Mini chocolate and vanilla marble cake

Chocolate or vanilla? If you like them equally and always have the same dilemma, I bring you the solution courtesy of this delicious Chocolate and vanilla marble cake recipe, in mini format. This way you won’t have to give up either one and you’ll be able to savor the best of both worlds in every bite.

This is one of those recipes that you enjoy from start to finish; from the moment we open the cocoa packet and the jar of vanilla paste, and their aromas begin to emerge, until the moment we finish the last crumb. With its layers of vanilla and chocolate embraced, the oven will treat us to such a delicious aroma while it bakes that you'll leave every door open so it reaches every last corner of the house.

As with all delicious things, you should enjoy them in moderation, we’ll make the cake in a mini format using the Le Creuset 18,5 cm non-stick rectangular baking pan, in which not even that last crumb we pick up with a fingertip will stick. Plus, we'll have it ready in no time thanks to its excellent heat distribution and retention, the same as its bigger siblings, the 23 cm and 30 cm pans.

No more choosing between vanilla and chocolate with this mini marble cake recipe I’m sharing below. Let’s get to it!

Le Creuset Nonstick Rectangular Baking Pan

Ingredients

• 120 g of melted butter
• 110 g of icing sugar
• 3 free-range eggs
• 120 g of whey or buttermilk*
• 5 ml of vanilla paste
• 200 g of cake flour
• 7,5 g baking powder (leavening agent)
• 2,5 g of sodium bicarbonate
• 1 pinch of salt
• 20 g of cocoa powder

*If you make fresh cheese at home, you'll have whey to prepare this recipe. If not, don't worry; you can use milk or a plant-based milk, such as oat milk.

Production

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
2. Cover the Le Creuset 18,5 cm loaf pan with parchment paper.
3. Melt the butter and set it aside.
4. With an electric mixer, beat the sugar and eggs until the volume doubles and the color is lighter.
5. Whisk the melted and cooled butter together with the buttermilk and vanilla paste. Slowly, while gently whisking, add the buttermilk mixture to the eggs and sugar.
6. Sift the flour, salt, and baking powder, and add it to the wet ingredients, little by little, using gentle folding motions, until incorporated.
7. Divide the dough into two separate containers.
8. Sift the cocoa powder into one of the bowls and gently mix until you see the cocoa is fully incorporated.
9. Pour the batters into the rectangular pan, alternating them to create a marbled effect, starting with vanilla, followed by chocolate, then repeat.
10. Insert a knife or a skewer into the batter and move it in a zigzag pattern.
11. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until you insert a skewer into the batter and it comes out clean.
12. Cool in the pan for 20 minutes before unmolding and let rest on a cooling rack before cutting.

Notes:

• You can serve the mini sponge cake as is, or top it with a little melted chocolate or a simple icing made with powdered sugar and water.
• Remember that oven times are always approximate; the best way to tell if your mini cake is done is to poke the batter with a toothpick.
• As we mentioned, if you don't have whey you can make the cake without any problem by replacing it with milk or your usual plant milk. If you feel like making cheese so you'll have whey for your next cake, here you can see how to do it.