Almond-Chocolate Marble Pound Cake

Ingredients

• Baking spray
• 2 tablespoons almond paste
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 2 cups cake flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup good quality cocoa powder, such as Vahlrona
• 1/4 cup boiling water
• 3 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
• 2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract

Directions

1. Set an oven rack in the middle and heat the oven to 325 degrees F. Mist baking spray inside a 9- by 5-inch loaf pan. Fit 1 sheet of parchment into the pan so it comes up and over the long sides, then spray the parchment as well.
2. In a small bowl, use your fingertips to work the almond paste into the sugar until it is completely broken up. Or, pulse the almond paste and sugar together in a food processor until fully crumbled. Set the almond sugar aside.
3. Whisk the flour and salt together in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, stir the cocoa powder with the boiling water until smooth; keep it nearby.
4. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter with the almond sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs and egg yolks 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Beat in the almond extract just until combined, about 10 seconds. Sift the flour mixture over the batter in 3 batches, folding with the rubber spatula after each addition.
5. Move 1/3 of the batter into the bowl with the chocolate mixture, and stir until evenly combined. Spoon 1/2 of the plain batter and 1/2 of the chocolate batter into the prepared pan, alternating spoonfuls to make a checkerboard pattern. Repeat with the remaining batters. Drag a dinner knife through the batters in a swirling motion to create the marbling.
6. Bake until a tester pushed into the center of the cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Set the pan on a cooling rack and let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Use the parchment overhang to lift the cake straight onto the rack, then cool completely, about 1 hour.
7. Serve.