect.
Bake in preheated oven for about 50 – 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre just comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan. Cool completely. Remove it from the pan using a spatula or knife to make sure it is not sticking. Store in a covered container at room temperature. It can also be frozen.
Ingredients;
- 4 ounces (115 grams) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons coffee or water
- 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (195 grams) cake flour, sifted
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) sour cream or plain yogurt, at room temperature
Instructions;
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Butter (or spray with a nonstick vegetable spray) a 9 by 5 x 3 inch (23 x 13 x 8 cm) loaf pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
- Melt the chocolate and coffee, in a stainless steel bowl that has been placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove from heat and set aside to cool to room temperature.
- In a separate bowl, whisk or sift the flour with the baking powder and salt.
- In your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract and eggs, one at a time, until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture (in three additions) and sour cream (in two additions), beginning and ending with the flour.
- Spoon a little less than half of the batter into a separate bowl and then stir in the melted chocolate.
- With two spoons, place spoonfuls of the two batters alternately into your loaf pan (chocolate, white, chocolate, etc.). Run (don’t stir) a wooden skewer or knife through the two batters to achieve a marbled effect.
- Bake in preheated oven for about 50 – 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre just comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan. Cool completely. Store in a covered container at room temperature. It can also be frozen.