Make Ahead
Tiger Cake
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44 Reviews
LynneT
May 6, 2022
I’ve made this cake many times. Over the years I have made some modifications. To the dark batter I add a tablespoon of instant espresso powder and a teaspoon or so of chili powder (depending on who I make it for I may make it more or less spicy). To the light batter I will add grated orange rind of 2 oranges and some good cinnamon. And if I have enough time I will rub the grated orange rind into the 2 cups of sugar and let it sit overnight. I will also add some orange liqueur in place of some of the vanilla. I dispense with the pepper altogether. I have also added some cardamom and ginger to the light batter. After that I bake as usual. This cake is a hit wherever I bring it.
MousePadd
September 20, 2021
Let me say , this cake is delicious . Period . But I am from the South , and I just can't leave well enough alone . And y'all , it did make it even better . First off I used plain old cocoa . second I had to mix it up all by hand . We had a tornado near here and the power was out . I have a electric ignite stove . but in the store room I kept the old one with pilot lights . I used Wal mart Flour and Sugar . But i make my own vanilla so I used that . I make vanilla sugar for cookies and lemonade . so I substituted a half of a cup of the sugar . I had chopped up up the pods and it gave the cake a nice look. Instead of the milk I used ice cold half and half . It was so excellent . Ms. Medrich please forgive my fooling around ( maybe it was because the winds took off my carport roof)
greglum
November 13, 2019
This recipe is a star as written, but this time I experimented with a couple of changes. Instead of cocoa alone, I used 25 gm cocoa powder + about 35 gm black sesame powder (yes, more than the gm total of cocoa as written). Then after I mixed some of the batter into the chocolate/black sesame mixture, I added about 20 gm matcha powder to the white cake and then finished as written. Pretty good! My matcha was a little old so that flavor wasn't as pungent. And next time I'd probably increase the sesame-to-cocoa ratio to get a little more black sesame.
Sirid
May 16, 2019
This cake has a rather fine crumb and yet is beautifully most, firm but yielding. I complemented it with a chocolate cream cheese frosting, which isn't necessary but works well together. A hit with my kids & husband.
chez_mere
August 10, 2018
Made this cake and added a little orange blossom water + orange zest to the plain batter. Also was able to get it out of a well-buttered and floured bundt cake pan. Finished with a little chocolate glaze :)
Raquelita
November 12, 2017
Made this in a 10" springform cake pan for a kid's birthday cake. With this pan, I did some dragging through the batter to get the marbled effect. It worked out great, and I was able to split it into two thick layers. If you're better at that than I am, you can probably get 3. If you have a cake nail to heat the core of the cake, I'd use it with the large solid (non-tube) pan. If I made it again, I'd add more salt and more flavor--the texture was great but for grown-up palates it needs a little extra something.
Kaite
September 11, 2016
I've never been one to like cake. Usually they are too sweet and slathered in tons of frosting. This cake right here is my type of cake! The texture is divine and the flavor is delicious. I didn't have white pepper, nor do I care for white pepper, so I just used black. The flavor is barely detectable but I would still add it in again. I also used plain ole Hershey's cocoa. This one is a favorite for sure.
Kaite
July 2, 2021
This is my go-to cake for when I visit people or make cakes as gifts for others. I now add Szechuan pepper to the batter as the floral notes of the pepper play really well with the chocolate.
The K.
June 7, 2015
This is the most beautiful cake, with a gorgeous crumb and light texture. I upped the amount of white pepper (freshly ground) and it gave it a nice after taste. Fantastic with a glass of gewurztraminer!
Simone
May 4, 2015
Absolutely loved this recipe - had a tight, moist crumb, sliced v well and reminded me of the kind of Asian style butter cakes I sometimes had as a kid that are steamed, not baked. What was initially a really peppery olive oil I had morphed into a fruity element in this cake. Perfect. Thank you!
cutthecarrot
January 12, 2015
I wanted to love this cake. It is beautiful and I have had so much success with a number of Alice Medrich's recipes. Followed exactly as written (using eggs from home raised chickens and maybe slightly more vanilla because I do it by eye having once worked as a baker), this cake simply wasn't all that flavorful.
adeola
July 20, 2014
So I finally tried the recipe today and it is absolutely perfect, awesome! The white pepper added a tingly tasty sensation. I totally recommend the recipe. FAB!
