When I was a little kid, I used to be OBSESSED with pound cake. And I mean, what's not to like? It's moist, sweet, and a perfect little snack when you get home from school.

That said, since I turned vegan, for some reason I just never thought to make it. This underrated delicious dessert get's elbowed out of the way by the others far too often, so today I place pound cake back in its rightful spot as the perfect snack, dessert, and "bread" as I used to call it.

So pound cake, we celebrate you. And today we lift you high. And to satisfy my 7 year old self, I have made her all time favourite, marble.

Enjoy, beauties!

Recipea:
Makes 1 loaf (12 slices)
Prep time: 15 mins |  Baking time: 60 mins

Ingredients:

Cake:
1/2 cup vegan butter
1 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup vegan buttermilk (1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 1 cup almond milk)
2 tablespoons cocoa powder

Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon almond milk

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F

Grease a loaf pan and line with parchment paper so it's easy to lift out once it's cooled.

In a small bowl make the buttermilk by mixing together the almond milk and apple cider vinegar. Set aside for 5 mins.

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer for 1 minute. Mix in the vanilla extract. Next sift in the flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk and mix together until well combined.

Pour in half of the mixture into the loaf pan.

In the remaining half, sift in the cocoa powder and mix to combine.

In the loaf pan, cover the vanilla batter with the chocolate batter.

Take a thin knife or skewer and swirl it around the batter in the loaf pan several times to create a marbled effect (be sure to reach the bottom).

Bake for 40 minutes, then add foil in a tent shape over the top (so it doesn't touch the actual cake) to keep from browning too much. Then bake for an additional 20 minutes.

Do the toothpick or knife check to be sure it comes out clean - that's when you'll know it's ready.

Sit the cake on a wire rack to cool completely.

Mix the powdered sugar and almond milk together with a small whisk or fork and pour over the top once the cake is cooled.

Cut and enjoy the simple deliciousness that is a beautifully baked piece of marble pound cake.

My inner 7 year old exploded with glee - I think yours will too :]

It's a cake.

With crumbled up chocolate chip cookies inside.

Do I really need to say anything else?

Thought not.

Also, shout out to my good pal Dave, who's 33rd year of life inspired this delicious concoction. Who knows what 33.3 will bring!?

Recipea:
Makes 1 cake
Prep time: 20 mins | Cook time: 60 mins | Assembly time: 15 mins

Cake:
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
8.5 tbsp dairy free butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup self raising flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Icing:
7 tbsp dairy free butter
2.5 cups icing sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 tsp dairy free milk

Cookies:
Make 1/2 of my Best Chocolate Chip Cookies recipea (hyperlink isn't working for some reason - type "chocolate chip" into the search bar on my main page). Or make the whole thing. If you have way too many leftover, well that seems like a problem that isn't really a problem... to me, at least. Also you can freeze the dough for those times where you want cookies but can't be fussed to prep all the ingredients. Your future self will thank you.


Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 160 celcius and grease two round cake tins. Place parchment rounds on the bottom of each tin.

Mix the milk and vinegar in a small bowl and let sit for a few minutes.

Beat the butter and sugar for 1 minute or until combined. Mix in the vanilla.

Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and milk and vinegar mixture and beat until well combined.

Pour equally into your cake tins and bake until the cake springs back when pressed - or when a toothpick or knife comes out clean. Will probably be around 40 minutes, but check at 30 just to be sure.

Let cool in the pan.

Bake the chocolate chip cookies, following the "Best Chocolate Chip Cookies" recipea. Use teaspoon sized dough balls instead of tablespoons, so that you have smaller cookies to place whole on the top of the cake. Once the cookies are cooled, reserve 10-12 of the cookies for the top of the cake. Loosely break up the rest of them, making chocolate chip cookie chunks/crumbles.

Make the icing: Beat the butter to soften, and then gradually add the icing sugar and vanilla. Add in the dairy free milk to loosen the icing a little. Start with 1 teaspoon and if you need it looser, add a bit more milk in 1/2 teaspoon increments. Much easier to add than take away! If it gets too runny - add more sugar.

Once the cakes are cooled, run a knife around the sides. Lift one of the cakes carefully onto a cake plate. Spread a thin layer of icing over the top.

Place the crushed chocolate chip cookies on top of the icing. Go on - pack in as many as you can (reserving about 1/2 cup of the crumbs to decorate the outside of the cake).

Lift out the other cake onto a rack and spread a thin layer of icing on top of this cake as well. Carefully flip the cake icing side down, so that the icing side rests on the cookie crumbs. (If you think this will be too tricky, you can instead place a thicker layer of icing on the bottom cake and really press the chocolate chip cookies into the icing. Then just bypass the second layer of icing and place the second cake directly on the cookie layer.)

Spread the rest of the icing to cover the top and sides of the cake.

Arrange the 10-12 whole cookies you reserved on top of the cake and press the 1/2 cup of cookie crumbs you reserved onto the sides of the cake.

Enjoy the greatest fusion of cookies and cake you ever did eat!

Yes, you will be in a sugar coma after. It's worth it, don't worry.