With a perfect blend of chocolate and vanilla this Marble Cake Recipe is the perfect cake for any and all occasions that will feed a crowd.
I have to admit to something, cake is my downfall. I’m obsessed with any and all cakes, this Marble Cake Recipe has been a favorite of mine for a long time.
I love chocolate, but I also love vanilla and the two mixed together create the perfect flavor combination. Then all frosted in a silky chocolate buttercream, yum.
People are really intimidated by cakes, sometimes I am too even being an experienced cook/baker as baking is a science and you always want it to look pretty.
The main thing is not how it looks but how it tastes, that is what is most important to most people anyways. Trust me I have made some ugly cakes in my day but they tasted amazing.
When it comes to layer cakes like this Marble Cake Recipe, it just takes practice and it really never needs to be perfect at all, just know that!
Some of my other favorite cake recipes I have on my site include: Chocolate Bundt Cake, Lemon Poppy Seed Cake and Raspberry Jello Poke Cake.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- This is a layer cake so it serves a lot of people.
- This stores really well so you can have leftovers for later consumption.
- You can cut this in half and make it in a 9×13-inch baking pan.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE BELOW):
Cake flour
Baking powder
Baking soda
Fine sea salt
Unsalted butter
Granulated sugar
Light brown sugar
Eggs
Vanilla extract
Buttermilk
Semi-sweet baking bar
Unsweetened cocoa powder
Powdered sugar
Heavy whipping cream
Chocolate curls for garnish, optional
HOW TO MAKE A MARBLE CAKE RECIPE:
- Preheat the oven 350°F. Lightly spray 2 9-inch cake pans with baking spray. Place parchment paper in the bottom of the pan. Spray the top of the paper with baking spray. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, set aside.
- In the body of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment cream the butter with the granulated sugar and brown sugar for 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time until fully mixed in. Stir in the vanilla.
- Add half of the dry ingredients and stir it in until combined.
- Next, add half of the buttermilk, stir until combined. Repeat with the remaining dry ingredients and buttermilk, scraping down the sides as needed.
- In a medium-sized microwave safe bowl add the chopped chocolate. Microwave in 15 second intervals, stirring in between until the chocolate is melted.
- Add 1 & ½ cups of the cake batter to the chocolate and stir until combined with no streaks.
- Divide the yellow cake batter among the cake pans. Add dollops of the chocolate batter on top, make sure to put the same amount in each pan. Take a toothpick or butter knife and gently swirl the two colors together.
- Take a spatula and smooth out the top, this will ensure the cakes bake evenly.
- Bake for 22-27 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely in the pan.
- While the cakes are cooling, make the frosting. In the body of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer add the butter and whip until smooth.
- Add the cocoa powder and carefully mix it in until combined. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time, mixing the first batch in completely before adding more. The mixture will be thick.
- Add the salt, vanilla, and 6 tablespoons of the heavy cream. Mix until smooth. If it appears too thick add an additional 1 tablespoon heavy cream. Once mixed in, turn the speed up to medium-high and whip for 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides as needed.
- To assemble the cake, take the cakes out of the pan and discard the parchment paper.
- Trim the tops of the cake if there is any doming so they are even and flat.
- Place one of the cakes bottom side down onto your serving dish or cake plate. Add 1 cup of the frosting and smooth it out to the sides.
- Place the other cake, top side down, on to the frosting.
- Take about another cup of frosting and lightly frost the entire cake, making a crumb coat. Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours or up to overnight to set.
- Take the remaining frosting and frost the outside of the cake. Add chocolate curls around the outside edge if desired. Cut and serve.
DOES THIS FROSTING MAKE ENOUGH TO DECORATE THE CAKE?
The frosting makes just enough to generously frost the cake but with none left over to make any piping decorations.
If you want more for piping I suggest making 1.5 the recipe of the frosting.
CAN I USE OTHER FROSTINGS FOR THIS CAKE?
Use your favorite chocolate frosting, classic buttercream, cream cheese frosting, etc for this, you really can’t go wrong.
Since the cake is both chocolate and vanilla it goes with many different flavors of frosting, even strawberry frosting would be amazing!
HOW DO YOU BAKE CAKES EVENLY?
I like to use baking strips to help the cake cook more evenly. We have used them in pretty much all of our cake recipes and they are such a huge help in getting them to bake evenly.
We like these Wilton ones that we got off amazon, you can also find them at Walmart as well.
