From Michael in Phoenix...
This is the standard issue birthday cake in our house, as it was all during my childhood! I'm forever thankful to my mom for teaching me to cook, for passing this recipe on to me. It is a heavy cake, well suited for a cup of coffee or cold milk. There's a lot of beating involved. You will be treated to a fantastic aroma as this cake bakes, something about the way the vanilla, rum, and lemon work together. It keeps well if covered, and actually gets better a day or so later. Enjoy!
German Marble Cake
2 sticks sweet butter (1/2 lb, room temp)
2 cups sugar
6 large eggs
3 rounded cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. real vanilla extract
Zest of one lemon
1/4 cup dark rum Plus 1/4 tsp. rum extract OR 1 tsp. rum extract
6 Tbsp. cocoa powder
5 Tbsp. milk
6 Tbsp. sugar
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Large 3 quart bundt pan, buttered and dusted with Kellogg's Corn Flake Crumbs (not authentic, but gives a great texture to the outer surface of the cake. You can use corn meal also.)
In a large mixer bowl, cream room temperature butter until soft. Add the 2 cups of sugar 1/2 cup at a time, beating well between each addition. Add the first two eggs and beat well. Add remaining eggs one at a time, beating well between each. Add vanilla, rum and lemon zest separately, beating well between each addition.
In a medium bowl combine flour and baking powder and stir with a fork. Add flour 1/2 cup at a time to batter, beating well between additions. Once all flour is added, continue to beat for 3 more minutes.
In a small to medium bowl, combine cocoa, the 6 Tbsp of sugar, and milk until smooth. Transfer 1/4 of the white batter into the cocoa mixture, stir until well mixed (the amount of white batter is not critical).
Place 1/2 of the remaining white batter into the bundt pan, then pour all the cocoa batter into the pan. Then top with the remaining portion of the white batter. Gently plunge the tines of a fork into the batter in a vertical fashion to foster the 'marbling' effect, 8 to 10 times will do the trick (the baking process takes care of the marbling effect).
Bake in a 350° oven 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Remove from oven, cool on rack for 15 minutes, then remove from pan.
Cool completely, then use a sieve to dust liberally with powdered sugar.
This is the standard issue birthday cake in our house, as it was all during my childhood! I'm forever thankful to my mom for teaching me to cook, for passing this recipe on to me. It is a heavy cake, well suited for a cup of coffee or cold milk. There's a lot of beating involved. You will be treated to a fantastic aroma as this cake bakes, something about the way the vanilla, rum, and lemon work together. It keeps well if covered, and actually gets better a day or so later. Enjoy!
German Marble Cake
2 sticks sweet butter (1/2 lb, room temp)
2 cups sugar
6 large eggs
3 rounded cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. real vanilla extract
Zest of one lemon
1/4 cup dark rum Plus 1/4 tsp. rum extract OR 1 tsp. rum extract
6 Tbsp. cocoa powder
5 Tbsp. milk
6 Tbsp. sugar
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Large 3 quart bundt pan, buttered and dusted with Kellogg's Corn Flake Crumbs (not authentic, but gives a great texture to the outer surface of the cake. You can use corn meal also.)
In a large mixer bowl, cream room temperature butter until soft. Add the 2 cups of sugar 1/2 cup at a time, beating well between each addition. Add the first two eggs and beat well. Add remaining eggs one at a time, beating well between each. Add vanilla, rum and lemon zest separately, beating well between each addition.
In a medium bowl combine flour and baking powder and stir with a fork. Add flour 1/2 cup at a time to batter, beating well between additions. Once all flour is added, continue to beat for 3 more minutes.
In a small to medium bowl, combine cocoa, the 6 Tbsp of sugar, and milk until smooth. Transfer 1/4 of the white batter into the cocoa mixture, stir until well mixed (the amount of white batter is not critical).
Place 1/2 of the remaining white batter into the bundt pan, then pour all the cocoa batter into the pan. Then top with the remaining portion of the white batter. Gently plunge the tines of a fork into the batter in a vertical fashion to foster the 'marbling' effect, 8 to 10 times will do the trick (the baking process takes care of the marbling effect).
Bake in a 350° oven 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Remove from oven, cool on rack for 15 minutes, then remove from pan.
Cool completely, then use a sieve to dust liberally with powdered sugar.