This Donna Hay cake is simple and impressive and can be jazzed up with the addition of a quick icing. It isn’t overly chocolaty which could be a good or a bad thing, depending on how you feel about chocolate or how early in the day it is – while choc addicts would argue that it is never too early in the day for a chocolate hit I would actually disagree (ducks for cover). This cake neatly straddles the issue though – there is just enough chocolate for any time of day.
Any chance to use my bundt pan and I am there. I have a few including mini pans and just love how pretty they look – no need for icing (score!). I think I may add to my collection soon, good tins like Nordicware are pricey but they are worth it as they never let you down.
I reduced the amount of sugar from the original recipe, which I found in my well-thumbed copy of Donna Hay Simple Essentials Chocolate book.
GATHER:
250g butter, diced, at room temperature
¾ cup caster sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ¼ cups self raising flour
¾ cup milk
4 ½ tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted
extra:
3 tablespoons caster sugar
1 ½ tablespoons milk
LET’S GET TO IT:
Preheat oven to 180C and thoroughly grease a 22cm bundt cake tin with non-stick cooking spray – ensure you get into all the crevices.
In bowl of electric mixer beat together sugar, butter and vanilla and light and not-gritty.
Add eggs one at a time and beat well, scraping down sides once or twice with a spatula.
Fold through flour and milk until just combined.
Remove half the mixture to a large bowl.
To one bowl add the extra milk, extra sugar and cocoa and stir until combine.
Drop alternate big dollops of mixture into tin then gently swirl a butterknife through to mix up the two batters.
Smooth top then bake for 40-45 minutes then remove from oven.
Leave in tin for 15 minutes then carefully unmold onto a wire rack to cool completely.
the hungry mum 
Your beautiful marbled Donna Hay cake would not last long at our house.
It didn;t last long here, I must say 🙂
I love this cake, my mum calls it “Tiger Cake” 🙂 Love xoxo Heidie
oooh, tiger cake sounds way more fancy – love it!
Great cake and good to see it worked with less sugar than the original recipe called for!
I don;t have a v sweet tooth so I generally reduce the sugar 😉
I made it, loved it immensely! xxx
yay Sophie! You’re such a great cook that I know yours would have been perfect.
Marble cake was one of my mums to-go cakes when I was a kid – always loved it, trying to eat the chocolate part only when she would´t watch 😉 I still love this cake, and your delicious recipe makes me want to make one again!
Ha ha – trying to only eat the choc part of a marble cake sounds v tricky! Hope you get to make it soon and relive some childhood memories 😉
Haven’t had a marble cake in years… methinks I need to make one soon.
Is quite old school – most of my bakes are a bit retro 😉
I must try this out in my ring tin! I was thinking of making a cake in it today, again! – yesterday I made a vanilla ring cake! But you can never have enough cake!
Love ring cakes! Let me know how yours turned out in this tin, would be interested in trying this.
I will! I haven’t made cake for a few days…I’m trying to be healthy! But I will link to your post when I do make this! 😀
I hear ya – I am doing 5:2 diet and it is tough. Food is so much fun, I hate missing out!
oh no! good luck! I tried the 5:2 once but i found myself struggling so I stopped…now i’m just trying to slowly do more exercise and eating less cake…I think it’s working, but I love cake too much 🙂
Is it sad that my first thought is to eat the outer chocolate edge? This looks amazing.
nup, not at all! I like the way you think 😉