Sour Cream Marble Cake

I've been a very bad girl.

Rewinding a week or two back, I took a quick peek into the new ultra wide fridge a few days into moving. Peering into the frosty depths of the significantly deep vacuole, my vision locked on a semi-opened container. Oh gosh...sour cream and expiring in 2 days too. Resistance was futile and soon, the mixer was at work, churning out glorious batches of velvety smooth batter before being snatched up by clumsy hands sliding it into a well-buttered bundt pan.

When the alarm chimed ( simultaneously with the bustle of the sofa movers), a crown of sweet marbled goodness stood before me. Needless to say, I had no resolution whatsoever. I attacked! chomping on the confection slowly but surely.



Bad? I've been absolutely corrupt.

I can't believe I ate the entire cake by myself.



Sour Cream Marble Cake
adapted from Carole Walter's 'Great Coffee Cakes'

Makes one 9 - inch Bundt cake, 10 to 12 servings

AT A GLANCE

Pan: 9 - inch Bundt pan
Pan Prep: Butter generously/flour
Oven temp: 350°F
Baking time: 55 to 60 minutes

Weaving together swirls of deep chocolate and creamy vanilla, this sour cream marble cake is an irresistible taste combination any time your sweet tooth calls. It never ceases to amaze me that so many people are drawn to these contrasts of flavors and colors. To achieve a beautiful marbled affect, be sure to follow the directions carefully. If the batter is overworked, the layers of chocolate and vanilla will not be clearly defined.


MARBLING

3 ounces fine - quality bittersweet chocolate, such as Lindt, coarsely chopped (see pages 387-388)
4 teaspoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons Dutch - process cocoa powder
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
3 tablespoons water
1⁄4 teaspoon baking soda
BATTER

21⁄2 cups sifted cake flour, spooned in and leveled
11⁄2 teaspoons baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
11⁄4 cups sour cream
1⁄4 cup milk
11⁄2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3⁄4 cup (11⁄2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly firm
11⁄2 cups superfine sugar
4 large eggs
Powdered sugar, for dusting
1. Position the rack in the lower third of the oven. Heat the oven to 350°F. Generously butter a 9 - inch Bundt pan, dust with flour, then invert the pan over the kitchen sink and tap firmly to remove the excess flour. Set aside.

Make the Marbling

2. Melt the chocolate and butter in a 2 - quart bowl set over a pot of simmering water. (The bottom of the bowl should not touch the water.) Stir in the cocoa powder, corn syrup, and water, mixing until smooth. Remove from the heat and blend in the baking soda. Keep the chocolate mixture warm over the water bath while you prepare the batter.

Make the Batter

3. In a large bowl, thoroughly whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.

4. In a medium bowl, combine the sour cream, milk, and vanilla. Set aside.

5. Cut the butter into 1 - inch pieces and place in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes, then add the superfine sugar, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, taking 6 to 8 minutes. Scrape down the side of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, at 30 - second intervals, scraping down the side of the bowl ­again.

6. Reduce the mixer speed to low. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the sour cream mixture, dividing the flour into three parts and the sour cream into two parts. Mix just until blended after each addition. Scrape down the side of the bowl as needed.

7. Remove the marbling mixture from the water bath. Measure 11⁄2 cups of the batter, and add it to the marbling mixture, folding the two mixtures together gently.

Finish the Cake

8. Spoon one - half of the vanilla batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with the back of a large soupspoon. Using about one - third of the chocolate batter, distribute spoonfuls evenly over the vanilla batter, smoothing it carefully to the edge and covering as much vanilla batter as possible. Spoon one - half of the remaining vanilla batter over the chocolate batter. Spread the remaining chocolate batter over the vanilla, then finish with the remaining vanilla batter. As each layer of vanilla batter is spread, cover as much of the chocolate as you can.

9. Insert a table knife almost to the bottom of the pan and gently lift the knife up, over, and down again to fold the batters together, making about 15 folds as you rotate the pan. Smooth the top of the batter with the back of a large soupspoon.

10. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes. The cake is done when the top is golden brown and firm to the touch, and a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

11. Remove the cake from the oven and let stand on a cooling rack for 15 to 20 minutes. Cover with a cooling rack, invert the cake, and carefully lift off the pan. Cool the cake completely on the rack. Just before serving, dust the top with powdered sugar.

Storage: Store under a glass cake dome or covered with plastic wrap for up to 5 days.

This cake may be frozen.