zebra-patterned Qifeng cake recipe

How to Make a Zebra Print Chiffon Cake

A zebra print chiffon cake is a visually stunning dessert that combines the light, airy texture of chiffon with a striking black-and-white marbled pattern. Here’s a simple guide to creating this showstopper.

Ingredients:

For the vanilla batter: 100 cake flour, 80 sugar, 4 egg yolks, 40 milk, 40 oil, 1 tsp vanilla.

For the chocolate batter: Add 20 cocoa powder and 1 tbsp hot water to half the vanilla batter mix.

For meringue: 4 egg whites, 60 sugar, a pinch of cream of tartar.

Steps:

1. Prepare batters: Sift dry ingredients for the vanilla batter. Whisk egg yolks, milk, oil, and vanilla until smooth. Fold in flour. For the chocolate batter, mix cocoa with hot water until smooth, then blend into half the vanilla batter. Leave the other half plain.

2. Make meringue: Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until stiff peaks form.

3. Marble: Gently fold 1/3 of the meringue into each batter (vanilla and chocolate) to lighten. Pour the vanilla batter into a 17cm tube pan, then spoon chocolate batter in random dollops. Use a knife to gently swirl the batters for a zebra effect.

4. Bake: Tap the pan to remove air bubbles. Bake at 160°C for 40-45 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Invert immediately and cool completely before removing.

This cake is as delightful to taste as it is to look, with a moist crumb and subtle cocoa-vanilla harmony. Perfect for celebrations or afternoon tea!