Marbled Chocolate Crumble Cake : Bake Along #59

Time for Bake-Along! For our Bake-Along #59, Lena has selected the theme "Marbled Butter Cake". Marble Cake is really an all-time favourite, I love biting into the two different flavours in one cake, and seeing the pretty swirls in the cake. And for every marble cake that is baked, you would never get the same swirls! One of my earliest memories of eating marble cakes, was the one that my mother used to bake, when we were young. Marble cakes are really special and different when compared to other cakes at that time, maybe because we were not exposed to many other varieties and the many different types of cakes which are available now. I still think that marble cakes are special, old-fashion, yet never "out-of-fashion" !

I've chose to bake this lovely cake from Rachel Allen's "Cake" cookbook. What drawn me to this cake is the crumble topping on top of a moist buttery marbled cake. Usually when I make a marble cake, it would always be plain without any glazing, and this recipe of Rachel Allen's with a crumble topping sounds like fun!

The recipe is really straightforward. The crumble topping is first mixed and kept aside, to be used later to scatter on top of the batter before baking. I've made half a recipe and baked in a 7" round springform pan. I love how the cake rises really well. It looks like a small, elegant and proud cake, with the crumble as its crowning glory, at least to me, anyway! :o)

This is such a delightful cake to eat! The texture is moist, soft and tender. And the crumble topping, with the addition of chocolate chips in the crumble, makes it all the more chocolaty delicious.

This is the kind of cake that is perfect with a cup of either hot coffee or tea.  I love marble cakes, do you?

* my measurement for half a recipe, noted in blue
Marbled Chocolate Crumble Cake
(adapted from "Cake", Rachel Allen)
225gm (8oz) butter, softened, plus extra for greasing (110gm)
225gm (8oz) caster sugar (80gm)
4 eggs (2)
1 tsp vanilla extract (1/2 tsp)
225gm (8oz) plain flour (110gm)
2 tsp baking powder (1 tsp)
50ml (2fl oz) milk (2 tbsp, and 1/2 tsp for the cocoa batter)
25gm (1oz) cocoa powder (12gm)
icing sugar, for dusting

For the crumble topping :
125gm (4-1/2 oz) plain flour, sifted (60gm)
75gm (3oz) caster sugar (25gm)
75gm (3oz) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes (35gm)
75gm (3oz) dark or milk chocolate, in chips or roughly chopped into pieces (50gm)

23cm (9in) diameter spring-form or loose-bottomed cake tin with 6cm (2-1/2in) sides

First make the crumble topping. Using your fingertips, rub together the flour, sugar and butter in a large bowl until it resembles thick breadcrumbs, then mix in the chocolate pieces. Set aside in the fridge while you make the sponge.

Preheat the oven to 180C (350F), Gas Mark 4, and butter the sides and the base of the cake tin. If you're using a spring-form tin, make sure the base is upside down so there's no lip and the cake can slide off easily when cooked. Cream the butter until soft in a large bowl or in an electric food mixer. Add the sugar and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Whisk the eggs and vanilla extract together in a small bowl for a few seconds or just until combined, then gradually add the eggs to the creamed butter and sugar mixture, beating all the time. Sift in the flour and baking powder and fold in carefully, then add the milk and mix gently to combine. Tip half of the cake mixture into another large bowl, then sift the cocoa powder into this bowl and fold it in. (I've added in 1/2 tsp of milk to the cocoa batter for half a recipe).

Place the two different cake mixtures in the prepared tin by alternating heaped tablespoonfuls of the vanilla batter with the chocolate one, then, with a skewer or similar implement, gently draw swirls through the cake mixture to "marbleise" it. Try not to over-mix or you won't get that wonderful marbled effect.

Scatter the crumble mixture evenly over the top of the cake mixture and bake for 50-60 minutes or until the crumble is golden and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then loosen around the edges using a small, sharp knife and remove the sides of the tin. Place the cake (sitting on the base of the tin) on a wire rack and allow to cool completely.

Use a palette knife or metal fish slice to loosen the bottom of the cake from the base of the tin, then slide the palette knife or fish slice under the cake and carefully ease it onto a plate. Dust with icing sugar to serve.

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To join our blog hop, bake any Marbled Butter Cake of your choice, and link your post to our Bake-Along linky.

Please visit my baking buddies, Lena from Frozen Wings and Zoe from Bake For Happy Kids, and all our friends who has baked along with us in the linky below :

Bake-Along will be taking a break in April and we shall be back in May. One exciting news, Bake-Along is celebrating it's 3rd Anniversary in May, and we shall be having a special theme, Theme : Chocolate Cakes. Join us as we celebrate our 3rd year of baking together, bake any Chocolate Cake of your choice and link up with us. Our blog-hop linky will start on 05/05 to 14/05. Everyone is welcome!

A friendly reminder when linking to our blog hop :

1. Please mention Bake-Along event in your own post linking direct to any of the hosts' post (Joyce, Lena or Zoe)

2. Please link only new and current post, related to the current bake or theme provided by us. Unrelated post will be deleted.

3. Feel free to display our Bake-Along badge in your post.

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