Marmite marble cake

Marmite, the thick black goo extracted from yeast left over from the brewing process, is well-known for being one of those rare things which incites either all-out revulsion or all-out adoration in those brave enough to try it. I fall into the latter camp, feeling especially that cheese on toast without Marmite is scarcely worth eating at all; the thin veneer of the black stuff elevates this humble dish to positively divine heights. Marmite is of course perfectly acceptable when spread straight onto toast at times when the extra lardage provided by the cheese would just be too much, and can be added to cooking sauces in order to provide an extra kick, but surely more can be done with it, surely it can break out of its restrictive savoury mould and assume its rightful place in the ranks of the most versatile kitchen essentials?

With this goal in mind, I have endeavoured to include Marmite in recipes where its presence would normally raise eyebrows, to venture forth into previously undiscovered Marmite territory. Some of the results have been surprisingly successful, including that of Marmite marble cake, the recipe for which I will give here. This tasty snack met the approval of not only myself and my parents, but also of my grandmother, who does not hesitate to say exactly what she thinks and so whose opinion can be considered highly reliable. Here goes:

Ingredients

• 175 g self-raising flour


• 175 g caster sugar


• 175 g butter


• 3 eggs


• a little hot water


• Marmite (1 tsp to 1 tbsp, according to taste / sense of adventure)

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180 °C or Gas Mark 4.


• Cream the butter and sugar together, thus creating one of the most horrifically calorific, yet strangely compelling, substances known to mankind.


• Add the eggs to the mixture. If you are feeling brave, crack them directly into the mixing bowl. If, like myself, egg cracking is not your forte and such a method would result in a cake full of bits of eggshell, crack them into a mug first, then transfer.


• Mix together vigourously to create a sloppy mess.


• Bit by bit, stir in the flour.


• Divide the mixture into two separate containers.


• Dissolve the Marmite in the minimum amount of hot water, then stir this into one half of the mixture.


• Grease a cake tin with a little butter, then add alternate dollops of Marmited and non-Marmited cake mixture to it in such a way as to produce a nicely marbled effect.


• Bake in the oven for about half an hour, until a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean. If the top starts to go overly brown cover the tin with foil.
• Leave to cool, then try a bit.


• Be pleasantly surprised!