It’s been over a month since I posted a recipe. All this time I have been feeling that I can’t stay on top of things and the feeling has been overwhelming. No time for posting recipes, I thought. But, do you know what? It doesn’t work like that. The more activities I stop doing because I feel stressed for time the more stressed for time and under-performing I feel and then I’m in a dreadful vicious circle. I’m breaking it today! This is the recipe for the marble cake I made for  my daughter when she took her PSSAs (standard tests for Pennsylvania schools).  To give her energy and a big smile!

Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter (2 sticks) – room temperature
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups self-rising flour
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons cocoa dissolved in 2 tablespoons hot water
• 1/2 teaspoon soda

How to make: Use an electric mixer to beat the butter. Add the sugar, gradually. Add the eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla. Beat well for at least 3 minutes. Turn to low/stir and add the flour and the milk, gradually and in turns. Butter a pan and pour 2/3 of the batter.  In a small bowl, dissolve the cocoa with the hot water and add the soda.  Combine the cocoa mix with the remaining 1/3 batter.  Add the cocoa batter in the pan in tablespoonfuls, here and there. Take a knife and make some swirling patterns. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 375F/190C for about an hour or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let it cool down. You can sprinkle some confectioner’s sugar and serve or prepare chocolate icing for a more festive presentation. I made the easiest and quickest chocolate icing recipe below.

Easy chocolate icing

• 1/2 can sweet condensed milk
• 1 tablespoon water
• 75 grams chocolate
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

How to make:  Put the chocolate in a bowl and melt it in the microwave or on top of steaming water. In a saucepan, combine the melted chocolate, water, milk, and vanilla extract. Heat and stir with a whisk until all the ingredients are well combined. Let it cool down for couple of minutes and spread it on top of the marble cake. Let it cool down entirely before serving.

Credits: I have adapted these recipes from Chrysa Paradisi’s “Σύχρονη Ελληνική και Ξένη Κουζίνα”, published in 1984.