Chocolate And Vanilla Zebra Cake Recipes

ZEBRA CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease or butter a 9-inch springform pan.
• Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes, using a standing mixer or hand-held mixer.
• Add eggs, one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the sour cream and vanilla and mix to combine.
• Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Add to the batter and mix just until combined, be careful not to overmix it. Divide the batter in half and set aside half of it in another bowl. Sift the cocoa powder into the batter still in the mixing bowl and mix to combine.
• Scoop out a portion of the vanilla batter and put it in the center of the baking pan. Scoop out an equal portion of the chocolate batter and put it directly on top of the vanilla batter. Continue interchanging the different batters, always spooning batter into centers of pans, and occasionally tapping pan firmly on the work surface to ensure even distribution, until all batter is used (batters should appear as concentric rings).
• Bake in the preheated oven for 40-50 minutes, until the cake, is baked through, or a toothpick comes out clean if you poke it in the center of the cake. Cool for 5 minutes and then take it out of the baking pan and onto a wire rack to cool.
• Meanwhile, make the chocolate glaze.
• In a small saucepan, whisk together all the ingredients EXCEPT the butter, while they are still cold.
• Cook over medium heat until it comes to a boil, simmer for a few minutes, until the sugar dissolves and the glaze is a syrupy consistency. Whisk in the butter.
• Pour the warm chocolate glaze over the cake, letting it drizzle down the sides. Place it on a serving plate and store at room temperature.

CHOCOLATE-AND-VANILLA ZEBRA CAKE

Steps:

• Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush two 9-inch round cake pans with butter. Line bottoms of pans with parchment rounds; brush parchment with butter.
• Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt until thoroughly combined, 30 seconds. In a large bowl, whisk together egg whites and granulated sugar until light, opaque, and foamy, about 2 minutes. Whisk in 1 1/2 cups milk, butter, oil, and vanilla until smooth. Add flour mixture; whisk until smooth. In another large bowl, whisk together egg yolks, 1/3 cup milk, and cocoa. Add 3 1/4 cups of vanilla batter to cocoa mixture and whisk until smooth. Whisk remaining scant 3 tablespoons milk into remaining vanilla batter.
• Spoon 1/4 cup vanilla batter into center of each prepared pan. Spoon 1/4 cup chocolate batter into each center, directly on top of vanilla batter. Repeat, always spooning batter into centers of pans, and occasionally tapping pan firmly on work surface to ensure even distribution, until all batter is used (batters should appear as concentric rings).
• Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until cakes are puffed slightly and a tester inserted into centers comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack; let cool 10 minutes. Turn cakes out onto rack, remove parchment, and let cool completely.
• Frosting: Meanwhile, whisk together cocoa, espresso powder, salt, hot water, and vanilla until a smooth paste forms. Beat butter with confectioners' sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in chocolate, then cocoa mixture and corn syrup, until smooth.
• Trim tops of cakes flat. Transfer one cake, trimmed-side up, to a cake plate or stand lined with parchment strips. Spread 3/4 cup frosting evenly over top. Place remaining cake layer on top, trimmed-side down. Spread remaining frosting evenly over top and sides of cake. Remove parchment strips; serve. Cake can be stored, uncovered, at room temperature up to 12 hours, or refrigerated, uncovered, up to 2 days; bring to room temperature before serving.

NO-BAKE ZEBRA CAKE

Steps:

• In separate bowls, prepare each pudding mix, using only one cup of milk per box. Let stand for about 5 minutes until slightly firm, then fold 1/2 of the whipped topping into each one.
• Place a layer of graham crackers in the bottom of an 8x8 inch pan. Spread half of the chocolate pudding over them, then layer more graham crackers over the top. Spread half of the vanilla pudding over the crackers, then cover with more crackers. Repeat, alternating the chocolate and vanilla.
• Chill at least 6 hours or overnight. This will cause the graham crackers to fluff up and taste like cake. Melt chocolate chips over a double boiler or in the microwave oven, then drizzle over the top. Cut into squares and serve.

