Marble Cake with Whipped Frosting {10 WW+ Dessert}

My husband, thankfully, was very specific with what type of cake he wanted for his birthday this year. Marble cake with light frosting. The trouble was I didn't have  a tried and true recipe for marble cake and had no idea what type of frosting I should make. So I went to the interwebz. And came up with this from Martha Stewart.

Now her marble cake is supposed to be in loaf form. So I changed a few things, doubled a few ingredients and put the batter into two 9" rounds instead of a loaf pan. I think it turned out rather nicely. I went with a whipped frosting. Something I had never made before. But it turns out that it was Joseph's maternal grandmother's favorite frosting! Guess I made a good decision. Next time I'll make a buttercream or custard for the filling instead of using the whipped frosting because the frosting just kind of got absorbed into the cake even though the cake was completely cooled at frosting time.

All in all it was a good cake. Not as light and fluffy as I would have liked and a tiny bit dry but that just means I'll have to experiment some more to get the perfect flavor. But don't worry, I won't be experimenting any time soon. At 9 WW+ points a serving, this cake will be saved for special occasions. I may just try the loaf version soon so I can play around a bit.

Inspiration: Martha Stewart

Marble Cake

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 1/4 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
• 1 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups sugar
• 5 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder plus 1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter two 9" rounds and layer with parchment paper; set aside. Whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix in vanilla. Add flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the buttermilk and beginning and ending with the flour. Set aside 1/3 of the batter. (I forgot to do this and had to add the buttermilk after the flour was incorporated)

In a bowl, mix cocoa and 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons boiling water with a rubber spatula until smooth. Add the cocoa mixture to the reserved cake batter; stir until well combined.

Spoon batters into the prepared pans in 2 layers, alternating spoonfuls of vanilla and chocolate to simulate a checkerboard. To create marbling, run a table knife (or wooden skewer) through the batters in a swirling motion.

Bake, rotating the pan halfway through, until a cake tester comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Transfer pan to a rack to cool 10 minutes. Turn out cake from pan and cool completely on the rack. Cake can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

16 Servings | 9 WW+ Points

Whipped Frosting

• 3 large egg whites
• 3/4 cup sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

In a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water, combine egg whites, sugar, salt, and water. Cook over medium, stirring constantly, until sugar has dissolved (or mixture registers 150 degrees on an instant-read thermometer), 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat on medium-high until glossy, stiff peaks form (do not over beat), about 3 minutes; reduce speed to low, add vanilla extract, and beat just until combined. Use immediately.