TWD: Cardamom-Espresso Marbled Loaf Cake

We have a bumper crop of deliciousness headed our way this month on Tuesdays with Dorie. To start the month off with a swirl, I present a tiny Cardamom-Espresso Marbled Loaf Cake. This was billed as a Basic Marbled Loaf Cake in the book, but when you have the opportunity to add caffeine to a dessert, you should always take it. That's my opinion, anyway. Carol at The Bake More picked this week's treat, and you can find the recipe on her blog.

At the end of last year, we made Cardamom Crumb Cake - well, I didn't make it during the designated week, but I did rewind it a couple of weeks later and it rocked. So of course when I saw cardamom and coffee as a playing around option for this cake, all thoughts of chocolate and vanilla vanished.

I also decided to make a tiny little loaf cake instead of a giant one by quartering the ingredients. This made the swirling a little dicey, but I prevailed. I used instant espresso instead of instant coffee. The marbling isn't as dramatic or distinct as a chocolate/vanilla version would have been, but the taste made up for it. Coffee. Cardamom. If these ingredients make your heart sing, please try this cake. If you make a teeny tiny one, you and your favorite two-year-old can polish it off together for a mid-morning snack. (We make a good team.)

Next week: Peggy from Pantry Revisited chose Brown Sugar Bundt Cake

Last week: Cornmeal Shortbread Cookies