by Linda Reilly
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon beaten egg
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Combine together in a mixing bowl the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, and white sugar. In a separate bowl, combine the water, vanilla extract, egg, and oil. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until blended.
In a deep fryer or heavy pan, heat additional vegetable oil to 350 to 375 degrees, using just enough oil to cover the cake chunks. A candy/deep-fry thermometer will help gauge the oil temperature.
Keep the marble cake as close to frozen as possible before frying. Using a heavy knife, carve the mostly frozen marble cake into workable chunks, about 1½-to 2-inch squares. (You can also carve the cake into chunks prior to freezing.) Be careful not to let them thaw all the way through, as you’ll end up with mush when you try to coat them. One by one, coat the cake chunks in the sweet batter. Lower each battered chunk slowly into the oil, leaving plenty of room between them. Fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes, then remove and drain on paper towels.
They’re delicious to eat “as is,” but Talia usually serves hers with a simple dusting of powdered sugar. If you’d like to add a swirl of raspberry sauce as a garnish (the way Talia did at the annual Santa fund-raiser), you can find quality brands either from gourmet food shops or online.
Serve warm and enjoy!
Feel free to experiment with different types of cake, such as pound cake or lemon cake or even fruitcake during the holidays. Any of your favorite cakes would make a scrumptious deep-fried snack!
Looking for more?
Visit Penguin.com for more about this author and a complete list of their books.
Discover your next great read!