Marbled bundt cake

This year has really taken me by surprise, it feels like just the other day I was thinking to myself that another two months of cold, wet winter days awaits us and somehow, here we are, on the official 4th day of Spring, but really the first. The birds seem to know it, the trees seem to know it and the definate smell of Spring hangs in the air as the sun is setting over the mountain. As happy as I am about Spring making it's first appearance I still have some Winter recipes to share before I start day-dreaming about pink peaches and plums, floral fabrics and pretty things...

My life has been somewhat of a whirlwind lately, studying part-time, food styling and catering. So much so that I have been a little bad with blogging regularly I'm afraid. So this is a very apt recipe for just a time as this, when you're trying to do the laundry, finish some work on your laptop and quickly bake a friend a wow-factor birthday cake, all before the day is out... 

There was a time I was baking 15 of theses marble loaves a day when I was working at La Maison de Gourmet! Just the thought makes me tired and this was just one of the items on my daily production list! Now I stick to one at a time, I'm happy to report.

Ingredients:

250g butter

250g castor sugar

4 eggs

420g flour

2 tbsp baking powder

1 cup milk

1/4 cup cocoa

2 tbsp espresso or strong filter coffee

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

In a large bowl, beat the sugar and the butter together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one.

Sift the flour and the baking powder together and add half of the dry ingredients to the butter mix then add half a cup of milk. Repeat with the remaining dry ingredients and the rest of the milk.

Divide the batter into two bowls, equal amounts.

Add the vanilla extract to the one bowl and the sifted cocoa and coffee to the other bowl.

Mix each batter well.

Grease a large bundt cake tin and spoon alternate dollops of cocoa and vanilla batter into the tin.

Using a skewer, swirl the batters to create a marbled effect.

Bake for 40-50 minutes until an inserted skewer comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack and served drizzled with ganache or simply dusted with icing sugar.

For a simply ganache: Measure equal weight of good quality dark chocolate and cream in separate bowls. Heat the cream to boiling point and throw it over the chopped chocolate. Allow it to stand for 5 minutes, then with a whisk, mix the mixture until all the chocolate is melted. Pour this over the cake when it has cooled and garnish with pomegranate pips and pistachios.

Enjoy!