Malted Coconut Marble Cake

This is a throwback cake with serious charm. A tender vanilla batter gets divided in two, and half gets swirled with chocolate malted milk powder for that nostalgic malt shop flavor. Spooned alternately into a tube pan and baked until golden, the marbled crumb is soft and fine-grained from well-beaten eggs and a full cup of shortening.

The frosting is where the coconut comes in. After frosting the cooled cake, the whole thing goes under the broiler for a few minutes until the coconut toasts to a golden, crackling shell. Watch it like a hawk. Coconut goes from toasted to charred in seconds under a broiler.

Grease and flour only the bottom of the tube pan, not the sides. The batter needs to grip the sides as it rises, or the cake will collapse.

Kitchen Tips

• Beat the eggs very well before combining with the milk and vanilla. Well-aerated eggs give this cake its lift since there’s no chemical leavener beyond baking powder.
• Alternate the wet and dry additions carefully. Dump it all in at once and the batter will be lumpy and uneven.
• When marbling, don’t over-swirl. Two or three drags of a knife through the batters gives clean, distinct ribbons. Too much mixing and you get muddy brown.

Variations

• Use butter instead of shortening for a richer flavor, though the crumb will be slightly denser.
• Skip the broiler step and drizzle with a chocolate malt glaze for a double-malt finish.
• Fold toasted coconut flakes directly into the batter for coconut throughout the cake, not just on top.