Marble Loaf Cake
- Prep Time: 25
- Cook Time: 65
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla bean paste
⅓ cup prune puree
2/3 cup + 2 tablespoons whole milk, divided and at room temperature
3 tablespoons dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
Ganache Topping
1 (4-ounce) quality semi-sweet chocolate bar, finely chopped or chocolate morsels
3 tablespoons heavy cream
3 tablespoons prune juice
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F and generously grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.
Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the oil and beat until combined. The mixture will still be quite creamy. Add the eggs and beat on high speed for 1 minute and then beat in the sour cream and vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. The mixture will be lumpy—that’s ok. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Turn the mixer to low speed, and as the mixer runs, slowly pour in 2/3 cup milk. Beat on low speed just until all of the ingredients are combined. Do not over-mix. You may need to whisk it all by hand to make sure there are no large lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be slightly thick.
You’ll have around 3-3.5 cups of batter. Transfer a little less than half to another bowl. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of milk, cocoa powder, and the espresso powder.
Spread a thin layer of the plain vanilla batter in the bottom of your prepared loaf pan. Now, you will layer spoonfuls of each batter on top—cover the bottom vanilla layer with a few spoonfuls of the chocolate batter, then a few spoonfuls of the vanilla batter, then more chocolate batter, then more vanilla batter, and so on until all of the cake batter is used. Gently shake the pan to level out the layers.
Bake for about 65-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. That time is a guideline—all ovens differ, so keep an eye on the cake after 50 minutes. If the cake is browning too quickly on top, loosely tent it with aluminum foil as it bakes.
Cool the cake in the pan and set it on a wire rack for 30 minutes before removing it from the pan. The cake will slightly sink as it cools. Feel free to continue cooling the cake directly on a wire rack, or you can top it and slice it while it’s still slightly warm after 30 minutes of cooling inside the pan.
Place the chocolate and cream in a double boiler or a medium heat-safe bowl set over a medium saucepan of simmering water. Do not let the bottom of the bowl touch the water. Stir frequently until the chocolate has melted and the ganache is smooth. Remove from heat and set aside at room temperature for 20-30 minutes or until slightly thickened.
Drizzle or spread topping on the loaf cake. Topping sets into a fudge-like consistency after several hours.
Notes
Cover leftovers tightly and store cake (with or without ganache) at room temperature for 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Prune puree:
- 16 ounces pitted California prunes
- 1 1/2 cups hot water
Nutrition
- Serving Size: One slice
- Calories: 425
- Sugar: 27.4 g
- Sodium: 87.7 mg
- Fat: 23.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 51.5 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 67.9 mg
Find it online: https://thismessisours.com/loaf-cake/
