Taste of Community

Chicago Botanic Garden,
Main Campus

Kristie Webber, Mom’s Marble Birthday Cake

Chicago Botanic Garden

Mom's marble cake

Overview

Taste of Community Programs

1. Chicago Botanic Garden,
Main Campus​

Community Stories and Recipes

2. Faith in Place​

3. Garfield Park Conservatory

4. Little Village Environmental Justice Organization​

5. National Museum of Mexican Art

6. Northern Suburban Special Recreation Association​

7. PCC Austin Family Health Center​

8. Chicago Botanic Garden,
Farm on Ogden Campus

Mom’s Marble Birthday Cake

Mom baked this marble cake for birthdays every year. The recipe and the bundt cake pan have been passed down from my great grandmother in Germany. Mom created a “birthday table” on a teacart with flowers, candles, presents, and this cake in the center. We always had a piece of this cake for breakfast on our birthday. I’m glad I have a copy of the recipe in Mom’s handwriting and now I try to make it for my birthday eery year to remember how special she made us feel.

ingredients

1 stick of butter (unsalted)

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 cup sugar (generous)

1 3/4 cup flour

1/4 cup potato starch

1 teaspoon double acting baking powder (slightly heaped)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon oil

2 teaspoons vanilla

Lemon (grated rind from whole lemon
+ 1 tablespoon juice)

1 tablespoon rum (Mom added sherry or rum to the batter but optional)

Instructions

Cream butter, eggs, and sugar. In sieve, sift flour, baking powder, and salt. ​

Add flour mixture and milk alternately. ​

Last add oil etc. (This is how Mom wrote it, but add the oil, vanilla, lemon rind, and rum if using.)​

Add cocoa to 1/2 of dough.​

Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour. ​

Note: Divide the batter into two bowls and stir in cocoa powder to half of the batter. I usually use about 1/2 cup of cocoa powder. I bake the cake in a bundt pan, but it could be baked in a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Alternate dollops of vanilla and chocolate batter in the pan to create the marbled effect as the cake bakes.