For those surprise visits from friends and family, it is always to have a marble cake on hand. Everybody likes it and it can be kept for several days without going stale. This version of marble cake has a Christmas flavor to it, which from chocolate that is filled with spices and aromas like cinnamon and coriander. The chocolate I used was already very creamy, so it is perfect to use it as a frosting.
If you can't find a specific Christmas chocolate you can infuse the flavor yourself by adding ground cinnamon and coriander into milk chocolate or even gianduia (hazelnut) chocolate. If you are using regular chocolate for the frosting, you should also add some butter or cream to thicken it up.
If you can't find a specific Christmas chocolate you can infuse the flavor yourself by adding ground cinnamon and coriander into milk chocolate or even gianduia (hazelnut) chocolate. If you are using regular chocolate for the frosting, you should also add some butter or cream to thicken it up.
Christmas Marble Cake
(for one loaf pan 30 cm (12-inch) long)
75 g Christmas chocolate with cinnamon and coriander (e.g. Lindt or Milka)
200 g butter, at room temperature
225 g sugar
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
pinch of salt
4 eggs
300 g flour
50 g corn starch
3 tsp. baking powder
4 tbsp. dry wine (you can also substitute with juice)
1 tbsp. Grand Marnier
2 tbsp. slivered almonds
50 g dark chocolate
100 g Christmas chocolate with cinnamon and coriander
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Grease your loaf pan with some butter.
Melt the chocolate (75 g) in a bowl over a hot water bath. In a separate bowl cream the butter together with sugar, vanilla and salt using a hand-held mixer. Then add the eggs one at a time until combined with the butter mixture. In another bowl mix together the flour, corn starch and baking powder, and add it slowly to the butter mixture until just combined. Be careful to not over-mix.
Half the batter. Add the wine and Grand Marnier to one part of the mixture and the melted chocolate to the other half.
Fill both batters alternately in the loaf pan. Carefully make a swirl pattern on the batter with a fork. Bake for about 50 minutes. Let cool in the form for about 10 minutes and then transfer it to a wire rack.
In a pan, roast the slivered almonds in low heat. Keep an eye on them as the can get burned very quickly. Over a hot water bath melt together 50 g dark chocolate and 100 g Christmas chocolate. Spread on top of the cake. Sprinkle with the slivered almonds and let dry.
Melt the chocolate (75 g) in a bowl over a hot water bath. In a separate bowl cream the butter together with sugar, vanilla and salt using a hand-held mixer. Then add the eggs one at a time until combined with the butter mixture. In another bowl mix together the flour, corn starch and baking powder, and add it slowly to the butter mixture until just combined. Be careful to not over-mix.
Half the batter. Add the wine and Grand Marnier to one part of the mixture and the melted chocolate to the other half.
Fill both batters alternately in the loaf pan. Carefully make a swirl pattern on the batter with a fork. Bake for about 50 minutes. Let cool in the form for about 10 minutes and then transfer it to a wire rack.
In a pan, roast the slivered almonds in low heat. Keep an eye on them as the can get burned very quickly. Over a hot water bath melt together 50 g dark chocolate and 100 g Christmas chocolate. Spread on top of the cake. Sprinkle with the slivered almonds and let dry.
Enjoy and Guten Appetit!