HOW TO STORE:
This cake will last at room temperature covered or in a cake container for up to 4 days and in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
You can also freeze this cake, place the frosted cake in a freezer container and it will keep for up to 3 months.
To defrost, place the cake in the refrigerator overnight and then move to the countertop to come to room temperature.
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- This cake is best enjoyed at room temperature. Very moist and flavorful with a knockout chocolate buttercream that is very rich, smooth, and fluffy.
- The frosting makes just enough to generously frost the cake but with none left over to make any piping decorations. If you want more for piping I suggest making 1.5 the recipe of the frosting.
- You can use other frostings, see my suggestions above.
- This can be frozen, see above on how to do that.
- We like to use baking strips to have the cakes bake evenly, see above on which ones we use.
- You have to work quickly with this batter. As soon as you are done making the base batter, melt that chocolate and get that part mixed in. Add the batter to the pans, swirl, smooth out the top, and pop it in the oven. If the chocolate mixture sits for too long it will begin to seize up and harden making it too dense to cook properly.
Love chocolate and vanilla mixed together and all things cake like me? Then this Marble Cake Recipe needs to be made ASAP!
If you like this recipe you might also like:
If you’ve tried this MARBLE CAKE RECIPE let me know in the comments how it turned out! You can follow me over on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK to find some more of our mouthwatering recipes!
Marble Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ¾ cups cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup light brown sugar packed
- 4 large eggs room temp
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup buttermilk room temp
- 4 ounces semi-sweet baking bar chopped fine
For the frosting:
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter softened
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 6-7 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- Chocolate curls for garnish optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven 350°F. Lightly spray 2 9-inch cake pans with baking spray. Place parchment paper in the bottom of the pan. Spray the top of the paper with baking spray. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, set aside.
- In the body of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment cream the butter with the granulated sugar and brown sugar for 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time until fully mixed in. Stir in the vanilla.
- Add half of the dry ingredients and stir it in until combined.
- Next, add half of the buttermilk, stir until combined. Repeat with the remaining dry ingredients and buttermilk, scraping down the sides as needed.
- In a medium-sized microwave safe bowl add the chopped chocolate. Microwave in 15 second intervals, stirring in between until the chocolate is melted.
- Add 1 & ½ cups of the cake batter to the chocolate and stir until combined with no streaks.
- Divide the yellow cake batter among the cake pans. Add dollops of the chocolate batter on top, make sure to put the same amount in each pan. Take a toothpick or butter knife and gently swirl the two colors together.
- Take a spatula and smooth out the top, this will ensure the cakes bake evenly.
- Bake for 22-27 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely in the pan.
- While the cakes are cooling, make the frosting. In the body of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer add the butter and whip until smooth.
- Add the cocoa powder and carefully mix it in until combined. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time, mixing the first batch in completely before adding more. The mixture will be thick.
- Add the salt, vanilla, and 6 tablespoons of the heavy cream. Mix until smooth. If it appears too thick add an additional 1 tablespoon heavy cream. Once mixed in, turn the speed up to medium-high and whip for 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides as needed.
- To assemble the cake, take the cakes out of the pan and discard the parchment paper.
- Trim the tops of the cake if there is any doming so they are even and flat.
- Place one of the cakes bottom side down onto your serving dish or cake plate. Add 1 cup of the frosting and smooth it out to the sides.
- Place the other cake, top side down, on to the frosting.
- Take about another cup of frosting and lightly frost the entire cake, making a crumb coat. Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours or up to overnight to set.
- Take the remaining frosting and frost the outside of the cake. Add chocolate curls around the outside edge if desired. Cut and serve.
Notes
- This cake is best enjoyed at room temperature. Very moist and flavorful with a knockout chocolate buttercream that is very rich, smooth, and fluffy.
- The frosting makes just enough to generously frost the cake but with none left over to make any piping decorations. If you want more for piping I suggest making 1.5 the recipe of the frosting.
- You can use other frostings, see my suggestions above.
- This can be frozen, see above on how to do that.
- We like to use baking strips to have the cakes bake evenly, see above on which ones we use.
- You have to work quickly with this batter. As soon as you are done making the base batter, melt that chocolate and get part mixed in. Add the batter to the pans, swirl, smooth out the top and pop it in the oven. If the chocolate mixture sits for too long it will begin to seize up and harden making it too dense to cook properly.
Nutrition
Comments & Reviews
Julie Pollitt says
This looks absolutely fantastic!