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Tornado Cake Recipe

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★★★★★

4.6 from 142 reviews

This Tornado Cake is a visually stunning and delicious dessert featuring a marbled swirl of cocoa and cinnamon within a moist, tender vanilla cake base. The unique tornado effect is created by layering and swirling two batters to produce an eye-catching pattern, making it perfect for special occasions or an impressive everyday treat.

Ingredients

Scale

Cake Batter

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1.5 cups granulated sugar
  • 0.5 teaspoon baking soda
  • 0.25 teaspoon salt
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup buttermilk

Tornado Swirl

  • 0.25 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar
  • 0.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a 9×13 inch baking pan to prevent the cake from sticking.
  2. Mix dry ingredients for cake batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, 1.5 cups granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt until fully combined.
  3. Add wet ingredients: Add the softened unsalted butter, eggs, and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined, ensuring not to overwork the batter.
  4. Incorporate buttermilk: Gradually add the buttermilk while mixing until the batter is smooth and cohesive, taking care not to overmix which could toughen the cake.
  5. Prepare tornado swirl mixture: In a small bowl, combine unsweetened cocoa powder, 0.75 cup granulated sugar, and ground cinnamon, mixing thoroughly to create the swirl component.
  6. Layer the cake batter: Pour about two-thirds of the cake batter into the prepared baking pan and spread evenly.
  7. Add the tornado swirl: Sprinkle the cocoa-cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over the layer of batter in the pan, ensuring good coverage.
  8. Top with remaining batter: Carefully pour the remaining one-third of the cake batter over the swirl mixture without disturbing it.
  9. Create the tornado swirl effect: Using a knife or skewer, gently swirl through the layered batters to create a tornado-like marbled pattern. Avoid over-swizzling to maintain distinct swirls.
  10. Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
  11. Cool the cake: Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes to set, then invert it onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.

Notes

  • Do not overmix the cake batter to keep the cake tender and light.
  • Use a knife or skewer gently while swirling to maintain a distinct pattern without blending the layers too much.
  • If you don’t have buttermilk, you can substitute by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup of milk and letting it sit for 5 minutes.
  • Allow the cake to cool completely for easier slicing and better slice definition.
  • This cake pairs wonderfully with a dusting of powdered sugar or a light glaze.

Keywords: Tornado Cake, marbled cake, cocoa swirl cake, cinnamon cake, baked dessert, layered cake, visually stunning cake

Find it online: https://recipeswithria.com/tornado-cake-recipe/