It’s an absolute classic that has been baked in our family over and over again: Zebra Cake! There is probably no children’s birthday party without this simple (striped) sponge cake. Not everyone needs a three-layer cake with buttercream and decorations. All you need sometimes is a simple cake with some whipped cream on top. Classic and delicious ;)
Whoever came up with the idea of simply layering two different colored doughs in a baking pan to create this cake, deserves a medal in my opinion. Maybe not necessarily the Federal Cross of Merit, but at least something small. Right? Such a simple but impressive cake! ;)
I should probably say that you can screw up things even though it’s a simple recipe. If you are not using enough dough per layer to create the zebra look, you will end up with a brown blob instead of layers. If you make the layers too thin they will blend into each other and the dark dough takes over. Instead of 100 layers, you might want to go for only 10-20 layers, ok? ;P
By the way, you can make this cake sugar-free if you like. Just replace the sugar in the recipe with a substitute like xylitol. However, I would recommend leaving out the sugar glaze in that case. You could use a sugar-free substitute for the confectioners’ sugar here, but tbh that never works well. The texture of a sugar-free glaze is always a bit off and it also does not taste good. Serve the cake with some more whipped cream. That’s better anyway ;P
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
5.3 oz. (150g) xylitol (or sugar)
4 large eggs
1 cup (250ml) vegetable oil
3.4 fl. oz. (100ml) milk + 1 tbsp.
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups (300g) all-purpose flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. cocoa powder
For the decoration (optional):
5.3 oz. (150g) confectioners’ sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1-2 tbsp. heavy cream, plus more if necessary
150g Xylit (oder Zucker)
4 Eier (L)
250ml Pflanzenöl
100 ml Milch + 1 EL
1 TL Vanille Extrakt
300g Mehl (Type 550)
4 TL Backpulver
1/4 TL Salz
2 EL Kakao
Für die Dekoration (optional):
150g Puderzucker
1/4 TL Vanille Extrakt
1–2 EL Sahne, ggf. etwas mehr
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
2. Add the xylitol (or sugar), the eggs, the oil, 3.4 fl. oz. (100ml) of the milk and the vanilla extract to a large bowl and mix for about 2-3 minutes on high until light and fluffy. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt together and add to the bowl as well – mix in briefly. Pour about half of the batter into a second bowl, add the cocoa powder and the tablespoon of milk and mix well.
3. Pour about 2 tablespoons of the light batter into the center of the baking tin, then top with 2 tablespoons of the dark batter. Repeat this process until both batters are used up completely – this should create many thin layers of light and dark batter. Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Take the cake out of the oven and let cool down completely on a wire rack.
4. For the glaze, mix the confectioners’ sugar with vanilla extract and a small amount of heavy cream. Add more cream until the consistency of the glaze is thick and not too runny. Glaze the cake and let it dry.
2. Das Xylit mit den Eiern, dem Öl, 100ml Milch und dem Vanille Extrakt in eine Schüssel geben und etwa 2-3 Minuten schaumig aufschlagen. Mehl, Backpulver und Salz vermischen und dann zu Schüssel dazugeben und kurz unterrühren. Etwa die Hälfte des Teiges in eine zweite Schüssel geben, den Kakao und den EL Milch dazugeben und gut verrühren.
3. Etwa 2 EL des hellen Teiges in die Mitte der Form geben, dann 2 EL des dunklen Teiges darauf geben. Diesen Vorgang so lange wiederholen, bis beide Teige aufgebraucht sind. Der Teig sollte dadurch viele dünne Schichten bekommen. Für etwa 35-40 Minuten backen. Mit einem Holzspieß testen, ob noch Teig kleben bleibt und den Kuchen erst herausholen, wenn dieser sauber herauskommt. Aus dem Ofen nehmen und auf einem Kuchengitter komplett abkühlen lassen.
4. Für die Glasur den Puderzucker mit Vanille Extrakt und etwas Sahne verrühren. Mehr Sahne dazugeben, bis die Konsistenz der Glasur passt und nicht zu flüssig ist. Den Kuchen damit übergießen und trocknen lassen.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
Print
Simple & Easy Zebra Cake
- Prep Time: 00:15
- Cook Time: 00:40
- Total Time: 02:00
- Yield: 1 1x
- Category: Cakes
- Cuisine: Germany
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A classic bake you will see at many (kids) birthday parties: a Simple & Easy Zebra Cake. Super chocolaty and delicious with (or without) sugar glaze.
Ingredients
For the batter:
5.3 oz. (150g) xylitol (or sugar)
4 large eggs
1 cup (250ml) vegetable oil
3.4 fl. oz. (100ml) milk + 1 tbsp.
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups (300g) all-purpose flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. cocoa powder
For the decoration (optional):
5.3 oz. (150g) confectioners’ sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1–2 tbsp. heavy cream, plus more if necessary
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a 10 inches (26cm) springform tin with baking parchment and grease lightly. If you have baking strips*, moisten them and place them around the tin to help the cake rise more evenly. Set aside.
2. Add the xylitol (or sugar), the eggs, the oil, 3.4 fl. oz. (100ml) of the milk and the vanilla extract to a large bowl and mix for about 2-3 minutes on high until light and fluffy. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt together and add to the bowl as well – mix in briefly. Pour about half of the batter into a second bowl, add the cocoa powder and the tablespoon of milk and mix well.
3. Pour about 2 tablespoons of the light batter into the center of the baking tin, then top with 2 tablespoons of the dark batter. Repeat this process until both batters are used up completely – this should create many thin layers of light and dark batter. Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Take the cake out of the oven and let cool down completely on a wire rack.
4. For the glaze, mix the confectioners’ sugar with vanilla extract and a small amount of heavy cream. Add more cream until the consistency of the glaze is thick and not too runny. Glaze the cake and let it dry.
Notes
Enjoy baking!
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I love my job, but in between I love to bake and try new things in the kitchen. A lot of my friends and colleagues encourage me to bake - for a very simple reason: they get the leftovers - and it seems they like it most of the time ;) 
