Chocolate Marble Cake

• Ingredients
• Makes 2 cakes

• • 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for the pan
  • 2 cup sugar
  • 3 1/2 cups flour
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 6 large eggs
  • 3 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 1/3 cup buttermilk
  • 2/3 cup cocoa powder

Instructions

• 1. Prep.  Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Grease and flour the loaf pan.
  2. Cream the butter and sugar. Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light lemon-colored and fluffy, about 5 minutes.  
  3. Measure the flour and crack the eggs.  While the butter and sugar are creaming, measure out the flour, baking powder, and salt into a small bowl and whisk lightly to combine. Crack the eggs into a bowl and add the vanilla.
  4. Add the eggs.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well in between each addition and scraping the bowl as needed.
  5. Add the flour and buttermilk, alternating.  Add 1/3 of the flour to the batter and beat on low speed just until incorporated. Then add 1/2 of the buttermilk and beat.  Add another 1/3 of the flour, and beat, and then the last of the buttermilk and beat.  Finally, beat in the last 1/3 of the flour.
  6. Add the chocolate. Transfer roughly 1/2 of the batter to a separate bowl. In a small bowl or ramekin, mix the cocoa powder with 2 tablespoons of hot tap water until smooth. Add this chocolate mixture to the remaining batter.  Beat to incorporate.
  7. Spoon into the prepared pan, creating a two-layer checkerboard. Beginning with the vanilla mixture, place four spoonfuls of batter into the pan, spacing them far enough apart so that you can create a checkerboard when you add the chocolate batter.  Add the chocolate batter into the empty spaces to fill the bottom of the pan in a checkerboard pattern.  Repeat with the second layer, alternating the vanilla and chocolate batter. (See notes, above)
  8. Swirl.  Using the handle of a wooden spoon, swirl the batter to create a marbled effect. (See notes, above.)
  9. Bake the cake.  Place in the oven and bake for about 40 minutes, rotating the pan half way through.  The cake is done when it has browned slightly and a cake tester comes our clean when inserted into the middle.  Cool on a rack for 10 minutes and then unmold and let cool completely. 

     This recipe works very well and is tasty. Make sure you swirl the batter properly for the marbled effect. You can add frosting or icing, the recipe to which is available in another post.

Trip to Sikkim

This post is about my trip to Darjeeling and Sikkim in June 2018
Itinerary-
Day 1-I went to the Delhi airport with my family. We took a flight to Baghdogra, as that is the closest airport to Sikkim. An airport is opening in Gangtok in a few months, so you can take that if you want. Then, we took a car to Darjeeling. Our hotel there was Pine Tree Spa and Resort. It is a good hotel.
Day 2-We went for local sightseeing the next day. The Darjeeling zoo is a good place. It even has a Royal Bengal Tiger. I liked it. There are some monasteries and temples also. There are even tea gardens, where the famous Darjeeling tea is sold. I really enjoyed the taste of the tea. People might reccomend Tiger Hill to you, but if you are going in this season, it is just a waste of time and energy. There is no view from here in the summers. I do not reccomend Darjeeling as it is a congested place, which even has pollution. If you still want to go there, go from November to January.
Day 3- We left for Gangtok in the morning. We only came here to make our passes for various places. These can be made by a travel agent. We stayed in the Summit Denzong Hotel and Spa, which was awesome. It is totally reccomended. After relaxing for a while, we roamed around the MG Road, which was just next to our hotel. There is good variety of shops, but it is very crowded. 
Day 4-We then went to Lachen.  You would need passes to enter this place. It is a beautiful drive with has plenty of waterfalls and rivers. Make sure you stop and take plenty of pictures.We stayed in the Blue Pine Hotel in Lachen. It is a good hotel too.
Day 5-We woke up at 4 am and then left for a couple of places. We had to get up early as the placces are far rom Lachen. We first went to Black Stone. It requires a pass, but it is a really good place. It has a lot of snow. Next, we  went to Gurudongmar Lake. You will need passes for this too. It is at a high altitude. Just in case of any problems, carry camphur in a cloth to smell from. It has a really good view, and is awesome. After spending some time there, we went to a viewpoint for Chopta Valley. Then, we went back to our hotel. After some time relaxing, we went to Lachung. This was a scenic drive too. We can go inside the river too. You can also go close to a waterfall called Bhewma Falls. At Lachung, you will need passes to enter. Our hotel in Lachung was Etho Metho.
Day 6-We went to Zero Point in the morning. It had a very good view and I liked it. While coming back, we stopped at Yumthang Valley also. Even that had a really good view. There is even a hot spring at Yumthang Valley. Then, we went back to our hotel and relaxed. You can go back to Gangtok on the same day, but we decided to relax and go the next day.
Day 7-We went to Gangtok, and relaxed that day. We roamed about in the locality that day.
Day 8-We left for Nathula Pass in the morning. The last few kms will be shared with other people. You will also need passes. A travel agent will arrange everything. It is right on the Indo-China border, and it is a great experience. I liked it a lot. Next, we stopped at Tsongo Lake and spent some time there. There is a Baba Mandir there, but we did not visit it. That was because the old one was closed due to the Doklam incident. 
Day 9-We went to the Baghdogra airport in the morning. People say that it can take 8 hours, but it only took 4-5 hours for us. Then, we caught a flight back to Delhi.