Zebra cake

I’ve been so eager to write you this post! After three – yes three, attempts at various recipes for this cake, I finally find one that is the ‘bees-knees’! Or the zebra’s-knees! (Not funny, I know).

Anyway, why three attempts?! The shame!

Well, I’ll tell you. I kept trying the recipe in US format, with “cup” size measurements. So with me struggling to convert them to grams and ounces, lets just say I did a poor job … and the proof was in the pudding! (Ha. Excuse the pun).

When I first saw this cake, it was like cake-love at first sight! And to finally find a metric recipe to bring it perfectly to life: Oh, the joy!

So on a rainy October afternoon in London my version of this two-tone beauty was born. A short-lived life however, as with its moist texture and chocolaty undertones, this zebra cake is truly more than a just pretty face.

Zebra Cake

3 eggs

160g Caster sugar

150ml milk

150ml vegetable oil

2 tsp vanilla essence

180g self-raising flour (sieved)

1 level tablespoon Cocoa powder

½ level teaspoon baking powder

Method

Preheat the oven to 180c. (Fan oven 160c) Gas Mk 4. Grease a 9-inch round cake tin, line base with a circle of greaseproof paper and then grease the greaseproof.

Combine the eggs and sugar in a large mixing bowl and whisk with an electric mixer on high speed until thick and pale, about 3 minutes.

Measure milk, oil and vanilla and lightly mix together in a jug. With the mixer whisk on low speed, add milk, oil and vanilla mixture gradually, until well combined. Continue with whisk on low speed and add the sieved flour

Remove 450ml of the batter and place it in another bowl or large jug. Sift the cocoa powder and baking powder over this 450ml of mixture and fold in gently until evenly distributed and chocolate colour. Ensure this batter mix is the same consistency as the remaining vanilla mixture. Add a little extra milk (about 1 tbsp) if needed.

Now for the stripes. Spoon 3 tablespoons of the vanilla batter into the centre of the tin and let it stand for a few seconds so it spreads out slightly. Next, spoon 2 tablespoons of the chocolate batter into the centre of the vanilla batter. Repeat with 3 tablespoons of vanilla, then 2 of chocolate. Continue to alternate vanilla and chocolate batters until all is used.

Bake the cake in the centre of a pre-heated oven for 45-50 minutes until the cake is golden-brown and a cocktail stick inserted comes out clean.

Cool in the tin for 10 minutes and then turn on to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Dust lightly with icing sugar (optional).