Zebra cake with chocolate cream cheese frosting

Set the oven to 350F.

Whisk the flour, kosher salt, baking soda and baking powder together in a large bowl and set aside.

In a liquid measuring cup combine the milk, sour cream and vanilla; whisk and set aside.

Cream the room temperature butter in a stand mixer, add the granulated sugar and mix on high three minutes until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl down.

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing between, then scrape down and mix until smooth.

Alternate dry and wet in five additions: a third of the dry, half the milk mixture, another third of the dry, the rest of the milk, the remaining dry. Mix only until no flour patches remain.

For the chocolate batter, mix a tablespoon of sugar and a quarter cup of sifted cocoa powder with two tablespoons of milk to thin it to the same consistency.

Fold the chocolate in by hand with a spatula until no streaks remain, without overmixing.

Flour the pans with about a tablespoon of flour for a clean release.

Alternate spoonfuls of vanilla and chocolate batter, each dropped into the middle of the last, until all the batter is used. Larger spoonfuls give a better zebra pattern.

Tap and shimmy the pans level; optionally fit a wet cake strip around the edge so the edges rise evenly and do not burn.

Bake at 350F for 30 to 35 minutes, until the centres are set.

Cool in the pan about 20 minutes, nudge the cake from the side to loosen it, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.

For the frosting, cream the unsalted butter, cream cheese and salt together.

Sift in the cocoa powder and the confectioner's sugar; sifting matters here so there are no lumps of cocoa.

Add the vanilla and mix on low about two minutes, without beating air in, until it comes together.

Centre the first layer on the plate, spread about half a cup of frosting over it, add the second layer, top with the rest of the frosting and swoop it over the top and down the sides, then clean the edge.