Marble Cake with Ganache

We are celebrating my birthday week with some desserts, which I haven't made in quite a while so I was due.  What better way to celebrate my birthday than with my favorite cake?  I was also adventurous and made Chocolate Mousse for the office (featured tomorrow!)!

 

{Marble cake with ganache}

 

{Cake flour--find it in the bakery isle typically on the very top or bottom shelf}

{Sifted dry ingredients}

  

{Cake batter mixed up}

 

{Separate cake batters into almost half (less for the chocolate)}

 {Mix cocoa into hot water and then add to the bowl with less batter--mix thoroughly}

 

{Two separate batters}

 {Checkerboard the batters}

 {Marble cake with a knife}

 

{Baked cake}

 

{Ganache is a chocolate icing made from dark chocolate and heavy cream}

 

{Heat cream slowly and add chocolate}

 

{Stir until melted}

 

{Cool and pour over cake--I spread it a bit so it coated the cake evenly}

Marble Cake

from The Shiksa in the Kitchen

Makes 1 loaf cake

1 1/4 cup cake flour

1/2 cup dry instant vanilla pudding mix (about one small 3.4 oz package)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 tsp almond extract
3/4 cup milk, room temperature
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup very hot water

1. Preheat oven to 350. 
2. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the cake flour, vanilla pudding mix (in dry powdered form), baking powder, and salt.
3. In a larger mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to whip together the butter, sugar, eggs and almond extract for a few minutes till the mixture turns light yellow.
4. Beat in half of the milk and half of the sifted flour mixture, then beat in the remaining milk and flour mixture. Whip until the batter is smooth and creamy.
5. Rinse and dry the medium mixing bowl that you used for the sifted flour.  Pour a little less than half of the cake batter into the medium mixing bowl that you rinsed out. 
6. Whisk the cocoa powder and hot water until smooth; add the cocoa mixture to the bowl with less than half of batter.  Stir until fully combined and smooth. This is your chocolate marbling batter.  Reserve the rest of the batter—this is your light cake marbling batter. 
7. Generously grease your loaf pan using butter or cooking spray. Pour the light and dark cake batters into your loaf pan and marble them. If you don't know how, check out this post with printable instructions on How to Marble a Cake 
8. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 
9. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes.
10. Carefully remove the cake from the pan and let it cool completely on the rack.
11. Serve or ice with ganache (see below).

Ganache

Makes about 1 1/2 cups or enough to ice one loaf cake

6 oz dark chocolate
4.5 oz heavy cream

1. Heat cream--DO NOT BOIL.
2. Add chocolate to cream once it is hot.
3. Stir until chocolate is melted.
4. Take off the burner and allow to cool about 15 minutes.
5. Pour over cake.

What is your favorite dessert that you indulge with at your birthday?

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