Marble Pound Cake
Chocolate vs. Vanilla. Vanilla vs. Chocolate. Why not just go with both? This Marble Pound Cake is a tasty and fun dessert!
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You know how paper gets super soft when it gets really worn? You might come across an old piece of paper that is super worn, and it feels softer than a tissue. (Either that, or it gets all dry and brittle.) Well a couple of us got to talking about this recently, and I made the comment that “I’m surprised paper money doesn’t just disintegrate in my wallet.” That’s when one of my friends chimed in that money isn’t really paper at all. Nope. Money is cotton. Say what!?
Ordinary paper that we use on a daily basis – newspapers, books, cereal boxes, notepads reminding me to get more bacon at the store – are made out of wood pulp. (On a side note, have you ever smelled a paper factory? Don’t put it on your list. It’s terrible!) US “paper” currency, however, is made out of 25% linen and 75% cotton. That’s why it doesn’t fall apart after it’s folded and re-folded a bunch of times. It’s also what allows them to weave those security threads into the middle of the bills to prevent counterfeiting. Although we still call it ‘paper currency,’ it’s not paper at all. In fact, ‘cotton currency’ might be the more accurate term.
But wait. There’s more! The cotton that’s used in US currency? A good chunk of it used to come from leftover scraps from the jean-making industry. That’s right. The money in your wallet is made from the same material as your jeans. Well, used to be made. Once the 90’s rolled around, skinny jeans and other ‘stretchy’ jeans put a stop to the use of denim scraps in US currency. Turns out that stretchy jeans don’t work too well in dollar bill form. And now you’re armed and ready with a fun factoid for the next time you’re hanging out with friends!
Marble Pound Cake
Leaving money aside, let’s switch over to marble…as in this Marble Pound Cake. As in, I need another slice of that cake. *5 minutes later* Ok, I’m back. Let’s talk about this Marble Pound Cake. Chocolate vanilla. Vanilla chocolate. It’s the age-old debate with no real winner. Both sides have advantages and disadvantages. So in this case, let’s be friends and blend the two together! This Marble Pound Cake is the best of both worlds when it comes to the chocolate vs. vanilla debate. Plus, it just looks pretty cool, right?
Most of the time, I bake pound cakes in bundt pans. That’s how my Mom did it growing up, and that’s how I do it now. But the only problem there is I end up with a large amount of pound cake. (On second thought, is a large amount of pound cake really a problem??)
This time, I opted for the smaller loaf pan. This cake came together quite quickly…and it almost disappeared just as fast! I gave Robbie a slice of this Marble Pound Cake, and he requested just the chocolate part. “Uh, buddy, that’s not really how this works.” Well, he proved me wrong as he somehow managed to eat just the chocolate portion of his slice. That’s ok. Dad was on “clean-up duty” with the leftover vanilla portion. Delicious. I hope you enjoy this Marble Pound Cake as much as we did…even if it did take 2 of us to finish that slice!
Did you make this Marble Pound Cake at home? Leave a comment. Or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog)! Cheers!
Looking for more tasty pound cake recipes? Check out these other favorites:
Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake
Cookie Butter Pound Cake
Chocolate Pound Cake with Nutella Glaze
Pumpkin Spice Pound Cake Bites
Lemon Blueberry 7UP Pound Cake
Marble Pound Cake
Ingredients
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup sour cream
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 3 oz. semisweet chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Spray an 8”x4” loaf pan with nonstick baking spray; set pan aside.
- Using an electric mixer, cream together sugar and butter until light and fluffy (3-4 minutes on medium speed).
- Add sour cream, eggs and vanilla extract; mix on low speed until well combined.
- Add flour and baking soda; mix on low speed until well combined.
- Coarsely chop the chocolate and melt using a double-boiler.
- Transfer ⅓ of the cake batter into a separate bowl. Add melted chocolate; stir until well combined.
- Pour ~½ of the plain batter into prepared baking pan. Next, add chocolate batter, but do not stir together. Pour remaining plain batter on top.
- Using the handle of a wooden spoon, gently swirl the batters together in 4-5 strokes. Do not overblend.
- Bake at 350°F for 65-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out mostly clean. (Note: Tent pan with foil after 30 minutes to prevent the top from burning.)
- Let cake cool before removing from pan and slicing.
Money is made from cotton…?? Well, heck! I learnt something today! Amazing 🙂
I just know this cake will be a huge hit in our household! I can imagine it will be gone in a flash.. just to be sure though, I will make it soon 😉
Tell me about it! I mean it makes sense that money isn’t made out of paper…otherwise it would just fall apart. But still. Kinda crazy, huh? In other news, this cake is a definite hit! I mean it’s chocolate AND vanilla. Best of both worlds right there! Thanks so much, Alexandra!
