Danza's Birthday Cake!

Hey everyone! I haven't been keeping up with my blogging. Sorry, the fall is just a busy time for us here in Minnesota! Hunting Season was upon us, with no luck. Then it seemed to be the ickies sickies season here at the Rolin house. We are doing much better now, but now the Holiday Season is upon us once more and we are getting ready to celebrate with our families.

Even though I'm busy busy, I've made a resolution to keep up with my blogging in 2012! Crazy that that is the year already! Wasn't I just in high school? Instead I turned the big 30 a couple of weeks ago! Just absolutely craziness!

Anyways, what I would like to share with you all today is a Chocolate Marble Cake I made for a friend of mine who's daughter is turning 4 years old today! She showed me a picture of what her little girl wanted and it was a pretty busy cake, and she required the color purple as that is her favorite color. I didn't have the picture to reference, but I had a good idea of what she would like, and here was what I created for her! I carved her initial out of cake using a cardboard stencil I made, frosted it and then covered with fondant and border.

Here's a really great recipe I found for Marble Cake...so moist and delicious!

Marble Cake {Adapted from Martha Stewart}

Makes one 9-inch Layer, {Triple Recipe for 3 layers}

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ¾ cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup buttermilk, room temperature
¼ cup milk
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon Dutch-process cocoa powder
¼ cup hot water

Cake Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9" cake pan with parchment paper and spray with baking PAM; set aside.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
3. In a stand mixer, {fitted with the paddle attachment} beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined, scrap down the sides of the bowl, beat another minute. Add vanilla.
4. Add flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the buttermilk and beginning and ending with the flour. Add ¼ cup of milk at the end. Set aside 1/3 of the batter.
5. In a bowl, mix cocoa and 1/4 cup plus 2 TLB. hot water until smooth. Add the cocoa mixture to the reserved cake batter; stir until well combined.
6. Pour white mix into bottom of cake pan in one layer, and pour the cocoa mix on top for the 2nd layer. To create marbling, run a table knife through the batters in a swirling motion.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Transfer pan to a rack to cool 10 minutes. Turn out cake from pan and cool completely on the rack.

Anyways...I'm off to go deliver the cake! Have a great weekend!

Hugs,
Heather R.