BLACK & WHITE STRIPES.....EVERYWHERE!

I just adore black & white stripes. I love them on furniture, clothes, walls, paper and desserts. I especially love it outdoors. If I saw this shop it would not matter what they sold the awning would make me have a look.

There is just something about black & white stripes that draws me in. I just love it outside on cushions or, wow, on walls and ceilings of a porch like this one.

After seeing these umbrellas I will now be on the hunt for one. And this tent, well it just brings to mind a day at the circus and who doesn't love that.

This is a little more attainable. I have painted black & white stripes on my indoor furniture several times. My bathroom cabinet is striped. This is a cute idea for an outdoor table. I know I always have something hanging around I don't know what to do with, so I think I will just stripe it all!

I could not believe my eyes when I saw this ZEBRA CAKE from THE WHIMSICAL CUPCAKE BLOG. It is so adorable and it looked impossible to make but when I read the recipe it looks quite easy.

ZEBRA CAKE


Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup milk (whole, 2% or 1%)
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons Double Dutched Dark Cocoa

Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a 9″ x 2″ round baking pan with cooking spray (you can use a 8″ x 2″ for a slightly thicker cake). Line the bottom of the pan with a circle of parchment, and spritz again. Set the pan aside.

2) In the bowl of your mixer, blend the sugar and eggs until lightened, about 2 minutes. On low speed blend in the oil, milk and vanilla until well combined and smooth.

3) In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk to remove any lumps. Add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients. Combine on medium speed 1-2 minutes or until the batter is smooth and lump free. Be sure to scrape down the bowl halfway through mixing.

4) Remove 2 cups of the vanilla batter and place it in the measure you used for the liquid ingredients. Sift the cocoa over this batter, and stir well to combine. Be sure to use a sifter to avoid cocoa lumps in the batter.

5) Now for the stripes. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of vanilla batter into the center of the cake pan. Next, spoon 3 tablespoons of the chocolate batter into the center of the vanilla batter. This causes the vanilla batter to spread out. Continue to alternate batters, in bulls-eye fashion until all batter is used. You will now have thin rings of each batter on the outer edges of the pan, thicker rings towards the center.

6) Bake the cake in the center of the preheated oven for 35-45 minutes, or until the cake is lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, and then turn out onto a wire rack to finish cooling. Dust lightly with confectioners sugar or frost if that strikes your fancy.

Now how yummy and moist does this cake look? I am hungry already.

You could try it in different coloured stripes too. Just don't do the chocolate and add a food colour gel to the other half of the vanilla.

Thank you Jeannette at the THE WHIMSICAL CUPCAKE for this delicious Black & White Cake which I will be making. Drop by and see her blog for a lot of really scrumpious recipes.

Images from PINTEREST.