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This Marble Cake may look fancy, but it’s incredibly easy to make! Learn how to make an old-fashioned marble cake with swirls of vanilla and chocolate cake, all covered in chocolate icing. This moist and fluffy cake is always a hit!
Moist Homemade Marble Cake
After many, many versions of this Marble Cake, I’m so excited to share the final one with you. I’ve gotten lots of requests for a Marble Cake lately, so I knew I needed to share this recipe as soon as I had it right. I even went to my Instagram Stories to ask what makes a good Marble Cake, so that I could be sure to incorporate everything.
I have to say this cake is all that we want it to be! It’s moist with distinctly chocolate and vanilla flavored swirls of fluffy cake. Plus, both the chocolate and vanilla cake come from the same batter, making this marble cake super quick and easy to put together. Love it!
What You’ll Need
Here is a quick overview of what you’ll need to make this cake. Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card below for specific amounts.
For the Cake
- All purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Unsalted butter – A combination of butter and vegetable oil are used to add both flavor and moisture to the cake. Butter adds the flavor you really love in a vanilla cake, while oil adds the ever important moisture.
- Vegetable oil
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Buttermilk – I use powdered buttermilk. Regular milk would work fine as a substitute.
- Bittersweet chocolate (60% cacao) – I strongly recommend sticking with bittersweet chocolate for this cake. I find it gives the best flavor and texture to the chocolate cake portion.
For the Chocolate Icing
- Butter
- Shortening
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Water or milk
What Kind of Chocolate to Use?
The kind of chocolate was the first thing I played with. The chocolate you use actually makes a significant difference in the final texture and taste of the chocolate cake.
I knew I wanted to use melted chocolate, so I initially started out using pure 100% chocolate. It ended up not being my favorite option because it made the chocolate cake noticeably different in texture from the vanilla and was more dense and dry. Not to mention that it was a little more bitter tasting.
I then tried semi-sweet chocolate, which is a favorite of mine in baking. While it improved the texture of the cake, I found the chocolate flavor to not really be enough. It was fine, but just a bit lost.
Next up was bittersweet chocolate, which is kind of a middle point between the 100% cocoa and semi-sweet, since it’s 60% cocoa. The bittersweet chocolate was perfect! Great chocolate flavor, but not overpowering or bitter.
I also messed around with the amount of melted chocolate used and decided that a little less melted chocolate went a long way. It added plenty of flavor and did a better job of maintaining the same cake texture between the chocolate and vanilla batters. Too much chocolate still messed with the texture more than I wanted it to.
How to Make Marble Cake
Now that you know what you’ll need ingredients-wise, it’s time to get down to making this cake. To get started making this Marble Cake, you’ll make the vanilla cake batter. This batter will later be flavored with chocolate, and then you’ll swirl the two together.
Prep your tools. Prepare two 9 inch cake pans with parchment paper circles in the bottom and grease the sides. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
Mix dry ingredients. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.
Cream the butter. Add the butter, vegetable oil, and sugar to a large mixer bowl and beat together until light in color and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Do not skimp on the creaming time.
Add the eggs two at a time, mixing until well combined after each. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated.
Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until combined.
Add the milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until well combined and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated. Do not over mix the batter.
Set aside 1 1/4 cups of batter. Then divide the remaining batter between the two cake pans and set them aside.
Melt the chopped chocolate. Add it to the batter that was set aside and gently fold together to combine.
Swirl the two batters together. Drop spoonfuls of batter over the top of the vanilla batter that is already in the cake pans. Use a knife to swirl the chocolate and vanilla batters together, being careful not to over combine them. I ran a knife in a swirl through the cake in one direction once, then the opposite direction once and that was it.
Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Cool. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool for about 2-3 minutes, then remove to cooling racks to cool completely.
Icing Your Cake
The final step is covering your marble cake in homemade chocolate buttercream frosting! It finished it off perfectly! However, you could totally use vanilla frosting as well. You can also make your frosting in advance! Frosting will keep in the fridge for 1 month and in the freezer for up to 3 months. Just give it a good stir to get the consistency nice and smooth again if you do make it ahead.
The great thing about Marble Cake is that there are many ways to go about it and this recipe is pretty flexible. The cake is moist, flavorful and easy to put together too, which are all winners in my book. I hope you enjoy it!
