Coconut Marble Cake

If your oven browns strongly, keep the temperature at the lower end and perform the skewer test towards the end.

Also grease the center tube (for a bundt pan) well so the cake releases cleanly.

The bowl and whisk must be free of fat, otherwise the egg whites won't become stable.

Butter and eggs at room temperature cream particularly well and are easier to incorporate.

Stir only until no dry flour is visible – this keeps the cake light.

Use a spatula with large movements to retain as much air as possible in the batter.

If the cocoa batter seems very firm, add milk spoonwise until it falls thickly from the spoon.

Don't swirl too much, otherwise the colours will blend and the pattern will become indistinct.

Check with a skewer: if the wooden skewer comes out almost clean, the cake is done.

Sprinkle the powdered sugar just before serving so it doesn't soak into the surface.