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Chocolate Marble Bread:
4 ounces (115 grams) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons coffee or water
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (195 grams) cake flour, sifted
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (120 ml) sour cream or plain yogurt, at room temperature
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Chocolate Marble Bread: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Butter (or spray with a non stick vegetable spray) a 9 by 5 x 3 inch (23 x 13 x 8 cm) loaf pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
Melt the chocolate and coffee, in a stainless steel bowl that has been placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove from heat and set aside to cool to room temperature.
In a separate bowl, whisk or sift the flour with the baking powder and salt.
In your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract and eggs, one at a time, until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture (in three addition) and sour cream (in two additions), beginning and ending with the flour. Spoon a little less than half of the batter into a separate bowl and then stir in the melted chocolate.
With two spoons, place spoonfuls of the two batters alternately into your loaf pan (chocolate, white, chocolate, etc.). Run (don't stir) a wooden skewer or knife through the two batters to achieve a marbled effect. Bake in preheated oven for about 50 - 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center just comes out clean.
Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan. Cool completely. Store in a covered container at room temperature. It can also be frozen.
Makes 1 loaf.
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Chocolate Marble Bread is eye catching with its beautiful swirls of white and chocolate cake. Although it may look complicated, it actually starts with a vanilla cake batter that has melted chocolate stirred into part of the batter. The marbling is created by placing spoonfuls of the white and chocolate batters in your pan, and then running a wooden skewer through the two batters. This Chocolate Marble Bread (cake) is so moist and flavorful that it really doesn't need a frosting.
I have mentioned this before but it is important to remember that vanilla scented batters need a good vanilla extract. Buying vanilla extract can present a challenge as there are so many choices. The first thing to look for when buying any extract is to make sure it is labeled "pure". Stay away from the ones labeled "imitation" as they are made with synthetic vanilla and tend to leave a bitter aftertaste.
As always, try to use a good quality semi sweet or bittersweet chocolate in this recipe as it makes all the difference. Bittersweet chocolate with a high cacao content will obviously give this bread a sharper chocolate flavor than one made with a semi sweet chocolate. The choice is yours but always use a chocolate that you enjoy eating out-of-hand. The best chocolates are ones that have a lovely shiny finish (a sign that the chocolate was cooked at the right temperature for the right amount of time) with that wonderful 'snap' when you break it into pieces.