Festive Eggless Zebra Cake – Vanilla & Choclate.

After my really long blogging break, my daughter really started missing  my unforeseen delicacies that I make at home for her now and then. She has become so used to my blogging that this morning when I made her a peanut butter nutella sandwich and passed on her little pink plate, she threw a quizzical look at me.  “Mom” she queried, “Arent you taking a picture???”  I could`nt help smiling….”No sweety”, I quipped….go ahead and have your sandwich…She had been wanting to have my eggless cakes in a long time. So this afternoon, I decided to surprise her with a Zebra Cake, which I know had been making its rounds in the foodie blogsphere. I guess the name really hit off with her,  I decided, as she came back for second and third helpings….

I did not have dark chocolate, but I generously used Hot chocolate Mix, specially made and packaged in tin containers, for the holiday season,  that I found at Costco. I guess I can say that it was delicious and spongy, at the same time not too sweet.  We all enjoyed it with a hot cup of tea and saved some for snack the following day.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups All Purpose Flour / Maida.

1 3/4 cup Whole Milk .

1/2 cup Oil.

1 1/4 – 1 1/2  cup Sugar ( Preferable a little more than 1 1/4 and a little less than 1 1 /2!!!)

1 tsp  vanilla essence.

Cocoa Powder / Dark chocolate Powder / Ground Bournvita as needed.

1 Tsp Baking Soda.

1 Tsp Baking Powder.

PREPARATION:

• Preheat the oven to 350 F and line your cake pan with butter spray, butter, oil  or flour.
• In a bowl, measure out the dry ingredients – Flour, Baking Soda, baking powder. Mix and keep ready.
• In another mixing bowl, start with the milk and add oil, sugar,  and whisk well to dissolve any lumps. Take caution NOT to over mix as this may rob the cake of sponginess.
• Slowly add the dry ingredients little by little and incorporate them together.
• Remove half of this prepared batter and put in another vessel.
• To one portion, add 1 tsp of vanilla essence and mix it in.
• To the other half, add 3-4 spoons of dark chocolate powder or dark cocoa powder. The darker the powder, the better the chocolate rings.

• Now take the greased ake pan and add exactly one ladle of chocolate batter.
• Next take a ladle of plain vanilla batter and add it to the centre of the chocolate batter.
• Repeat now again with the chocolate batter, to follow with the vanilla batter.
• The repeated layers of alternate batters spread slowly to fill out to the ends of the cake pan.
• Complete both the batters and sprinkle some broken cashew/almond nuts on the top of the batter.

• Set it inside the pre-heated oven for 35 minutes or until a toothpick thats inserted comes out clean.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool and enjoy delicious Zebra Cake with your family!!!

Sending this cake to SHOW ME YOUR CAKE event hosted by Divya of Dil Se. Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a wonderful and prosperous new year.