Marble Pound Cake

To my delight, my Dad has recently become really interested in the TV show Cake Boss.  This is seriously fun for me, because usually my Dad is only interested in action movies or war commentaries (Dad is in the Defence Force).  But Cake Boss seems to entertain him.  He laughs at the bakers' fights and is in awe at their crazy creations.  Yesterday he kept repeating "fondant," "modelling chocolate" and "marble pound cake." Funnily enough, he had no idea what these words meant!  Eventually he came to me for clarification.  After I explained what a marble cake was, he decided he wanted to taste it himself.  So, here it is! Dad's Marble Pound Cake.  Mum and Dad devoured half of it in less than half and hour.  Now I'm just waiting for him to ask me what fondant tastes like! Then we can go on a hunt to buy some!  (None of us have tasted it because it is so hard to find/buy where I live). 

Ingredients
225g butter, softened
225g caster sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract, plus 1/2 tsp extra
225g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
50mL full fat milk
50g cocoa powder

Method
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (fan-forced).  Prepare a round 20cm cake tin.  Cream the butter until soft; add in the 1/2 tsp vanilla extract extra and mix. Add sugar and beat until mixture is light and fluffy.  Whisk the eggs and the vanilla extract together in a small bowl.  Gradually add the eggs to the butter mixture, beating all the time.  Sift the flour and baking powder over the top of this buttery mixture; fold gently through.  Add milk and mix gently again until batter is smooth and combined.  Tip half of cake batter into a separate bowl, and in this separate bowl sift the cocoa powder in.  Stir to combine until smooth.  Now in the prepared tin, alternatively blop the vanilla and chocolate mixture.  Smooth the top of the cake out slightly.  Be wary not to over mix otherwise cake will not have a clear marble look.  Bake in oven for 45 - 50 minutes, or until skewer comes out clean.  Turn cake out on to wire rack after 5 minutes of cooling in tin.  Top with desired icing, such as Buttercream (as pictured).