Marble memory

Saturday mornings are usually reserved for baking, but I've just been so tired the last couple of weekends, I've not done much of anything (on Saturdays I'm normally full of energy with a 'To do' list as long as the Nile). Rebecca is so familiar with this that she will normally wake up and follow her nose to the kitchen. Last weekend she woke up and said, 'Mom, I smell nothing.' I realised that as parents, in the day to day traditions, we are building strong memories - so yesterday I decided to make something I haven't done in a long while, good ol' fashioned marble cake.

Preheat oven to 180 deg C. Grease a loaf tin.
In a mug, warm 2-3 tablespoons milk and add 2 tablespoons cocoa powder. Mix.
In a bowl, place 185g softened butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1 cup caster sugar. Beat well. Add 3 eggs, adding one at a time and beating well after each addition.

In a separate bowl, sift 2 1/4 cups self-raising flour and 1 scant teaspoon baking powder.

Using a large metal spoon, gently fold the flour into the butter mixture, alternating with 185 ml milk until almost smooth. Spoon half of the cake mixture back into other bowl. Stir the cocoa into one of the bowls.

Spoon in alternating spoonfuls of the two into the baking tin, then using a knife or skewer cut a few strokes to create a marbled look. Bake for 50-60 minutes or till skewer comes out clean.
It was a beautiful day out, so we had tea and cake out in the garden. Lovely.