How to Store a Frosted Cake
You can store this cake on the counter for 2-3 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week. In either case, I recommend covering the cake with saran wrap or placing it in an airtight container to prevent it from drying out.
Can I Freeze This?
Yes, you can definitely freeze marble cake! It is easiest to freeze the cake before it is frosted. Let it come to room temperature, then wrap it in 3-4 layers of saran wrap and place it in an airtight freezer-safe container or Ziploc bag. It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
When you’re ready to eat it just let it thaw on the counter for a few hours or in the fridge overnight.
Print
Easy Marble Cake Recipe
- Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Cooling Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 52 minutes
- Yield: 12-14 slices
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Marble Cake is wonderfully moist and made with a swirls of vanilla and chocolate cake! It’s covered in chocolate frosting for a classic cake!
Ingredients
MARBLE CAKE
- 2 1/4 cups (293g) all purpose flour
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (112g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cups (310g) sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk*
- 2.5 oz bittersweet chocolate (60% cacao), chopped**
CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
- 1 1/4 cups (280g) butter
- 1 cups (189g) shortening
- 8 cups (920g) powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup (114g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 6–8 tbsp (90-120ml) water/milk
Instructions
Make the Marble Cake
- Prepare two 9 inch cake pans with parchment paper circles in the bottom and grease the sides. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
- Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
- Add the butter, vegetable oil and sugar to a large mixer bowl and beat together until light in color and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Do not skimp on the creaming time.
- Add the eggs two at a time, mixing until well combined after each. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated.
- Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until combined.
- Add the milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
- Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until well combined and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated. Do not over mix the batter.
- Set aside 1 1/4 cups of batter, then divide the remaining batter between the two cake pans and set them aside.
- Melt the chopped chocolate, then add it to the batter that was set aside and gently fold together to combine.
- Drop spoonfuls of batter over the top of the vanilla batter that is already in the cake pans. Use a knife to swirl the chocolate and vanilla batters together, being careful not to over combine them. I ran a knife in a swirl through the cake in one direction once, then the opposite direction once and that was it.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool for about 2-3 minutes, then remove to cooling racks to cool completely.
Make the Frosting
- To make the frosting, beat the butter and shortening together until smooth.
- Add half of the powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
- Add the vanilla extract, cocoa powder and 4-5 tablespoons of water or milk and mix until smooth.
- Slowly add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Add additional water or milk, as needed to get the right consistency of frosting.
- To put the cake together, use a large serrated knife to remove the domes from the top of the cakes so that they’re flat. These cakes don’t have a large dome, but I like to make sure they’re completely flat.
- Place the first cake on a serving plate or a cardboard cake round.
- Spread about 1 cup of frosting evenly on top of the cake.
- Add the second layer of cake on top, then frost the outside of the cake.
Notes
- Store in an air-tight container. Cake is best when eaten within 3-4 days.
*I use powdered buttermilk. Regular milk would work fine as a substitute.
**I strongly recommend sticking with bittersweet chocolate for this cake. I find it gives the best flavor and texture to the chocolate cake portion.
NOTE: If you’d like to use a vanilla frosting on this cake, replace the cocoa powder with an equal amount of additional powdered sugar and increase the vanilla extract to 3 teaspoons (1 tablespoon).
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice
- Calories: 786
- Sugar: 80.4 g
- Sodium: 285.7 mg
- Fat: 41.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 102.2 g
- Protein: 6.2 g
- Cholesterol: 72.8 mg
Categories
More Cakes to Try
Enjoy!
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I’ve made this recipe a few times now and always love it! The texture is spot on for me- fluffy and soft- not dense. The instructions are easy to follow. Thanks for the recipe!!
I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed it!
Ok. I am a new baker and have tried several of your cakes and they are absolutely delicious. On the melted chocolate, may I melt it in the microwave or do I have to melt it over the stove in a pot and bowl?
I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed the recipes! You can definitely melt it in the microwave.
I am planning to make this cake this weekend, but wanted to ask – did you use bleached or unbleached flour? Does it even make a difference? Thanks!
I have used both, so either should be fine.
I only have one 9inch pan. Should I just put the batter in the oven twice? Or just put it all in at once?
I would do it twice.
Happy Mother’s Day. Thank you for such a quick response. Also…it’s so hard to get to the store. Single mom. I only have semi sweet chocolate and am sure it will still be delicious.
I totally get it! I hope you enjoy it! Happy Mother’s Day!!
