My Yiayia Annetta’s Marble Cake Recipe Decorated in Edible Roses

My Yiayia Annetta’s Marble Cake Recipe Decorated in Edible Roses

This recipe is as special as any heirloom we’ve inherited from my beloved Yiayia Annetta (grandma), my mother’s mama. I remember helping her make this in her kitchen as a child and now my own kids help my mother make it too. This time we dusted it with icing sugar and edible roses. Please let me know if you try it int he comments, it really is such a special cake. The recipe below was taken from my Auntie Loulla’s when she first shared it on my blog here.

Ingredients:

200 ml (7 fl oz) vegetable oil
225g (8oz) caster sugar
4 medium eggs
juice of 1 large orange and the zest
200 ml (7 fl oz) milk
A few drops of vanilla extract
450g (1 lb) plain, fine flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons cocoa powder or 100g (4 oz) 70% plain melted chocolate
2 tablespoons milk-extra
flaked almonds (optional)

For the topping:
Icing sugar for dusting

 

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 190°C/375 f/ Gas Mark 5.

Beat the oil and sugar in a mixing bowl and slowly add the eggs in. Pour in the orange juice, zest, milk and vanilla extract and fold in the sifted flour and baking powder until the mixture is smooth.

Take one-third of the cake mixture, place it in a small jug and mix in the cocoa powder or melted chocolate with the 2 tablespoons of extra milk.

Pour half the plain cake mixture into a greased and floured 1.2 litre (2 pints) cake ring known in Germany as a ‘Kugelhopt’* and pour the cocoa mixture into the ring. Pour the remaining cake mixture on top and don’t worry if the cocoa mixture or chocolate is not completely covered. Tap the cake ring gently to level the surface, sprinkle the almonds (if using) and bake in the pre-heated oven for approximately 50 minutes or until the cake is nicely brown (test with a skewer).

Allow the cake to cool in the tin then place a plate on top of the tin and gently tip it upside down onto another plate. Finally, dust with icing sugar.

*The cake tin is available on Amazon or in department stores. The edible roses were bought from The Real Flower Company and in specialist shops.