Vanilla and Chocolate Almond Marble Cake--no mixer needed.

Well, this cake didn't end up looking as pretty as I wanted it to look, but it sure does taste good. I think a thick fancy-bundt pan is not the best way to showcase a marble. Note to self. But special bonus: you don't need a mixer to make this cake!

Ingredients

Butter and flour for the pan
9 T butter
1.5 C sugar
2 T vanilla
3 eggs
1 C milk
3/4 t salt
3/4 t baking soda
2.25 C flour
4-5 T cocoa
1/2 t almond extract

10 inch round or bundt

Directions

preheat oven to 350, and prepare the pan with butter and flour.

melt the butter. whisk it together with the sugar. add the vanilla, then the eggs one at a time, beating with a whisk each time. stir in the milk, salt and baking soda. stir in the flour until it is just blended--do not overstir.

spread half of the batter in your prepared pan.

add cocoa and almond extract to the remaining batter. slowly pour this batter over the batter in the pan. run a knife through the batter back and forth a few times if you want a finer marble, or just let the cake have two flavor layers.

bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. (time may vary between 30 and 45 minutes, depending on the pan you choose.)

cool for 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack, then invert onto a plate (this step is most important if you do a bundt. Cool it for 10 minutes--no more no less--and invert it onto a plate.

45-60 minutes