Hi Lindsay,
The recipe was great and so was the taste, however when I removed the cake from the mould after I cooled it the cake broke, it fell apart from the side and middle,
Any idea why this could’ve happened?
Thanks,
Mayanka
I may be misreading your comment, but it sounds like you allowed the cake to cool completely in the pan. Is that correct? It’s possible that it just stuck to the pan after cooling in there. There may have been some extra moisture from the condensation that could’ve caused a problem. I typically let cakes cool in their pen for just a couple of minutes, unless the recipe states that it should be done for longer, and then I move it onto a cooling rack to cool.
Can whipped icing be used in place of buttercream?
Sure!
Thanks . Are you supposed to do a crumb coat when using whipped?
You certainly could. If your cake looks like it has a lot of crumbs that could cause an issue, and you could certainly do a thin layer first and then frost it fully.
Hi Lindsay!
Do you add the melted chocolate to the batter while it is still hot or wait until it is cool? I’m not sure when to melt it; before I start making the cake or right when I need to add it. Someone posted that the chocolate hardened while baking. I’m a little afraid/confused with this step. Please help. I am about to make it this morning. Thank you for all your great recipes!
I melted the chocolate and then added it right to the batter (step 9). I didn’t have any issues. You could let it cool off just a bit though, if you’re concerned. Unless your chocolate is super hot, or your batter is quite cold, the chocolate shouldn’t harden upon contact with the batter.
Thank you so much for the reply. I went ahead and did it exactly how it’s written and I didn’t have a problem either. I guess I misunderstood the person who said the chocolate had hardened. I thought she meant after it came out of the oven, the chocolate part was hard. I took the pans out of the oven and they looked great. I’m about to make the frosting! This is the third cake I make with your recipes. They are easy to follow and very delicious! Thank you again for your wonderful recipes!
Hi Lindsay,
I’m looking to try this recipe out for a co-worker’s retirement and will need to use a vanilla buttercream for frosting and I just wanted to make sure that I’m following your note at the end of the recipe. This note pertains to the frosting portion of the recipe only correct? I usually use your ‘easy vanilla buttercream’ for whenever I want white frosting, do you think this same recipe will work here? I am also needing to do this in a sheet cake, any recommendations? Do you know if I doubled the recipe if that would affect the denseness of cake? I always seem to struggle with vanilla cake being too dense and not moist enough.
thanks!!
In case anyone is like me and wondering if these make good cupcakes, let me assure you they do!!! I used the ghirardelli 60% cocoa chips and they worked perfectly. Delicious, with distinct vanilla and chocolate vanilla flavors. Thanks for this great recipe!
Awesome! I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
I don’t see the actual recipe anywhere. Very frustrating!!!
I’m so sorry for the trouble! There was an issue today that affected thousands of sites – mine included. It looks like it’s been resolved, so you should be able to access it here now. Sorry about that!
Hi Lindsay
Great recipe….turns out yum everyone !!
I generally make 2- 7inch pans.just want to know can I half the ingredients and make a simple pan….wud it work??
I haven’t made a cake that size, so I’m not sure. Glad you enjoyed it!
Hello Lindsey, I am excited to try this cake! I am going to today. Thx!
Julina, 11 years old
I hope you enjoy it!
Could cocoa powder be substituted for the cake? If so what would you recommend?
No, it actually doesn’t work well.
Thanks. I made the cake and it was delish. I did use chocolate but found the chocolate cake was more dense.
The taste of the vegetable oil does not cook out whilst baking, and leaves an unpleasant taste in the mouth which remains even after eating. The smell also lingers, similar to something that has been deep fried. Maybe it is an American thing, as I don’t really see oil included in any British/Australian cake recipes. It is a nice recipe apart from this, maybe some people have different tastes.
Would the measurements change if this was converted into a quarter of a sheet cake (9×13)?If so, by how much? Your recipes are always the best, but I would like to try this as a sheet cake.
I haven’t tried this as a sheet cake, but I used a similar recipe for this vanilla sheet cake so I’m guessing it’d be fine.
Teisha – Did you try it as a sheet cake? How did it work out? I’m thinking of doing the same thing and just wondered how it worked for you.
My son and I made this as written for his birthday – it is delicious! Frosting makes A TON – I think if I’d have halved the frosting recipe it would have been enough.
I’m glad you enjoyed it!