There’s hardly an easier cake to make — just whisk all the ingredients together and that’s it. At the same time, it’s as pretty as it is delicious, filled with ribbons of chocolate cake surrounded by soft vanilla cake.
I like to upgrade it with a chocolate glaze dotted with toasted coconut, but that is absolutely not required. It will be wonderful even without the topping.
And yes, the cake has only five ingredients and no oil. It gets its fat from 32% heavy cream or 38% whipping cream, so it is very important to use one of those and not milk or any other liquid. For a dairy-free version, the cream can be replaced with coconut cream — just make sure to check the back of the package and use one with at least 17% fat. Want to make the cake as a vanilla-only version? Just leave out the cocoa.
5-ingredient marble swirl cake
Ingredients:
- 2 large eggs
- 1 container (250 ml / 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon) heavy cream or whipping cream
- 1 cup (200 grams / 7 ounces) sugar
- 1 1/4 cups (180 grams / 6.3 ounces) self-rising flour
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
Instructions:
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream and sugar. Add the flour and whisk until combined.
- Transfer half of the batter to another bowl and add the cocoa plus 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) cream or milk. Mix well. To the remaining half, you can add 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, but it is optional.
- Spoon the batters into a greased loaf pan, or one lined with parchment paper, alternating spoonfuls and layering one on top of the other.
- Bake in a preheated 165 C oven for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs.
- For the topping, optional: Melt 100 grams (3.5 ounces) dark chocolate with 3 tablespoons oil. Once smooth, stir in 1/3 cup toasted coconut or chopped peanuts or pecans. Pour over the cake once it has cooled slightly, and store at room temperature in a container.