What is the name of the striped edible animal?
To please and surprise a child, it is not at all necessary to make some kind of story-based sweets or order special desserts. Any day, you can surprise your little one by preparing him an unusual-looking and delicious dessert – Zebra cake. The classic recipe for this cake is made with sour cream, and the trick lies in alternating two layers of dough of different colors - brown (with cocoa powder) and white (creamy).
Classic Zebra Cake
Ingredients for the base:
- Eggs – 3 pcs. (large).
- Sugar - 300 gr.
- Sour cream – 250g.
- Butter – 120g.
- Flour - 300 gr.
- Baking powder – 1.5 teaspoons.
- Vanillin – 1.5 sachets.
- Cocoa – 4 tablespoons (unsweetened).
Ingredients for glaze and decoration:
- Butter – 70 gr.
- Sugar – 50g.
- Cocoa – 3 tablespoons (unsweetened).
- Sour cream – 50 ml.
- Nuts – 50-100 g (optional).
Recipe for dessert base:
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease and flour a cake pan or spray with baking spray.
- Beat all the eggs with a whisk until lightly foamy. Gradually add sugar to the bowl with the eggs and continue whisking until the sugar dissolves.
- Melt the butter in the microwave, then, while stirring constantly, pour the butter into the egg-sugar mixture.
- After the mixture has become homogeneous, mix it with sour cream and vanilla.
- Now carefully fold in the baking powder and sifted flour, mixing thoroughly to avoid lumps. The batter should have a consistency similar to pancake batter.
- The next step is to divide the resulting dough into two equal parts. Add cocoa powder to one part and mix thoroughly. The recipe is almost complete.
- Take a baking pan and place a few tablespoons of white dough (about 4 tablespoons) on the bottom. Then, place the same number of tablespoons of brown dough directly in the center of the resulting white circle. Then move on to the lighter dough again, and continue until both parts are in the pan. As you get closer to the middle, begin using fewer tablespoons—this will ensure an even zebra pattern.
- Place the pan in the oven for 45-60 minutes. After 45 minutes, carefully open the oven door and test for doneness by inserting a toothpick or match into the center of the base. The zebra is ready when the toothpick or match comes out clean, with no traces of batter.
- Once the base is baked, carefully remove it from the oven and let it cool. Then, remove the cake from the pan and cover it with a towel.
Glaze recipe:
- Place the diced butter in a saucepan and place the saucepan over low heat.
- Once the butter has melted, add the sugar, sour cream, and cocoa powder. Stir until the sugar dissolves. (If you feel there isn't enough cocoa powder, add another 1.5 tablespoons.)
- Place the base on a serving plate and carefully pour chocolate glaze over the entire zebra cake. Make sure there's enough glaze to completely cover the zebra. Sprinkle with chopped nuts, if desired.
The "Zebra" dessert is ready! The recipe is completely simple, and now you've seen it for yourself. Time to take photos of your creation and, of course, taste it! Don't forget to snap a photo of a cross-section of this marvelous dessert!
But as good as the classic recipe is, Zebra is more reminiscent of a frosted cupcake than a cake. So, to keep things simple but still make this dessert feel like a real cake, we suggest modifying this recipe by adding another layer—a layer of cream. The cream will be made with sour cream, so it's safe to say the deviation from the recipe won't be too dramatic.
Zebra cake frosting
Ingredients:
- Sour cream – 350-400 ml (20% fat).
- Sugar – 100-130 g (to taste).
- Vanillin – 0.5 packet (optional).
Recipe:
- Mix sour cream, sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl.
- Using a mixer at medium speed, beat the sour cream and sugar mixture until the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Taste the mixture. If the cream isn't sweet enough, add a little more sugar and beat some more.
- We cut the baked base into two or three parts (depending on the height and thickness of the resulting base).
- Spread whipped cream over each layer of the base, except the top. Don't be afraid to spread it thickly—it will soak in some of it, making the dessert even more delicious.
- Cover the frosted part (or parts, if you cut the base into more than two layers) with the top layer and pour the glaze over it as in the recipe above. Decorate with nuts and let it sit in a cool place for a couple of hours to soak.
The cream layer won't spoil the dessert's appearance at all—in fact, the zebra cross-section will look even better and will look stunning in photos! You can also experiment with decorating this cake. Instead of nuts, you can use mini jelly beans, small meringues, or chocolate chips. Experiment—your recipe might even improve the dessert. Enjoy!
