Reading other blogs inspires me to try out new and exciting ideas!

When I read about a Zebra cake it made me think of our many game parks here in South Africa!

Zebras are several species of African equids united by their distinctive black and white stripes. Their stripes come in different patterns, unique to each individual. Wikipedia

Photo Courtesy Bill Kruse.

To recreate that in the form of a cake is quite a challenge for me. Well I decided to take the challenge and try to make the Zebra cake as Fae described it in her Blog:

fae-magazine.com/2013/07/11/zebra-cake/

Here goes!

Zebra Cake

This is a straight forward, easy batter to make… until it gets to the point of pouring the batter into the baking pan. One needs patience during the batter layering process!

Ingredients:

2 1/3 cups ( 300 g) sifted unbleached all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp (15ml) baking powder
¼ tsp(1ml) salt
4 large eggs – at room temperature
1¾ cups (350 g) granulated sugar
1 cup (250 ml) whole milk – at room temperature
½ cup (125 ml) vegetable oil
½ cup (113 gr) unsalted butter – melted but cool
1 Tbsp (15ml) pure vanilla extract
3½ Tbsp (52ml)natural unsweetened cocoa powder

– Position rack in middle of oven and preheat to 180C

– Slightly spray 23 cm round by 4 cm deep non-stick cake pan (or spring form pan) with non-stick spray and line with parchment paper cut to size.

– In a bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and set aside.

– In a large bowl, combine eggs, sugar, and beat (with electric beater) on high until foamy, light creamy color (2 minutes). Add oil, butter, milk, vanilla, and continue beating until well combined.

– Turn the beater speed to low and as it is beating, sprinkle flour mixture tablespoon at a time, and blend well.
It should make about 7 liquid cups of flowing-consistency batter.

– To split the batter into two, pour half of the batter (about 3.5 liquid cups) into a different bowl. In the beater’s bowl (with half of the batter), add cocoa powder and beat until well dissolved/mixed.

Hints to read before assembly:
– Place the prepared baking pan on flat surface.
– Place one regular tablespoon for the white and another for the dark batters.
– Scrape bottom of the spoon on bowl’s edge each time, to avoid dripping. Periodically, stir each batter with its own spoon for consistency.
– Starting with the white batter, pour 2 Tbsp (up to 3 Tbsp, no more) of each batter alternatively into exact center of baking pan. The key is not stopping and keep-on going, pouring alternatively, the same amount of batter on top of each other, only in the center. Batter will spread on its own, gradually filling the pan, with multi-rings. For the very last two pourings (most probably the cocoa/dark batter/bull’s eye at the end), only pour 1 Tbsp each.

When completed, batter in the baking pan should look like a fine-lined dartboard.

– Note: While alternately pouring, if the bull’s eye (last dark batter poured) is shifting from the center, gently/slightly lift edge of the baking pan and adjust the bull’s eye back to the center of the baking pan and then continue the process. No other movements of the baking pan to be made.
– With 2 Tbsp each pouring, there will be about 14~15 rings/stripes of each color.

– Place baking pan in oven and bake for 50~60 minutes or until poked wooden skewer in the center comes out clean.

– Cool the cake in its pan. When cooled, if needed, slide plastic knife along the sides of the baking pan to loosen the cake. Invert cake onto a plate, pull off the parchment lining, and invert onto the serving platter.