Vanilla Fudge Marble Cake

When you are snowed in for several days, why not bake a cake!

3/4 cup butter, softened

2 eggs

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1.5 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1.5 cups sugar

2 rsp vanilla

1 1/4 cups buttermilk*

2/3 cup chocolate flavored syrup

Allow butter and eggs to stand at room temp for 30 min. Meanwhile grease and lightly flour a 10 inch fluted tube pan. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter on low speed about 30 seconds. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating on low to medium speed 1 minute after each addition and scraping bowl frequently. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to butter mixture, beating on low after each addition just until combined. Reserve 2 cups batter. Pour remaining batter into prepared pan.

In a small mixing bowl combine chocolate syrup and reserved 2 cups batter. Beat on low speed until well combined. Pour chocolate batter over vanilla batter in pan. Do not mix.

Bake in a 350 degree oven about 50 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes on a wire rack. Remove from pan; cool completely on wire rack.

*I never buy buttermilk. Instead, a very easy substitute is to use sour milk instead. To make, place 1 Tbsp lemon juice for each cup of milk in a measuring cup. Add enough milk to lemon juice to make 1 cup. Stir and let sit for at least 5 minutes before using.