Alice Medrichs Tiger Cake Food

ALICE MEDRICH'S TIGER CAKE

Steps:

• Position a rack in the lower third of your oven and pre-heat to 350 degrees F.
• If using a 10 or 12" tube or bundt pan, grease and flour the pan; if using two 6-cup loaf pans, line the pans with parchment.
• In a small bowl, mix the cocoa, 1/2 cup sugar and 1/3 cup water together until well blended; set aside.
• Mix the flour, baking powder, salt thoroughly and sift together onto a piece of waxed paper; set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl (with the whisk attachment if you have it), beat the sugar, oil, vanilla and pepper until well blended.
• Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Stop the mixer and add one third of the flour mixture; beat on low speed until just blended.
• Stop the mixer and add half the milk; beat on low until just blended.
• Repeat with another third of the flour, the remaining milk and the rest of the flour.
• Pour three cups of the batter into another bowl and stir in the cocoa mixture.
• Pour one third of the plain batter into the prepared pan (or divide between the two loaf pans)and top with one third of the chocolate batter.
• Repeat with the remaining batters, but don't worry about marbling--it happens by itself during the baking.
• Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about one hour and ten minutes for either the bundt/tube pan or the loaf pans.
• Cool in the pan(s) on a rack for 15 minutes. Loosen the cake from the sides of the pan(s) to release, invert and invert again so the cake ends up right side up on the rack.
• Cool completely before slicing.