ZEBRA CAKE

Steps:

• Prepare two 9 inch cake pans with parchment paper circles in the bottom and grease the sides. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
• Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
• Add the butter, vegetable oil and sugar to a large mixer bowl and beat together until light in color and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Do not skimp on the creaming time.
• Add the eggs two at a time, mixing until well combined after each. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated.
• Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until combined.
• Add the buttermilk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
• Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until well combined and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated. Do not overmix the batter.
• You should have roughly 5 1/2 cups of cake batter total. Divide it in half in two separate bowls (about 625g each, if using a food scale) and set aside.
• Melt the chopped chocolate, then add it to one of the bowls of cake batter that was set aside along with the black gel icing color and gently fold together to combine. Work somewhat quickly so that the chocolate in the cake batter doesn't firm up too much and make the cake batter more difficult to work with. If it thickens too much, it makes it harder to layer the colors of cake batter together easily.
• Drop alternating heaping spoonfuls of each batter to the cake pans and gently shake the pan side to side to spread it evenly after every 2-3 spoonfuls. So add a large spoonful of the vanilla batter to each cake pan, then add a large spoonful of chocolate batter to the center of the vanilla batter. Shake side to side to spread. Repeat until you've used all the cake batter between the two pans.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
• Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool for about 2-3 minutes, then transfer to cooling racks to cool completely.
• To make the frosting, beat the butter in a large mixer bowl until smooth.
• Add half of the powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
• Add the vanilla extract and 3 tablespoons of water or milk and mix until well combined and smooth.
• Add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until well combined and smooth.
• Remove about 1 1/4 cups of the vanilla buttercream and set in another bowl. Add additional water or milk, if needed to get the right consistency of frosting.
• Add the cocoa powder to the remaining buttercream and mix until well combined and smooth.
• Add additional water or milk, if needed to get the right consistency of frosting, then add the black gel icing color to get the right shade of black.
• To put the cake together, use a large serrated knife to remove the domes from the top of the cakes so that they're flat. These cakes don't have a large dome, but I like to make sure they're completely flat.
• Place the first cake on a serving plate or a cardboard cake round.
• Spread about 1 cup of chocolate buttercream evenly on top of the cake.
• Add the second layer of cake on top, then frost the outside of the cake with the chocolate buttercream.
• Use the remaining chocolate buttercream and the vanilla buttercream to create the swirls on top of the cake and the shells along the bottom. To create the two toned swirls, I find it easiest to add each color to their own piping bag, then put both piping bags into a larger piping bag fitted with the piping tip. Squeeze the larger piping bag to do your piping.
• Store in an airtight container.

ZEBRA CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease and lightly flour three 9-inch cake pans.
• Whisk the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in a large bowl. Set aside. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. On medium-high speed, add 1 egg at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the sour cream and vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
• With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, and mixing each addition just until incorporated. Do not overmix this batter. The batter will be smooth, velvety, and slightly thick.
• There will be around 8 cups of batter total. Transfer half of it to another bowl. Whisk in the 4 chocolate batter ingredients until combined. A few small lumps are ok.
• First, watch the video above to see exactly how to layer the batters into the cake pans. Drop a large spoonful of 1 batter in the center of the pan. Top with a spoonful of the other batter. Alternate spoonfuls on top of each other. Give the pan a shake to level it all out. Repeat with each cake pan until all the batter is used. There's about 8 cups of batter total, so each cake pan will have a little less than 3 cups of batter in it.
• Bake for around 25-27 minutes or until the cakes are baked through. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it is done. Allow cakes to cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling.
• In a large bowl using a hand-held or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese for 1 minute on high speed until completely smooth and creamy. Beat in the butter until combined. Add the confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, 1 Tablespoon milk, and salt and beat on medium-high speed until combined and creamy. Add 1 more Tablespoon of milk to slightly thin out, if desired. Taste, then add another pinch of salt if desired.
• First, using a large serrated knife, slice a thin layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. Discard (or crumble over ice cream!). Place 1 cake layer on your cake stand or serving plate. Evenly cover the top with frosting. Top with 2nd layer and evenly cover the top with more frosting. Top with the third cake layer. Spread the frosting into a thick layer all over the top and sides. Garnish with sprinkles, if desired. Refrigerate for at least 45 minutes before slicing. This helps the cake keep its shape when cutting- it could slightly fall apart without time in the fridge.
• Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for 5 days.