Box 1 – Free Convection Cake
The recipe to create the free convection cake (also known as marble cake) shown in the photograph of Figure 10 was included in Post (2004). As some of us nowadays prefer a plant-based diet, a vegan version of the recipe is provided below. It was kindly shared by André Nogueira and Rita Parente who included it in their cookbook “Vegan Para Todos” (Vegan for Everybody).
Vegan marble cake. Photograph copyright (2021), with permission from André Nogueira and Rita Parente.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (16 g) raw cacao powder
- 3–4 Table spoons lukewarm water
- 2 1/2 cups (340 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon fine Himalayan salt
- 1 cup (250 ml) dairy-free milk
- 3/4 cup (approximately 200 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) dairy-free yoghurt
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) sunflower oil
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 180 °C and line a rectangular loaf pan with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, combine the cacao powder and two table spoons of lukewarm water and mix to obtain a thick paste. Add the remaining water to thin the paste slightly.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a large mixing bowl. In another mixing bowl, combine the milk, sugar, yoghurt, oil, vinegar and vanilla extract.
- Pour the wet mixture onto the dry ingredients and mix until the ingredients are well incorporated. The batter should be smooth and pourable. Transfer half of your batter into your spare mixing bowl, add the cacao mixture and fold it in until it is combined.
- Use two large spoons to dollop the chocolate and vanilla cake batters into the pre lined pan alternately.
- Bake the cake in the oven for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before removing it from the pan and cutting into it.