Name: Classic marble cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 10
Ingredients: 200g salted butter, softened; 200g golden caster sugar; 4 eggs; 200g self-raising flour; 1 tsp baking powder; 2 tbsp cocoa powder, sieved; 1 tbsp milk; 1 tsp vanilla extract

A round marble cake with three slices cut out on a cake stand

200g salted butter
softened
200g golden caster sugar
4 eggs
200g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp cocoa powder
sieved
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

step 1
Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter and line a 20cm springform cake tin with baking paper.
step 2
Put the butter and sugar in a bowl and beat with an electric whisk until pale and fluffy, about 3-4 mins. Add the eggs one at a time, beating in between each addition. Fold in the flour and baking powder to make a smooth, thick batter.
step 3
Transfer half the batter to another bowl, mixing the cocoa and milk into one, and the vanilla into another. You should have one dark brown batter and one pale. Spoon alternate dollops of the mixture into the prepped tin, then tap the tin on the worksurface a few times to level out the top. Use a skewer to swirl the batters together in a few places and get the marbled effect. Bake for 45-50 mins or until risen, and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before cutting into slices.