Marble cake is made of two different flavored, color-contrasting cake batters that, prior to baking, are swirled together in the pan to produce a pretty, decorative “marble” effect. Typically, one of the cake flavors is vanilla, while the other flavor can vary. We think of this version, chocolate and vanilla swirled together, as the original combination that inspired many more marble cakes to follow, including our cherry-chocolate marble cake, red velvet marble cake and strawberry marble cake.
Though our marble cake recipe has a number of steps, none is particularly difficult. The secret is that the recipe makes one vanilla-flavored batter and then calls for adding chocolate to a portion of it. Reunited in the pans, they turn out visually striking. We use a similar process with the frosting, icing the cake and then painting on decorative stripes of melted chocolate. The result is an impressive three-tiered cake that makes a big statement.
Ingredients for Marble Cake
- Bittersweet chocolate: Chopped bittersweet baking chocolate, melted, is what gives the chocolate cake batter rich, dark chocolate intensity.
- Butter: Butter has three roles in this cake. Beaten with sugar, softened butter helps hold air to add lightness to the base cake batter. It’s melted with the chocolate to swirl into the base batter to make the chocolate batter. Whipped with confectioners’ sugar, it’s what makes the buttercream frosting creamy.
- Sugar: Sugar sweetens the cake batter and ensures a cake with a soft, tender crumb.
- Eggs: Eggs provide the batter with richness and elasticity, and help bind the cake together. Five eggs is more than one might think typical in a cake recipe, but this cake is three layers tall. Note that it’s best to use room-temperature eggs when baking cake.
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla extract, whether store-bought or homemade vanilla, perfumes the base batter with a delicate aroma. Vanilla is also added to the frosting.
- All-purpose flour: Versatile all-purpose flour is the base of this marble cake recipe. Check out our guide to different types of flour and when to use them.
- Baking powder: Baking powder is the leavening agent that help creates lightness in the layers of marble cake.
- Sour cream: Sour cream adds a delightful tang to the batter, but also extra fat and acid, which helps create an undeniably moist and rich cake.
- Chocolate chips: Folding semisweet chocolate chips into the batter adds more fudgy flavor. We also use melted and cooled chips to add chocolate swooshes to the finished cake.
- Confectioners’ sugar and milk: Beaten with butter, the confectioners’ sugar and 2% milk make up the American buttercream frosting for our marble cake. It’s one of the easiest frostings to make and yields a soft texture and sweet, rich flavor.
Directions
Step 1: Melt the baking chocolate
In the top of a double boiler or a metal bowl over barely simmering water, melt the chocolate and 3 tablespoons of butter, stirring until smooth. Cool to room temperature.
Step 2: Prepare the cake pans
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line the bottoms of three greased 8-inch round baking pans with parchment, then grease the parchment.
Step 3: Make the base cake batter
In a large bowl, cream the remaining butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt. Add this dry mixture to the creamed mixture, alternating with the sour cream, beating well after each addition.
Step 4: Make the chocolate batter and combine
Remove 2 cups of batter to a small bowl, then stir in the cooled chocolate mixture and, if desired, chocolate chips, until blended. Drop the plain and chocolate batters by tablespoonfuls into the prepared pans, dividing the batters evenly among the pans. To make the batter level, tap them several times on the counter.
Step 5: Bake the cake layers
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes before removing them to wire racks and removing the parchment. Cool completely.
Step 6: Make the frosting
In a large bowl, beat the butter until smooth. Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and enough milk to reach the desired consistency.
Step 7: Even out the cake tops
If your cake layers have rounded tops, trim them with a serrated knife to make them level. In a microwave, melt the chocolate chips, stirring until smooth. Cool slightly.
Step 8: Assemble and frost the cake
Place one cake layer on a serving plate, and spread it with 1/2 cup frosting. Repeat the layers, topping the cake with the final cake layer. Frost the top and sides of the cake.
Step 9: Add chocolate decoration
Drop cooled chocolate by 1/2 teaspoonfuls over the frosting. Using a large offset spatula, smear the chocolate to create a marble design across the cake top.
Marble Cake Variations
- Use a different pan: Divide the batter into greased and floured loaf pans, mini loaf pans or muffin tins instead of the round baking pans. Follow the same doneness cues, but note that because the batter is in smaller containers it will bake faster.
- Try a different type of chocolate: Though we call for bittersweet baking chocolate in the cake batter, you could replace it with a semisweet chocolate, a caramelized white chocolate or a milk chocolate for cakes with different color contrasts and intensities of chocolate flavor.
How to Store Marble Cake
Marble cake can be kept at room temperature for four to five days when stored in a cake container or cake dome. Gently press a piece of plastic wrap up against the cut sides to keep it from drying out. If the cake won’t be eaten right away, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and keep it in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Can you freeze marble cake?
Yes, marble cake freezes beautifully. Wrap leftover slices of cake individually in plastic wrap or waxed paper and freeze the cake, stashed in a freezer bag or airtight container, for up to two months. You can also freeze an entire cake, uncovered, and then wrap it tightly. Use it within three months, allowing it to defrost in the refrigerator before serving it.
Marble Cake Tips
What is marble cake made of?
Marble cake is made of two different flavored, color-contrasting cake batters that, prior to baking, are swirled together in the pan to produce a pretty, decorative “marble” effect. Typically, one of the cake flavors is vanilla, while the other can vary.
Do you need to stir the two cake batters together?
You’ll get marble cake layers with the most striking color contrast if you resist the urge to swirl the batters together too much, which will turn the batter gray rather than dark brown and white. If you do want to swirl them a little bit to create some interesting patterns, use something very narrow—a bamboo skewer is a great option—to ensure the colors don’t bleed together too much.
Help! I think I stirred the two batters too much. Is there a way to save a marble cake?
Once stirred together, it’s not possible to get back that big, black-and-white contrast in the cake layers, but the cake will still be delicious! Stir some crushed chocolate sandwich cookies into either the batter or both the batter and the buttercream, and you’ve got a gorgeous, three-tiered cousin to our cookies-and-cream cake!
Can I make this marble cake gluten-free?
Yes, you can substitute your favorite gluten-free all-purpose flour blend for the wheat flour. The flour is the only ingredient in this recipe in which gluten would be an issue.
Why does my marble cake crack?
What a bummer! When cake layers crack, this usually is an indicator that they’ve been baked at too high a temperature, as they are quickly baking from the outside in. You can check the accuracy of your oven by using an oven thermometer. Cakes may also crack when they’re baked in incorrectly sized pans. Be sure you’re using the correct pan mentioned in the recipe before you begin.
