Chocolate & Vanilla Marble Tray Bake

Last weekend it was our local village fete. My family always help run a few game stalls for the children and supply a few little cakes for the refreshment stand. This tray bake was one of the cakes contributed.

It’s an all-in-one cake meaning you simply have to put all the ingredients into a bowl and beat it together, so it’s very easy to make. Swirling together vanilla and chocolate flavoured batters makes it more appealing to the eye and means it will please both vanilla and chocolate cake fans. I topped the cake off with a dark chocolate buttercream and drizzled over a little white chocolate to keep the two tone colour theme going.

The cake was light and tender and I loved how the dark chocolate swirl stood out against the vanilla sponge. The buttercream was sweet, with a rich chocolate flavour that prevented it from being over sweet. Cut into squares it went down well with both children and adults at the fete.

Chocolate & Vanilla Marble Tray Bake
For the cake
200g self raising flour
200g butter or margarine
200g caster sugar
4 eggs
1½ tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
20g cocoa powder
1 tbsp milk

For the buttercream
100g butter
200g icing sugar
75g plain chocolate
50g white chocolate

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C and grease and line a 30cm x 20cm baking tin.
Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Add the butter, sugar and eggs and beat using an electric mixer until smooth and slightly lighter in colour.
Beat in the vanilla.
Mark the cake batter in half using a spatula and then dollop tablespoonfuls of half the vanilla mixture at regular intervals in the tin, leaving spaces between each one.
With the remaining half of the batter, sift over the cocoa powder and beat in until well incorporated. Add the milk to slacken the mixture and mix well.
Dollop tablespoonfuls of the chocolate mixture in-between the vanilla blobs in the tin.
Take a skewer or thin bladed knife and run it up and down through the mixture to swirl the two cake mixes together.
Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes until risen and springy to the touch.
Leave to cool for 10 minutes before turning onto a wire wrack to cool.

For the buttercream
Beat the butter until soft and creamy.
Sift over the icing sugar in two batches and beat well until smooth.
Melt the dark chocolate, allow to cool for 10 minutes and then beat into the buttercream. Place in the fridge for 15 minutes to firm up.
Spread the buttercream evenly over the top of the cake. Melt the white chocolate and place into a piping bag with a small nozzle.
Drizzle the white chocolate over the top of the cake and leave to set before cutting into squares.
Makes 15 squares.