marble cake

250g butter, softened
1¼ cups caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
3 eggs
2¼ cups self-raising flour, sifted
¾ cup milk
2 tbsp cocoa powder
3 drops red food colouring
Vanilla butter icing
50g butter, softened
1 cup icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tbsp boiling water
1. Heat oven to 160°C fan bake. Grease a 22cm springform cake tin and line the base with nonstick baking paper. Place butter and sugar in a bowl and beat until pale and creamy.
2. Beat in vanilla essence and eggs, one at a time. Stir in sifted flour in two batches, alternating with the milk. Divide the mixture between three separate bowls. Beat cocoa powder into one portion, stir red food colouring into one portion and leave one portion plain.
3. Drop large spoonfuls of the different mixtures into the prepared cake tin, alternating the colours. Drag and swirl a blunt knife through the mixtures to create a marble pattern.
4. Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool in tin, then remove and spread with vanilla butter icing.
5. To make vanilla butter icing, beat all ingredients together in a bowl until pale and creamy