Apr 8, 2010

Marbled Coffee Cake

Austrian bakers make this coffee cake with a special gugelhupf mold. We've found that a 1 1/2-qt. Bundt cake mold works just as well. This recipe hails from the 200-year-old Austrian pastry shop Demel, which Nick Malgieri profiled in "Vienna's Sweet Empire" (March 2009).

Credit: Landon Nordeman

17 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1 3⁄4 cups flour
2 oz. semisweet chocolate, preferably 54%,
roughly chopped
2 tbsp. dark rum
3 tbsp. cornstarch
1⁄2 tsp. salt
1⁄2 cup confectioners' sugar,
plus more for dusting
2 tbsp. lemon zest
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
5 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar

1. Heat oven to 325°. Grease a dark metal 1 1⁄2-qt. gugelhupf mold with 1 tbsp. butter. Add 1⁄4 cup flour and shake to evenly coat the inside of mold. Invert and tap out excess flour; set mold aside. Set a medium bowl over a 1-qt. saucepan of simmering water. Add chocolate; melt. Stir in rum and set aside to let cool slightly.

2. Sift together remaining flour, cornstarch, and salt; set aside. In a bowl, beat remaining butter, confectioners' sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla using a handheld mixer on medium speed until mixture is pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating after each addition. Add reserved flour mixture to butter mixture in 3 additions, beating to combine after each addition. Set batter aside.

3. In a large nonreactive bowl, beat egg whites with handheld mixer on high speed until frothy. Sprinkle in sugar and beat to form stiff, glossy peaks. Whisk one-third of egg whites into reserved cake batter to lighten it. Using a rubber spatula, fold in remaining egg whites to make an airy cake batter.

4. Fold one-third of the cake batter into the reserved chocolate mixture to make a chocolate-flavored batter. Spoon half of the remaining cake batter into the buttered mold. Spoon all the chocolate batter into mold and top with remaining cake batter. Using a butter knife, swirl the chocolate batter into the cake batter to create a marbled effect. Smooth the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Transfer cake to a rack; let cool. Unmold cake and dust with confectioners' sugar.

SERVES 10

This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #118

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Ratings & Reviews (9)

by marcoandres on 2009-03-09

This recipe is just plain wrong. I tried it and it totally failed. There is no way that you can fold 5 the egg whites into the butter flour mixture. There aren't enough eqg whites. And the total length of time for cooking is vastly wrong. It should be much shorter. For the size of the pan (not a standard bundt pan or kuggelhopf mold), the time should be about 1/2 to 3/4.

Do you actually test the recipes before you publish them or do you just accept on faith that they are correct.

by timmay1019 on 2009-03-11

Excellent results with recipe. I substituted a semi-sweet chocolate glaze with a "wow" tasting cake and served it eith the best Peet's blend kof coffee. Awesome coffee and dessert cake.

by ClarissaShackelford on 2009-03-23

I made this cake yesterday and my family loved it. I had to substitute lemon extract for the zest since that is all I had on hand, and I also substituted Rum extract for real rum (again because that's what I had). With those two substitutions the cake was simply wonderful. I plan on making it again soon only with the zest and rum to make it closer to the original recipe.

Great cake! Great recipe! It's a keeper!

by chocalot on 2009-04-01

I love this cake! I just made it after daydreaming about it for weeks! The recipe is perfect - the formula is perfect and baking time is perfect. There is absolutely no error!

by Joyce Dawson on 2009-04-27

Truly a fabulous recipe. I made the
coffee cake once and it disappeared so
fast that I had to make it again. I'm frankly puzzled that anyone would have a problem with the recipe. Thanks for
bringing Vienna into my kitchen. It's one of my favorite cities in the world.

by nbalce on 2009-09-28

I baked this yesterday for the first time and it was perfect. I ran out of lemon zest and added lime zest instead. (Do not substitute with lime juice -- too acidic.) The baking time was perfect. The cake was fluffy and delicious. Perfect for tea or coffee or snacking while watching t.v.

by B&J'S MOMMY on 2010-09-02

I made the cake today, and it turned out PERFECT. I bought a regular mold, and it worked out just fine. The cake was moist and soft. Can't wait to make it again soon! I did not have lemon zest, so I used lemon juice. It is a great little snack with some coffee on a quiet day.

by MAMIE48 on 2010-10-30

I made this cake yesterday and was very pleased with the results. I made it in my kugelhopf pan and it looks as good as it tastes. I had neither lime or lemon so I used Orange zest and it was delicious. I will make this again for sure. Thanks Saveur!!!

by JIMMAY76 on 2011-06-12

I followed this to the letter and it came out perfect. It gets 5 stars in this house, 1 for each kid and 1 each from mom and dad. Don't be afraid to try this, it is definatly worth it.

Jim

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