Having some chocolate fun !

Pierre's Marble Cake

Sometimes I just like to take the mixing bowl out, some eggs, sugar and flour and start mixing something up with no specific idea in mind. I call it "spontaneous baking" :) With the basic elements on the kitchen counter, I let my eyes wander around the kitchen, from the fridge to the fruit bowl and the pantry, looking for something to stimulate my imagination. This simple (and sometimes random) experimentation is what discovered some interesting pairing, like mixing coconut and almond flours to regular flour for texture.
Today was slightly different. I started by taking out my baking tools, as well as the eggs and butter out of the fridge, with images of chocolate cakes in mind. Unfortunately, I did not have enough chocolate on hand ! Not being one for running out the door to the neighborhood grocery store, I had to compromise with a marble cake.
I like making marble cakes, for one simple reason: mixing the batter with the chocolate batter. Depending on how you do the mixing, you can get wonderful designs. And you won't know until you cut the cake. Like opening a Christmas present :)
The picture is of the cake I made today. Notice how perfectly round the chocolate portion turned out ! The chocolate batter was poured right along the center, then the last portion was distributed on top for a crusty chocolate top. Poured differently, the chocolate batter can yield other designs, it's a fun experiment to do with kids.
Here is my recipe. Have fun with it !

Ingredients:

• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 6 oz melted butter
• 1.5 cup flour
• baking power
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 4 oz Ghiradelli chocolate (60% cocoa)
• 1/8 cup Grand Marnier liquor (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 380F.
2. Mix the eggs and the sugar until homogeneous, then add the butter.
3. Mix in the flour and the baking powder.
4. Mix in the milk, with the liquor if desired.
5. Pour half the batter into a greased pan.
6. To the other half in the bowl, add the melted chocolate and mix it until it's completely blended.
7. Now the fun part is pouring the chocolate batter on top of the regular batter in the pan.
8. Bake at 380F for an hour.

Just writing this post gave me a few ideas to try when mixing the two batters together :)
Enjoy and experiment !