Lisa
June 18, 2014
Baked beautifully. I increased the amount of cocoa and white pepper (both freshly bought) but could not taste either much, friends agreed - With a name like Tiger Cake you want it to have bolder flavors :) Leftover batter rose like a dream in muffin cups, would like to attempt this recipe again.
charlotte
April 19, 2014
sorry just looked at the recipe again, and I do realise you actually specify in the steps which amount of sugar to use! I must've been too tired last night while baking this!
charlotte
April 19, 2014
Made this last night with half the sugar and one less egg and I couldn't be happier! Great recipe :)
Just a comment on the ingredients - I wasnt sure which amount of sugar to use in which mixture. I guess it doesnt really matter as it all ends up in the cake, but I did get quite confused at first when I saw 'sugar' appear twice but it wasnt specified in the steps how much to use at which point.
Thank you for the fab recipe!!!
@adeola, it was moist! :)
Just a comment on the ingredients - I wasnt sure which amount of sugar to use in which mixture. I guess it doesnt really matter as it all ends up in the cake, but I did get quite confused at first when I saw 'sugar' appear twice but it wasnt specified in the steps how much to use at which point.
Thank you for the fab recipe!!!
@adeola, it was moist! :)
adeola
April 16, 2014
This recipe does not look like the cake will turn out moist. I think I will replace the milk with butter milk or whipped cream....
breadwhisperer
April 9, 2014
I made this last night. The texture is lovely, and the marbling looks pretty, but I wish it had more flavor. Maybe my cocoa powder wasn't up to the task (I used Sharffen Berger) or maybe I was just expecting something as intense as the citrus flavored olive oil cakes. I might try this again using more cocoa powder - or maybe some liqueur. I've never made a marbled cake before and I really enjoyed learning the technique - thanks!
Yazoolulu
April 8, 2014
This is a wonderful cake. I made it last week and my family just gobbled it up. I used a strong fruity olive oil and everyone thought it was delicious. Easy to make and quite impressive.
Alice M.
April 1, 2014
The recipe is now correct and the amount of water is indeed 1/3 of a cup. Forgive my typo!
ArtoriusRex
March 31, 2014
It's nice to see another cake recipe out there that doesn't rely on butter. I imagine this you can use a non-dairy milk, or goat milk, in this recipe successfully to?
Sarah
March 31, 2014
The recipe I've always made from Bittersweet contains 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract.
Kristen M.
March 31, 2014
You are absolutely right -- that went missing too. I've updated the recipe and it should be showing up soon.
Alice M.
March 31, 2014
Oops. A step was omitted in this recipe. First whisk the cocoa with the 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar at the beginning and set it aside. That is the cocoa mixture referred to. I will get it fixed!
Alice M.
April 1, 2014
1/3 cup of water is absolutely correct! 1/2 was my typo. Sorry for the confusion!
faizah.ibrahimsa
April 4, 2014
Omg.. I'm halfway doing it then I read this?!! Now what.. I'm putting all the cocoa mixture with oil and everything..isk please fix that before it happen to anyone else
faizah.ibrahimsa
April 4, 2014
It's supposed to be 'whisk the cocoa, 1/2 cups sugar and 1/3 water.. I was confused at first on the quantity of sugar it called-2 cups, but I went on with it. Now my cake turned into a chocolate cake instead of a marble. Hopefully it'll turn out good.
Kristen M.
April 4, 2014
Faizah, sorry for the trouble -- I just clarified those amounts better in the instructions, which should hopefully help.
Ann-Marie D.
March 31, 2014
Yes, it would work in a loaf pan - that's how I learned that in my pastry program. And about adding the batter to the cocoa, in this case. (If you are using alkanized cocoa powder, you have to activate it with warm milk. I wonder if she meant that for another recipe?)
Kristen M.
March 31, 2014
Ann-Marie, I just corrected the recipe to include a step that had been missing -- sorry for the confusion!
EllnMllr
March 31, 2014
Question about step 4. Add batter to cocoa MIXTURE? Or just the cocoa itself.
Alice M.
March 31, 2014
Oops. A step was omitted in this recipe. First whisk the cocoa with the 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar at the beginning and set it aside. That is the cocoa mixture referred to. I will get it fixed!
Kristen M.
March 31, 2014
EllnMllr, I just updated the recipe and the missing step should be showing up momentarily -- sorry for the confusion!
Sarah
March 31, 2014
I've made this for years. It is really wonderful - amazing texture, flavor, and aroma.
(A whole different thing but also delicious just as a plain cake, if you leave out the cocoa and marbling.) But mostly I make it as written. Divine.
(A whole different thing but also delicious just as a plain cake, if you leave out the cocoa and marbling.) But mostly I make it as written. Divine.
Ann-Marie D.
March 31, 2014
One of my favorite things to make - in Spanish it's "budin marmolado." It tastes much better in a big loaf than in small cupcakes as the moisture inside is just delicious!
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