Mary Berry's chocolate and vanilla marble loaf cake recipe

A classic marble cake will always be a welcome feature at afternoon tea. It also makes a great pudding – children love it. A little icing and a drizzle of white chocolate finishes this cake off perfectly.

Prep time: 20 minutes, plus cooling time | Cooking time: 1 hour

SERVES

10

INGREDIENTS

For the cake:

• 225g butter, softened

• 225g caster sugar

• 275g self-raising flour

• 2 level tsp baking powder

• 4 large eggs

• 2 tbsp milk

• ½ tsp vanilla extract

• 1½ level tbsp cocoa powder

• 2 tbsp hot water

For the icing:

• 25g butter

• 15g cocoa powder, sifted

• 1-2 tbsp milk

• 100g icing sugar, sifted

• about 25g white chocolate, melted

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 160C/140C fan/Gas 3. Lightly grease a 900g loaf tin. Line with a wide strip of non-stick baking parchment to go up the wide sides and over the base.

2. Measure the butter, sugar, flour, baking powder, eggs, milk and vanilla extract into a large bowl and beat with a hand-held electric mixer for about two minutes, until well blended. Spoon half into another bowl and set aside.

3. In a small bowl, mix the cocoa powder and hot water together until smooth. Allow to cool slightly, then add to one of the bowls of cake mixture, mixing well until evenly blended.

4. Spoon the vanilla and chocolate cake mixtures randomly into the prepared tin until all of the mixture is used up, and gently level the surface.

5. Bake for 50 minutes to one hour, until the cake is well risen, springy to the touch and starting to shrink away from the sides of the tin. Allow to cool in the tin for a few minutes, then turn out on to a wire rack, peel off the lining paper and leave to cool completely.

6. To make the icing, melt the butter in a small pan, add the cocoa powder, stir to blend and cook gently for one minute. Stir in the milk and icing sugar, then remove from the heat and mix thoroughly. If necessary, leave the icing on one side, stirring occasionally, to thicken.

7. Spread the cold cake evenly with the icing, then drizzle the melted white chocolate over the top. Leave to set.

Recipe from My Kitchen Table: 100 Cakes and Bakes by Mary Berry (BBC, £7.99). Order your copy from books.telegraph.co.uk