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Merry Christmas, Frohes Fest, Happy Holidays – whatever you’re celebrating this winter, I hope it’s a relaxing time filled with good cheer, good friends and family, and of course, good food!

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I thought I’d share one of my very favourite recipes for a classic German marble cake – “Marmorkuchen”- this is my go-to Birthday, Easter, and now, Christmas cake because it’s always a hit with the relatives! The recipe for the delicious sweet cake is a staple in many German households; both my grandmas are old pros and make a killer Marmorkuchen, and my mom does, too!

I’ve since taken over the role as Queen of the Kuchen, and so yesterday, I went full-out and decorated it with some fir branches and pine-cones and a rich whipped-cream topping. “Go big or go home” was my motto!

While it may not be the healthiest cake out there and this time, I didn’t make any healthy substitutions, I think at Christmas-time it’s OK to indulge a little, and to enjoy the finer things in life ( and for me, that’s chocolate cake!)

Guten Appetit!

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Marmorkuchen

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Original recipe from:

Dr. Oetker Küchen-Bibliothek: Kuchen und Kleingebäck

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Ingredients:

300 Grams butter or margarine

275 Sugar, white

1/2 Tablespoon vanilla extract

5 Eggs

Dash of salt

2 Tablespoons rum

500 Grams flour, white (or whole-wheat)

1.5 Teaspoons baking powder

125 mL milk, 1% or skim

30 Grams cocoa powder

25 Grams sugar

2-3 Tablespoons milk, 1% or skim

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Directions:

By hand or with Kitchen Aid, beat butter/margarine and sugar; add vanilla, eggs, salt, and rum and whip until smooth. Slowly add in flour and baking powder, and thin-out with milk as needed. The batter should be quite thick, and should fall slowly off of the spoon. Pre-heat the oven to 390 F. Grease a baking pan and pour in half  the batter (this is the “vanilla” portion of the cake!). Add cocoa and sugar to the remaining batter and mix in milk as needed to reach the previous consistency once again. Pour the cocoa batter onto the light “vanilla” in the pan, and lightly swirl the cake in the pan with a fork. This gives it a lovely marbled effect later on! Bake in oven for 50 – 65 minutes, but be sure to check at the 45 minute mark  to ensure that you do not burn the top. Use a metal skewer or fork to see if the cake is done – if it comes out clean, it’s good to go!

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