October 3, 2009

Marble Cake

Yesterday I went for a haircut. I chatted with Jessie, the lovely lady who blow-dried my hair, about how painful it was to have tattoo around the waist area as hers was exposed between the bottom of her shirt and the top of her pants. She asked me back how it was when I delivered my baby as she's planning to have baby sometime next year. And so I tried to compare them both.

When I had my tattoo above my ankle long time ago, I went through the extreme pain pierced all the way up to my head from my feet for the longest 10 minutes in my life. By then I thought it was the most excruciating pain I had ever experienced that nothing, even childbirth, could compare with.

Ethan was born three weeks early, so I actually didn't expect the assumed contraction discomfort that I had had the night before was the laboring symptom. If the tattoo pain was a cougar, this I-would-trade-my-last-10-years-for-not-having-that-pain contraction was definitely a lion. But I still didn't wake up my husband during that 6-hour anguish until I knew I needed to head to the hospital. Yes, I think I tolerate pain pretty well. It was just after another two hours or so when Ethan came to this world. And I would say, after that "lion pain", the delivery was totally-out-of-my-expectation painless.

Then Jessie pulled up her shirt and showed me the full image of her tattoo. The tiny leaf that I saw on her waist was actually a little part of the cherry blossom blooming all over her back! I was all "It must've killed you!". Then she said, "Remember? You survived the lion pain! I think it's just the matter of how much you like it."

I wouldn't say just because you like it, the pain is no pain at all. No, it's part of your determination. I'm glad I've experienced those.

Just a little note about this cake. It's supposed to be a marble cake, but it turned out to be a "Yin Yan" cake. So, Warning: Try to swirl a little rigorous but not too rigorous if you know what I mean.

(Makes 1 loaf)
Ingredients:
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips, melted
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup unsalted butter, soften
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract.

Directions:
Grease a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a bowl, whisk the flour with the baking powder and salt.

In another bowl, whisk together the sour cream and the milk.

Cream butter with sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until well mixed. Beat in vanilla.

With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and sour cream/milk mixture, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.

Spoon half of the batter into a separate bowl. Add the melted chocolate to another half of the batter and fold in.

With two spoons, place spoonfuls of the two mixtures into the prepared loaf pan alternately. Run a pairing knife through the two batters to achieve a marbled effect.

Bake for about 50 - 55 mins or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for 10 mins before removing from pan.

15 comments:

Kana said...

I usually make mine with cocoa powder, nice change with the chocolate chips.

Laura said...

I love any cake with sour cream in it. It keeps it moist and yummy. Btw I love the look, marble cakes everybody can make.....

Belinda @Zomppa said...

Gorgeous! And looks soooooo delicious..and OUCH to the tattoo....

Southern Grace Gourmet said...

Looks really good! My granny use to make marble cake all the time, and use pudding mix mixed with the cake batter as the chocolate, I haven't made it in a while, yours looks so good! As for the childbirth pain, people are going to hate me, but I think women exaggerate the pain sometimes. Pain is only a perception. I slept through my labor in the jacuzzi tub and only woke up when I had to go to the bathroom (when I had to push). I just had a shot that's like demerol. Then the "ring of fire" was a killer, which I had never heard of before. And the tailbone feeling like it was going to pop off really hurt, which I had also never heard about. But then it feels so good when the baby is delivered, and the pushing is a short time. Never had a tattoo before, had a naval ring, because the hole will close and a tattoo is forever. Funny, 7 years of not having a ring in my piercing and there's still a big hole! And on top of that the only place I got a stretch mark when I was pregnant was in between the holes of that darn piercing! And the thing migrated sideways, I hate it!

KennyT said...

Oh FL, I have a tattoo right above my ankle too.

penny aka jeroxie said...

I like the look of this cake though!

Anonymous said...

Great recipe and I do love the story about the tattoo! :)

Angie's Recipes said...

I like to make it with chocolate too.
This cake looks very moist and delicious.
Angie's Recipes

theUngourmet said...

What a fun cake! I love the 1/2 and 1/2! :D

Chef Nash said...

Hey lululu...
Its still raya in Brunei n i've seen so many marble served... n I always want to make tattoo, can stand the pain but religion wise... I just cant... ;)

Chef Nash said...

Hey lululu...
Its still raya in Brunei n i've seen so many marble served... n I always want to make tattoo, can stand the pain but religion wise... I just cant... ;)

CheapAppetite said...

lululu, you're so tough. I can't believe you were in the extreme pain for 6 hours without waking up your husband. I never have a tattoo. I guess because I'm scared of the needles. A flu shot would already scare me. lol. Nice cake btw.

Family Cuisine Food And Recipe said...

Delicious marble cake. Yummy. Thanks for sharing. Cheers !

Lindsey @ Sound Eats said...

Ahaha I love the tatoo story! Oh and I totally would've woken my husband up even before it was time to go to the hospital. I don't know for certain (fairly newly married, no kids yet and hopefully not for a few years) but I can only assume I'll be all "um this is your kid too, you suffer with me!" haha. :)

Cora said...

I think it looks gorgeous without anymore swirling. The batter sounds delish - love sour cream too, it usually makes the cake so moist. I definitely want to try this.

Congrats on the bub!