When I was a kid growing up on our dairy farm in Wisconsin 40 years ago, marble cake was one of my mother's specialities. I was always fascinated with the way that the marble seemed to appear in the cake "by magic."

* 4 cups flour
* 2 cups sugar
* 3 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 3/4 cup milk
* 3/4 cup cooking oil
* 4 eggs
* 2 teaspoons vanilla

Measure all ingredients into a large mixer bowl. Using an electric mixer, stir on low speed for 2 minutes, scraping bowl constantly. Mix on high speed 3 minutes (scrape occasionally).

Put 1 cup of batter into a small bowl. Pour half of the remaining batter into a greased bundt pan.

Add 1/4 cup cocoa, 3 tablespoons cooking oil and 1 tablespoon milk to the 1 cup of reserved batter. Mix thoroughly. Pour chocolate batter over the batter in the bundt pan. Pour the remaining white batter over the chocolate batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 60 to 70 minutes.

Allow to cool thoroughly. Remove the cake from the bundt pan.

If desired, frost with a white glaze.

Glaze:

* 2 cups powdered sugar
* 2 tablespoons soft butter (or margarine)
* 3 tablespoons milk

Combine ingredients and mix thoroughly. If glaze seems too thick to drizzle over the bundt cake, add more milk by teaspoons until the glaze reaches the desired consistency.

If glaze seems too thin, add powdered sugar by tablespoons until it reaches the desired consistency.

LeAnn R. Ralph is the author of books about growing up on a small family dairy farm 40 years ago. The Midwest Book Review calls this series of books "Highly recommended reading!" You are invited to sign up for the twice-monthly newsletter from Rural Route 2 -- http://ruralroute2.com

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