Cacao, vanilla & raspberry marble cake

My girls love mummy's marble cake which is a favourite addition to their lunchbox . . . plus I feel a little better that I've managed to health-ify the traditional recipe :) This recipe is considerably lower in fat and sugar than the EDC version and others you will find online. I've used a combination of dates and rapadura to sweeten, (you can boost the sweetness further with a little stevia powder), plus I have incorporated flax or chia seeds and wholegrain flour for a nutrition boost. The raspberries may not be as vibrant as pink colouring for the swirl, but they are healthier!

ingredients
2 tbsp chia or flaxseeds
160g filtered water
100g frozen raspberries (or mixed berries) + 1-2 tsp raw honey or molasses (optional)
120g butter, softened
100g organic rapadura sugar (or sucanat)
1 tsp stevia powder
100g dried dates, pitted
1-2 tsp vanilla bean paste
3 eggs, room temperature
100g wholemeal spelt flour
200g white spelt or plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
100g natural or Greek yoghurt
25g raw cacao powder

method
1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees C and grease a large fluted ring cake pan.
2. Add chia or flaxseeds to the TM bowl and grind for 30 seconds on speed 9. Decant into a small jug, then weigh 160g filtered water into the TM bowl and add to the ground seeds. Whisk well with a fork and set aside.
3. Add frozen raspberries to the TM bowl and mash on speed 8 for 5-10 seconds. Remove to a small bowl and set aside. Add a little honey or molasses to sweeten the berries if you prefer. Rinse and wipe out the TM bowl with water.
4. Add dates to the TM bowl and chop on speed 6 for 15 seconds. 
5. Add softened butter, rapadura, stevia and vanilla to the TM bowl and mix to for 1 minute on speed 4. Scrape down side of the bowl. 
7. Add chia mixture and eggs to the TM bowl and mix for 30 seconds on speed 5.
8. Add the flour and baking powder with the yoghurt and mix to combine for 5-10 seconds on speed 5-6. Do not over-mix. 
9. Use the spatula to dollop one half of the cake mixture into the prepared cake pan, then spoon a layer of the mashed frozen raspberries over the cake batter. 
10. Add the raw cacao powder plus a little milk or water (1 tbsp) to the remainder of the mixture in the TM bowl and mix for 5-10 seconds on speed 5.
11. Pour the chocolate mixture over the vanilla and raspberry layers and swirl with a knife to create a marble pattern, lifting the bottom layers of mixture over the top as you work. 
12. Bake in preheated oven for approximately 30 minutes or until golden brown and a skewer comes out clean (with no batter on, as it may be sticky from the raspberry swirl). Turn out onto a cooling rack. 

This cake is best eaten within a few days or sliced and frozen in pieces ready for school lunches :) It is also gorgeous as a warm dessert with EDC chocolate sauce. 


variations
use TM made berry jam in place of the frozen raspberry mixture

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