Chocolate Marble cake

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, broken into pieces
• 1/3 cup hot water
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup milk
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1¾ cups unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3½ cups confectioner’s (powdered) sugar
• 6 large eggs
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare one 10 inch cake pan; generously grease the pan with shortening and dust with flour.
• In a medium glass bowl, combine the bittersweet chocolate, hot water, cocoa powder, and corn syrup. Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water; stir and heat just until the chocolate is melted. Set aside to cool
• combine flour, baking powder, and salt; whisk together to mix. Set aside.
• In a small bowl, stir the milk and vanilla together. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• To cream, start by placing the room tempreture butter in the bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed begin by beating the butter about 1 minute until it is smooth and light in color.
• Add eggs one at a time, beating until thoroughly mixed.
• With the mixer on low speed, add about one third of the flour mixture, mix just until the flour is almost completely blended. Scrape the bowl down, and add about one half of the milk mixture, blending just until mixed. Scrape the bowl down again and continue alternating with the flour mixture and milk mixture, ending with the last portion of the flour, and stirring just until blended
• Remove 2 generous cups of the batter and place in a medium size mixing bowl. Stir the baking soda into the cooled chocolate mixture, and then gently fold the chocolate mixture into the 2 cups of batter.
• Using 2 large spoons, alternate placing large spoonfuls of the chocolate and vanilla batters in the prepared pan, carefully spreading the batters so they touch each other and the sides of the pan. Make a second layer of batter, placing spoonfuls of vanilla batter on top of the chocolate, and the chocolate batter on top of the vanilla. Repeat, alternating the flavors, making about four layers. Firmly tap the pan two or three times on the counter to level the batter. Using a butter knife, zigzag the knife through the batter to swirl the batters, circling through the pan twice. Don’t overwork the batters; you are creating a marbled look, not stirring the flavors together
• Bake 1 hour 15 minutes to 1½ hours or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 30 minutes then remove cake from pan and finish cooling on a wire rack.