Ingredients
687.5ml cake flour
500ml granulated sugar
15ml baking powder
5ml salt
90ml Clover Springbok unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
125ml canola oil or vegetable oil
187.5ml Clover Fresh Full Cream milk, preferably at room temperature
125ml sour cream
15ml clear vanilla extract
6 large or extra large egg whites, room temperature
62.5ml dark cocoa powder
30ml very hot or boiling water
30ml sour cream, this is additional from the sour cream listed above
30ml granulated sugar, this is additional from the sugar listed above
White buttercream icing
250g Clover Springbok unsalted butter (soft or at room temperature)
500g icing sugar, sifted
30ml Clover Fresh Full Cream milk
5ml vanilla essence (or flavouring of choice)
Method
Preheat oven to 175°C. Prepare two 20cm round cake pans (at least 5cm deep) by lining each of the bottoms with a round of parchment paper and generously spraying the sides with baking spray.
In a stand mixer (or using a large bowl and an electric mixer) stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until thoroughly combined.
Turn mixer to low speed and add butter, one tablespoon at a time, not adding the next tablespoon until the first is incorporated. When finished, the mixture should resemble coarse sandy crumbs.
Add oil and stir until combined.
In a measuring cup, whisk together milk, sour cream, and vanilla extract and stir into batter until thoroughly incorporated.
In a separate clean, dry, and grease-free bowl, use clean beaters to beat egg whites to stiff peaks.
Use a spatula to gently fold egg whites into batter (don’t overmix, but make sure there are no lumps of egg white remaining).
Portion 3 cups (580g) of batter into a separate bowl (5 remaining cups in your first bowl); we’ll be making this into chocolate batter.
Chocolate batter
In a large measuring cup, stir together hot water and cocoa powder (it will be thick!). Add sour cream and sugar and whisk until well combined, then stir into smaller bowl of batter and use a spatula to carefully stir together until completely combined.
Dollop approximately ⅓ cup of white batter into the centre of each of the prepared cake pans. Using a clean scoop, scoop just shy of ⅓ cup of chocolate batter and drop that directly into the centre of the white batter. Repeat, alternating batter flavours, until all of the batter has been used. Take care that the white batter doesn’t touch another ring of white batter, or that a ring of chocolate doesn’t overlap with the other chocolate batter; this will keep your stripes looking like stripes and not like marbled swirls.
Carefully transfer pans to preheated oven and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean or with moist crumbs. Allow to cool in pans for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the cake to loosen it from the sides (if needed) and carefully invert it onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
If needed, carefully level the cakes with a sharp serrated knife once completely cooled.
Decorate using buttercream icing, or another icing of your choice.
Buttercream icing
Cream butter until smooth using an electric mixer.
Add the sifted icing sugar bit by bit.
Mix well and add the vanilla essence.
Add the milk to make a smoother icing. | Prof Elain Vlok, Clover Mama Afrika