Marble Cake

David wanted a marble cake for his going away party and I made up a recipe that turned out very well. I've made it a couple of times now because John likes marble cake too. It starts with a yellow cake recipe which is great on its own.

 

 

2/3 cup butter, softened

1 3/4 cups sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 cups milk

2 heaping Tbsp. cocoa powder

4 - 5 Tbsp. hot water

 

 

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla.

 

2. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the creamed mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour.

 

3. In a small bowl, mix the cocoa powder and hot water until it is smooth and spreadable. Remove one cup of batter and mix with the cocoa mixture.

 

4. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans or one rectangular pan. 

 

 

 

5. Alternate yellow batter and the cocoa batter.

 

 

6. Use a knife and swirl the two batters together.

 

 

7. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans and cool completely on wire racks. Leave the cake in the rectangular pan and frost top when completely cool.

 

8. Use frosting of your choice for the cake. I use a chocolate fudge frosting that goes well with the marble as well as yellow cake.



Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins

This is a modified version of Ina Garten's recipe. We had picked blueberries in Vermont in the summer and I had frozen a tray full for use in the cool crisp days of fall. David was with us so I decided to try a new recipe for muffins. This is definitely a keeper -- it has a nice tender crumb and just enough sweetness to please everyone.

 

 

We spent a beautiful sunny Saturday picking these sweet blueberries

We picked over six pounds

 

12 tbsp. butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature

6 oz. lite lemon yogurt

2 oz. sour cream

1/4 cup milk

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

2 heaping cups fresh or frozen blueberries

 

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place 18 paper liners in muffin pans.

 

2. In a bowl cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

 

3. With the mixer on low speed, add eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla, yogurt, sour cream, and milk.

 

4. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With a wooden spoon add the flour mixture to batter until just mixed. Do not overmix. Fold in blueberries gently.

 

5. Scoop batter into the prepared muffin pans. Fill each cup to just about the top and bake for about 25 - 30 minutes, until the muffins are lightly browned on top, and a cake tester comes out clean.

 

 

Note: Ina's recipe calls for 8 oz. of sour cream and no yogurt. I thought lemon and blueberries would go together very well and I was right.

 



Pumpkin Bread

I found this recipe more than two decades ago in a country baking book before Sarah was born and have been making this pumpkin bread ever since. I like it because it is not overly spiced. I have an aversion to any food that is drowned by the cinnamon or nutmeg in it.

 

 

 

3 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups pumpkin puree

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. ground allspice

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

2/3 cup water

 

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans or five mini loaf pans. Set aside.

 

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, oil, eggs, and pumkin and blend well.

 

3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon and cloves. Alternately add flour and water to the pumpkin mixture, beginning and ending with flour, blend well after each addition.

 

4. Pour into greased pans and bake for  1 1/2 hours for the regular loaf pans and 30 - 40 minutes for the mini loaf pans or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

 

5. Cool in pans for 10 minutes and then invert onto wire rack to cool completely.