Chocolate Orange Marble Loaf
I have been meaning to make this Chocolate Orange Marble Loaf since forever, I finally got to make it. It tastes super delicious and so easy to make.
Chocolate Orange Marble Loaf
Let me confess, I am no expert baker. However, I do learn through trial and error.
Whenever I bake I try to fix something that didn’t work in my next bake. It’s how I am getting a step closer to becoming a better baker.
Do not ever believe you are not capable of anything. We all are, we just have to persevere.
Like with anything in life, perseverance is key. If you get things wrong the first time, try again.
We all start somewhere. I cannot tell you how many disasters I’ve had in the kitchen.
Whilst baking this loaf I learnt a few tricks which I am going to share with you.
If a recipe calls for a certain sized pan, try and get that exact size pan. Especially if you want your bakes to look exactly like the recipe you’re trying out.
Secondly, people say beat your butter until light and fluffy. That could mean anything from 1 minute to 10 minutes. 1 minute is definitely under mixing and 10 minutes is way too much.
I do not want to get into the science of baking. I am technically challenged and I didn’t do science or maths at school so I’m guaranteed to mess up my explanation.
What I can tell you however, is that when you beat the butter and sugar for a specific amount of time it makes a difference to the texture and the rise in the cake.
I stick to 4 minutes because that works almost all the time. This way your mixture becomes light and aerated. It also gives your cake that fine crumb and perfect rise.
If you look at this recipe I have used just a tiny bit of bicarbonate of soda, which was perfect. Like pound cake recipes where there is no rising agent used at all.
Do you ever wonder why. The secret is all in the first step, beating the butter and sugar. This is what helps the cake rise.
Ingredients Required
For this cake you need very basic ingredients such as butter, sugar, eggs, cake wheat flour, bicarbonate of soda, cocoa, milk and an orange. You can add some chocolate if you want a more decadent cake.
This cake is soft, moist and full of flavour. I love anything citrusy so this is on the list of my favourite tea-time treats.
I hope you love it as much as I do. If you do try it please drop a comment.
More recipes to try:
Chocolate Orange Marble Loaf
Ingredients
- 125 gram butter room temperature
- 1 cup castor sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 orange zest
- 2 tablespoon orange juice
- 1&2/3 cup cake wheat flour sifted
- 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1/2 cup milk
- 3 tablespoon cocoa sifted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius. Grease and line a loaf pan, 23cmx13cm and set aside
- Sift the flour and bicarbonate of soda and set aside
- Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy, for a low speed at first and then on medium speed, or at least 4 minutes
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until well incorporated
- Mix in the orange zest and orange juice
- Add the flour mixture in thirds together with a third of the milk. Mix until combined, on a low speed
- Place half the batter in a separate bowl and mix in the cocoa powder. Do not over mix
- To create a marble effect, add a dollop of chocolate batter at the bottom centre of the loaf pan. Add a dollop of the plain batter on top and repeat this process. Tap the pan gently on a flat surface
- Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean
- Allow the cake to cool for at least 10 minutes before removing it from the pan. Place on a wire rack and allow it to cool completely before cutting
Notes
- If you wish you can drag through a skewer through the mixture to create a more distinct marble effect
- The size of the pan is important if you want that high rise in your loaf
- You can add some chocolate to the batter if you want a more decadent loaf
- I did not use baking powder in this recipe as it didn't need it.
- Ensure your ingredients is at room temperature
- You can store the cake for up to 3 days in an airtight container