Hi David! Pound cake is one of my go to cakes. I like that this makes a smaller cake just because I know my lack of control! I don’t know if you noticed, but my email address has changed. I would love to hear from you!
Ah! Thanks for letting me know about your email address. I wouldn’t have necessarily noticed that. 🙂 In other news, I totally understand the point of smaller cakes. Larger cakes just lead to a freezer full of cake! (Not like that’s a bad thing…but still…)
your cake looks so pretty david. i am a chocolate fan myself but hubby loves vanilla so the best of both worlds here. so interesting about ‘cotton’ money. our money here in Oz is plastic coated; maybe all plastic? anyway it lasts for a very long time but is very springy and hard to fold up. Our Mint actually makes the money for about 30 countries! cheers sherry
Yeah, I can’t speak to the money you guys use down there in Australia. Plastic-coated, you say? I mean I guess that keeps it from wearing out! Although it sure would be a pain in keep that in my wallet I’d think. Thanks so much, Sherry!
it’s polymer apparently! so some kind of plastic i guess? your talk of money has brought on some discussion david:-)
I learned something new today. I never knew that money was made out of cotton. I love pound cakes. This marble pound cake looks delicious!!
I’m right there with ya on pound cakes, Dawn! If I had to guess, I’d say a good pound cake is probably top 3 desserts for me. 🙂
Having a large amount of pound cake is NOT a problem, if it is than it is short-lived! I love a good pound cake, and this looks delicious! Interestingly, like the Aussies above, both in Canada and the UK we use polymer notes. Which is handy for when it rains or goes in the wash.
Haha! You make an excellent point, Matt. Too much pound cake isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But then again, I sometimes enjoy NOT waking up at 4:30am to workout. 🙂 On another note, that whole concept of polymer money is crazy. I mean it stands up well to time, but it makes it rather difficult to fold the bills. Hope you are having a great week over there, my friend!
Whoa! Mind blown here this am!! Who would have thunk it about money, lol! I love a good pound cake and the swirl action on this one looks perfect! And why have vanilla OR chocolate when you can have BOTH 😉 ?? Pinned! Have a wonderful weekend ahead, my friend!
I know! I always thought paper money was actually paper…but it makes sense once you stop and actually think about it. And as far as the pound cake, I’m all in. I can’t ever turn down a good slice of pound cake! Thanks, Dawn!
Who knew!?!? Not only did I not know that about money, but had never even thought about it. My mind is too occupied with things like chocolate AND vanilla! 😉 This cake sounds super delicious, David. ~Valentina
Hah! I totally hear ya about your mind being occupied with cake. That pretty much describes my life right there. 🙂 Thanks, Valentina!!
I suspected that money is made from not that regular kind of paper we see every day (An advanced kind)…But say what?! Cotton?!! Can we make cotton candy from money then haha?
Anyway, let’s talk about this delightful marble cake. Well, I don’t know what I can add here…Would you please send me a slice, perhaps? 🙂
P.S. While the grilling season isn’t over yet, have you tried grilled pound cake (served with ice cream and probably grilled peaches)?
Haha! Well….I don’t think cotton candy is actually made from cotton. Although, then again, I thought money was actually made from paper. Go figure!
As far as grilled pound cake, yes! I absolutely love grilling pound cake. However, I haven’t made that in years. Maybe I’ll do that as a way to celebrate the long weekend we have coming up here in the States. It would be a fun one! Thanks for the idea, Ben!
Loved the money story! Ah but did you know David that here in the UK our banknotes have been made from a plastic material (polymer) since 2016 so as to make them last? Personally I’d rather see the end of cash altogether and more of the use of “electronic” money. I try to use my phone to pay for things as often as possible with it being liked up to my bank account. I carry next to no cash. Anyway, that’s just my opinion! I do agree that this Marble Pound Cake is delicious though. Perfect for entertaining friends!
Ah! Plastic money. That almost sounds like something from a board game. 🙂 But I get it. I’m sure those notes will last quite a long time. We really are getting close to fully electronic money. I rarely carry cash myself anymore. In fact, the main place I spend cash is the bar at our curling club since we don’t have electronic options there!
I had no idea about the cotton in currency. I’m always learning things from you, David!!
Love this marble pound cake – “why choose vanilla or chocolate when you can have both” is exactly right!
Haha! I like to include fun (or maybe just random?) facts in posts, Marissa! And now you know something about “paper” money. 🙂
can i decrease the sugar?
Hey Pink! You know, pound cakes are one of those funny things. They have a lot of sugar and a lot of butter. The name itself comes from the fact that pound cakes originally had a pound each of butter, sugar, eggs and flour – crazy! Long story short – you might be able to decrease the sugar in this a bit (maybe 1/4 cup at most) but I’m afraid it will change the proportions and the cake won’t bake up correctly. I hope this makes sense!