Hazelnut Marble Cake with Tangerine and Chocolate Buttercream “Baby” Cake
This week was very special for me, so I had to make this very special True Birthday Cake- Welcome Hudson! I became an aunt for the first time as Hudson was born very late Wednesday night. My brother (Hudson’s father), Ivan pointed out earlier in the day that Dirty Laundry Kitchen should probably celebrate this news as well. He recommended a variation on the marble cake that my mother often made for our birthdays to celebrate Hudson’s real birthday. I made two small cakes in a heart-shaped silicon mold in honor of his tiny size. I updated the marble cake with some hazelnut flour to up the ante on richness and moistness. I used some tangerine buttercream for the center and just added chocolate to the tangerine buttercream for the outer layer of frosting. This created a layered flavor effect that was really special. Just like Hudson. But even if you don’t have a new baby joining your family anytime soon, I know that my True Birthday Cake- Welcome Hudson! cake would also be a great birthday cake for all loved ones.
Congrats Britt and Ivan and I can’t wait to meet him! He looks amazing.
Meet Hudson!
- Cake: (This is for a 2 cup pan- just double the recipe for two 8-inch round cake pans).
- 1 stick butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup flour
- ½ cup hazelnut flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ cup milk
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla
- American or French Buttercream (make ahead or start while the cake is in the oven).
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. You can’t really overdo this step.
- Beat in the eggs. Add baking powder.
- Mix in flours until just incorporated. Mix in milk.
- Remove ⅓ of the batter to a separate bowl and mix 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder into the batter.
- Place the batters into your prepared pan (either cooking spray or butter to prevent sticking) filling only about ⅔ full (Don't overfill like I always do. Seriously, then you have to cut away the spillover).
- Swirl together with a knife (place any extra batter into prepared muffin tins).
- Bake until you can insert a toothpick and it will come out clean. With my small pans, I checked visually at 10 minutes. They ended up requiring about 18 minutes. Let cool completely.
- Trim the overfill edges with a serrated knife so the heart shape is clear.
Buttercream. You have choices. I personally make French buttercream. It requires some patience and practice, but I really love the results it yields. It’s rich, glossy and it will definitely make people think you’re a baking genius. Another option is American buttercream. It’s a lot less fussy and still really good. And even beginners will be able to execute this cake. The choice is yours. - If you used a tall mold, like I did, you’ll need to cut the cake in half horizontally.
- Then spread the tangerine buttercream over the bottom layer of cake and cover with the top.
You’ve now got a cake sandwich. 
- At this point, add about a half cup of just barely melted dark chocolate to the remaining buttercream (If it’s too hot, it will melt the buttercream. If this happens, just beat until it cools and comes back to it’s rich creamy texture). This will be the frosting for the outside of the cake. Because the base is tangerine and then I added chocolate, it creates a very cool layered feel to the flavor.
- Frost the cake and then let set in the refrigerator.
Serve at just below or room temperature.
Beautiful cake! And congratulations!