Easy Decisions: Vanilla and Milk Chocolate Striped Cakes

While thinking recently about what to bake, I came across that age-old question: Vanilla or chocolate? And it occurred to me that sometimes, you should not have to make such a decision and can, in fact, have everything you want. These little cakes are proof of that.

And they look pretty, too!

Vanilla and Milk Chocolate Striped Cakes

• 1 ½ cups + 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• 4 oz. unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• ¼ cup yogurt mixed with ¼ cup milk
• 4 oz. milk chocolate, chopped small
• 2 tbsp. coffee

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a muffin tin or mini bundt pan.

Combine the chocolate and coffee in a small pot and melt over low heat, stirring until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder in a small bowl.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy.

Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until thick.

Add the flour and milk/yogurt mixture alternately, beginning and ending with flour, and beat until just combined.

Put half the batter in a separate bowl and stir in the melted chocolate.

Using a spoon or a small disher, drop alternate spoonfuls of chocolate and vanilla batter into the pan. It will look something like this:

Bake the cakes for 23 minutes, or until they spring back when touched gently.

Cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack.

These are pretty sweet cakes because of the milk chocolate, so I omitted frosting and opted for a little bit of whipped cream instead. Delicious!

Sometimes you do get to have everything you want in one perfect little package. Pretty great, isn’t it?

Ciao for now,

Neen