Can’t choose between vanilla cake and chocolate cake? Great news- with our marble cake recipe, you don’t have to! Our moist marble cake is the perfect way to enjoy the best of both worlds and features eye-catching, beautiful swirls in every bite.
Marble cake is not new to the baking world. In fact, it appears to have originated as far back as early 19th century Germany, where bakers colored half of their yeast bread dough with molasses for that signature swirl and marbling effect.
And our marble cake couldn’t be easier to make. Follow our recipe to see how to divide the batter into vanilla and chocolate batters. Then, it’s just a matter of blending them together to make the marble effect.
Our marble cake is a deliciously moist cake, and the rich chocolate frosting adds even more flavor to every bite. The vanilla breaks up the chocolate flavor enough to add a little variety and keep this cake from being like just another chocolate cake (though we do love our chocolate cakes).
Chocolate and vanilla aren’t the only perfect match. Try our chocolate peanut butter cake recipe for another flavorful combination.
Ingredients to Make a Marble Cake
Start by gathering the ingredients needed to make our old fashioned marble cake recipe. In culinary terms, this is called the Mise en Place, which translates into “Everything in its Place.”
Setting up your ingredients not only helps speed up the cooking process but also helps ensure you have all of the ingredients on hand to make the recipe.
How to Make a Marble Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease and line two 9″ round cake pans with parchment paper. Set aside until needed.
- Add the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and table salt to a large bowl.
- Whisk to combine the dry ingredients.
- Place chopped chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl.
- Microwave the chocolate for 30 seconds. Stir and return it to the microwave. Continue heating for 15-second increments (stirring each time) until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Set aside until needed.
- Add the room-temperature unsalted butter, vegetable oil, and granulated sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
- Whip until light and fluffy (1-2 minutes on high speed).
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl after each addition.
- Add the vanilla extract and stir to mix.
- Add half of the dry ingredients to the creamed butter mixture. Use a rubber spatula to fold it into the batter.
- Add half of the buttermilk and fold it into the batter.
- Add the remainder of the dry ingredients to the batter. Mix just enough to combine using the spatula.
- Add the remainder of the buttermilk.
- Mix just enough to combine the buttermilk into the batter.
- Pour about one-third of the batter into another bowl, then add the melted chocolate to the batter.
- Stir the cake batter until the chocolate is fully incorporated.
- Divide half of the remaining vanilla batter between the prepared cake pans.
- Divide the chocolate batter between the two pans.
- Use a knife to swirl the batters, creating a marbled appearance. Then, add the remaining vanilla batter to the pans.
- Place the pans on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs.
- Place the cake pans on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes. Then, carefully invert the cake pans onto the cooling rack to cool completely.
How to make Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Add the unsalted butter to the bowl of a stand mixer (or large mixing bowl with a handheld mixer).
- Beat until fluffy.
- Add the cocoa powder and vanilla extract.
- Beat until well combined.
- Add one tablespoon of milk to thin out the mixture.
- Whip until creamy.
- Add the powdered sugar to the mixture, 1 cup at a time.
- Mix until well combined (scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl between additions of the sugar).
- Add 1-2 additional tablespoons of milk to achieve a spreadable consistency with the chocolate buttercream frosting.
- Whip until creamy.
How to Assemble Marble Cake
- Place one of the cake layers on a cake platter and spread a thick layer of frosting over the top.
- Sprinkle the layer with mini chocolate chips.
- Top with the second layer.
- Spread the rest of the frosting evenly over the whole cake. Garnish the top with chocolate chips.
While our recipe calls for semisweet chocolate chips, you can lean into the marble cake’s unique features by adding white chocolate chips as well! Just remember they tend to be a lot sweeter, so use sparingly (or pour an extra large glass of milk.)
You don’t have to limit the toppings to just chocolate chips, either. Vanilla and chocolate cakes are neutral enough to compliment many different toppings, from crushed cookies to other small candies and sprinkles. One of the best things about marble cake is its versatility!
Our marble cake is perfect for any occasion. It’s my go-to cake for birthdays, anniversaries, and graduations. And it’s always a welcome addition at family get-togethers and potlucks.
Store your cake in a cake-saver dish or well-wrapped to prevent drying out or spoilage. You can store this cake at room temperature for 4-5 days or in the fridge for up to a week.
Recipe FAQ’s
If you’ve ever seen stone or glass marbles, you know about the characteristic swirl of color that you can expect to find.
Marble cake gets its name from this similar feature, where a twist of color offsets another and creates a visually appealing contrast.
You have also heard it referred to as a zebra cake because it resembles the dark and light stripes of a zebra.
Yes, some brands sell marble cake mix, though it’s very easy to alter a basic cake batter yourself.
Whatever method you choose, we think you’ll love marble cake.
Cakes are usually dry because of these simple factors:
-The wrong ingredients were used.
-Ingredients were not measured correctly.
-The cake was baked for too long or at too high of a temperature.
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Marble Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 oz semisweet chocolate – finely chopped
- ½ cup unsalted butter – softened
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs -room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cup buttermilk room temperature
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- 2 cups unsalted butter – softened
- 1 ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- 4 tablespoons whole milk divided
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup mini chocolate chips divided for layer and garnish
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease and line two 9″ round cake pans with parchment paper. Set aside until needed.
- Place chopped chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir and return to microwave, heating for 15 second increments (stir each after each time) until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Set aside.
- Add the room temperature unsalted butter, vegetable oil, and granulated sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and whip until light and fluffy (1-2 minutes on high speed).
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl after each addition.
- Add the vanilla extract and stir to mix.
- Add the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and table salt to a large bowl and whisk to combine the dry ingredients.
- Add the half the dry ingredients to the creamed butter mixture and use a rubber spatula to fold it into the batter.
- Add half of the buttermilk and fold it into the batter. Repeat the process with the remainder of the. Dry ingredients and buttermilk.
- Mix until just combined after each addition, do not overmix.
- Pour about one third of the batter into another bowl, then add the melted chocolate to the batter. Stir until the chocolate is incorporated into the batter.
- Divide half of the remaining vanilla batter between the prepared cake pans.
- Divide the chocolate batter between the two pans, then add the remaining vanilla batter to the pans.
- Use a knife to swirl the batters creating a marbled appearance.
- Place the pans on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs.
- Place the cake pans on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes.
- Carefully invert the cake pans onto cooling rack and let them cool completely before frosting.
Chocolate Frosting
- Add the unsalted butter to the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl with a handheld mixer). Beat until fluffy.
- Add the cocoa powder and vanilla extract. Beat until well combined.
- Add 1 tablespoon of milk to thin out the mixture, mixing until creamy.
- Add the powdered sugar to the mixture, 1 cup at a time. Mix until well combined (scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl between additions of the sugar).
- Add 1-2 additional tablespoons of milk to achieve a spreadable consistency with the chocolate buttercream frosting.
Assembly
- Place one of the cake layers on a cake platter and spread a thick layer of frosting over the top.
- Sprinkle the layer with mini chocolate chips.
- Top with the second layer then spread the remainder of the frosting evenly over the whole cake. Garnish the top with chocolate chips.
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