Marble cake is one of those cakes almost every Portuguese family has a version of. Moist and fluffy, with swirls of chocolate running through an orange-and-coconut batter, it rarely lasts long once it is sliced.
The secret to a great marble cake is flavoring the plain batter with something that loves chocolate: coconut, vanilla and orange are the classics, and this version uses both orange and coconut. The swirling is the fun part, and a great job to hand to anyone helping in the kitchen.
If your sweet tooth is calling, roll up your sleeves and get baking. And if you have little helpers at home, put them to work — on the condition that they help clean up afterwards, of course. Enjoy!
Marble Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup softened butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 5 eggs
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup orange juice
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup grated coconut
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 to 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Beat the softened butter with the sugar until fluffy and smooth.
- Add the egg yolks one by one, mixing between each addition.
- Fold in the orange zest and grated coconut gently.
- Add the flour and baking powder and beat until you get a smooth, lump-free batter.
- Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form and fold them gently into the batter.
- Divide the batter into 2 roughly equal portions.
- Mix the cocoa powder into one portion, adding a splash of milk so it stays as light as the plain batter (otherwise it will sink in the pan).
- Pour the batters into the cake pan in alternating layers until both are used up, then swirl with a spatula to create the marble effect.
- Bake for about 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- While the cake is still warm, drizzle with 1 cup of hot milk.
- Sprinkle with ½ tablespoon sugar and the zest of half an orange, then serve.
Enjoy our recipes? Add Maria’s Cookbook as a preferred source on Google to see more of our content in your search results.
