Marble Molasses Cake

When I was a child, I was always amazed by the fanciful swirls of marble cakes. To me, it was the work of a kitchen magician. Marble cakes may look complicated, but the truth is, they're so easy to whip up. Once the batter is made, it is divided in half, then the dark ingredient is added to one half. The marbling is created by placing the light and dark batters alternately in a loaf pan and then running a knife through the two batters to create these swirls.

I always used chocolate to create the contrasting marble effect, this time I wanted to try molasses. In Lebanon, we used to mix grape or carob molasses with tahini and eat it with Lebanese bread. We used to dip small pieces of bread and eat it for breakfast, sometimes as a snack.

For this recipe, I used organic unsulphured molasses which I think has the best flavor, because it's made from sun-ripened cane which has grown 12 to 15 months. And though molasses is derived from boiling sugar cane when it is processed into sugar, it's not very sweet, but it has a strong bitter flavor. To sum up, the cake was moist, interesting and easy to put together. Perfect with a cup of cold milk. 

Ingredients:
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2/3 cup milk
3 tablespoons molasses or pure cane syrup
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Heat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Generously grease a loaf pan, line the bottom with parchment paper.

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl, and stir with a fork to mix.

In a large bowl, beat the butter with a mixer at high speed until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat to combine. Add the eggs, one at a time, and continue mixing until the mixture is light, fluffy and smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the flour mixture and the milk alternately starting and ending with the flour, beating at low speed after each addition.

Scoop out one third of the batter into a medium bowl, and add the molasses, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves. Mix well with a wooden spoon.

Add both batters to the pan, a few tablespoonfuls at a time, alternating between the plain and spiced batters. Run a knife through the batter to swirl the batters together.

Bake at 350ºF (180ºC) for about 1 hour, until the cake is golden brown and a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cake marbré à la mélasse

Ingrédients:
220 g de farine
1 sachet de levure chimique
1/4 càc de sel
113 g de beurre, ramolli
225 g de sucre
2 œufs, légèrement battus
155 ml de lait
3 càs de mélasse de canne à sucre
1 càc de cannelle
1/2 càc de noix de muscade rapé
1/2 càc de clou de girofle moulu

Préchauffez le four à 180ºC. Beurrez un moule à cake et chemisez-le de papier sulfurisé.

Tamisez la farine dans un grand bol, ajoutez la levure chimique, et le sel. Mélangez à l'aide d'une fourchette.

Dans un grand bol, battez à l'aide d'un batteur éléctrique le beurre jusqu'à ce qu'il soit léger. Ajoutez le sucre, et battez pour mélangez. Ajoutez les œufs et battez 1 à 2 mn, jusqu'à ce que le mélange soit lisse et homogène.

Ajoutez la farine et le lait alternativement en commençant et en terminant avec la farine, battant après chaque ajoût.

Versez un tiers de la préparation dans un bol, et ajoutez la mélasse et les épices. Mélangez bien.

Ajoutez les 2 préparations dans le moule, en alternant une cuillère a soupe de chaque préparation. Passez la pointe du couteau dans la diagonale pour donner l'effet marbré.

Enfournez à 180ºC environ 1 heure, jusqu'à ce que le cake soit doré et qu'un cure-dent inséré en ressorte propre.

Source: Adapted from Baking and Books