Zebra cake a handsome treat

(Ganache adds a nice sheen to this sort-of Zebra Cake)

Zebras can be hard to tame, especially when it comes to cakes.

My first try at a Zebra Cake did not produce the most perfect trademark stripes, but it tasted good nonetheless.
I read about this type of marbled cake on Aparna's blog, My Diverse Kitchen. If you haven't paid her a visit, you owe it to yourself to drop by the kitchen of this authentic vegetarian Indian cook. (Her latest post is for a savory oatmeal porridge with vegetables and cumin seeds which sounds very intriguing.) I swear her blog has an aromatherapy widget that makes my mouth water when I read her posts.
Aparna adapted her cake into a vegan version from Farida's Azerbaijani Cookbook blog. (Check out her blog, too, for some great ethnic recipes!)

The cake is a simple recipe in which you divide the batter equally, making half chocolate and half vanilla. It can be flavored with oils and essences for a different taste. Similar to a marble cake, Zebra Cake is stunning when the stripes work; part of the trick is to use dark cocoa powder so the stripes stand out.



I used a mix of Mexican and Dutch cocoas, which were a bit too light to get the right effect.
But I will gladly keep trying this recipe to get a more consistent pattern, and I will definitely use Aparna's eggless version that is flavored with orange juice and extract.



The batters are poured alternately to produce the concentric circles that will become the "stripes" when the cake is cut. I ended up with more chocolate batter than vanilla and had a large dark circle in the middle.



The cake is delicious plain or dusted with a little confectioner's sugar on top. I made a ganache to top it off, which also gave it a vinyl-like sheen.

Both recipes call for oil, but I might like to try a soy margarine such as Smart Balance next time.

The recipe is quick and easy, and you're likely to have all of the ingredients on hand to make it when it strikes your fancy.

Isn't the blogosphere a wonderful place to meet great cooks and share recipes?

Thanks, Aparna and Farida for sharing this majestic Zebra Cake recipe.

Pay them a visit for the recipes. You might get hooked.