The ultimate people pleaser, this soft, fluffy, moist Marble Cake is a swirled masterpiece of vanilla and chocolate. This cake is shockingly easy to make and tastes as good as it looks! Recipe includes a how-to video.
Marble Cake (AKA: The People Pleaser)
Some people like chocolate cake, some people like vanilla cake–but everyone loves this marble cake!
It’s a beautiful, swirled combination that’s perfectly chocolatey with just the right amount of vanilla. If you’ve tried and enjoyed my zebra cake, you’ll love this richer, more elegant take, minus the whipped egg whites and special ingredients. It’s simple, gorgeous, and designed to please!
This recipe is a close cousin to my popular vanilla cake; it’s wonderfully soft, moist, and so flavorful. When developing this recipe, I originally toyed with the idea of making two separate batters, but ultimately decided it was too much of a hassle. That technique produced many more dishes and a much larger mess, and the cakes didn’t bake as evenly together as I would’ve liked. After a dozen more rounds of testing, I finally figured out a way to keep things simple with one batter for both flavors.
You’ll love my recipe because it’s:
- Perfect for parties–everyone is happy!
- Soft, fluffy, and moist.
- Simple to make with just one batter.
- Cloaked with a thick and fudgy chocolate frosting (just one of many options–more below!)
What You Need
This marble cake uses basic ingredients you’ll already have on hand. Let’s go over a few of the key players:
- Butter and oil. Butter adds flavor that you would miss from using just oil, and oil adds moisture that you would miss if you only used butter.
- Flour. I use all-purpose, but cake flour may be substituted; see the notes below the recipe card.
- Baking powder. A tablespoon may seem like a lot. It’s not a typo, trust me on this one 😉.
- Buttermilk. Yes, even though we aren’t using baking soda (which is often used alongside buttermilk, if you recall my buttermilk substitute post), we are still using buttermilk. It adds flavor and moisture to the marble cake.
- Chocolate. Adding cocoa powder didn’t give me the deep, distinct chocolate flavor that I was looking for (largely because we aren’t adding any hot water to bloom it, like in my chocolate cake recipe), but adding melted semisweet chocolate did the trick. You can use semisweet or dark chocolate here depending on your preference.
SAM’S TIP: If you only have salted butter on hand, you can reduce the salt in the recipe to ½ teaspoon.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Marble Cake
- Heat your chopped chocolate in the microwave until it’s smooth and melted, then set aside.
- Cream the butter, oil, and sugar until fluffy, then stir in the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla.
- Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then alternate adding this mixture and the buttermilk to the wet ingredients, starting and ending with the dry ingredients.
- Portion ⅓-½ of the batter into a separate bowl and add stir in the melted chocolate until uniform.
- Alternate adding the vanilla and chocolate batter into your pans, then swirl them with a knife for a marbled appearance.
- Bake your cakes for 30 minutes, let them cool in their pans for 15 minutes, then invert them onto a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
SAM’S TIP: You can also reverse-cream this marble cake (the technique I used in my caramel cake) for a plush, dense crumb. If you often accidentally over-mix your cakes, it’s almost impossible to do so with the reverse-creaming method.
Frequently Asked Questions
I like using my favorite chocolate frosting (though in the video I used my chocolate buttercream; either will work!). If you’re looking for a vanilla option, my classic buttercream frosting, cream cheese frosting, Swiss meringue buttercream, or German buttercream would work well.
There are a few causes for a dry cake, but the main reasons are over-measuring your flour, overmixing, or overbaking.
I use a kitchen scale to measure my ingredients to avoid over-measuring my flour, as this is a very common mistake. I suggest you do the same! Once you begin combining the dry and wet ingredients, you want to be very careful to mix until just combined–and don’t use a mixer. Finally, you want to bake your marble cake until a toothpick comes out clean, or preferably, with a few moist crumbs; many ovens run hot though, so you’ll want to start checking your cake a few minutes before it should be done.
Follow these tips and your marble cake should turn out perfectly moist every time!
Store your marble cake in an airtight container. I recommend keeping it at room temperature, where it will keep for 2-3 days (so long as it isn’t a particularly humid environment). This cake may be refrigerated (again, in an airtight container) and will keep for about 5-7 days in the fridge–BUT, keep in mind that the refrigerator will dry out your cake, even in a container.
It’s always exciting to see the beautiful swirls when you cut into a marble cake!
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
Marble Cake
Ingredients
- 4 oz semisweet chocolate bar finely chopped
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup (120 ml) avocado, vegetable, or canola oil
- 1 ¾ cup (350 g) granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs room temperature preferred
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cup (300 ml) buttermilk room temperature preferred
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting (see post for more frosting options)
- 1 cup (170 g) semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 2 cups (320 g) powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and generously grease and flour two 8" round cake pans (you may instead use 9" pans, just keep in mind you will need to bake the cake for about 5 minutes less than indicated). Set aside.
- Place chopped chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir well, and then return to microwave and heat in 15-second increments, stirring well in between, until chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Set aside.4 oz semisweet chocolate bar
- Using an electric or stand mixer, cream together butter, oil, and sugar until light and fluffy (about 30 seconds on high speed).½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, ½ cup (120 ml) avocado, vegetable, or canola oil, 1 ¾ cup (350 g) granulated sugar
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Pause as needed to scrape down sides and bottom of bowl.4 large eggs
- Stir in vanilla extract.2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour, 1 Tablespoon baking powder, ¾ teaspoon salt
- Using a spatula and gently hand-mixing, alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter/oil batter, starting and ending with flour mixture and mixing until just combined after each addition. Do not overmix!1 ¼ cup (300 ml) buttermilk
- Pour ⅓-½ of the batter into a separate bowl and add chocolate mixture. Stir until completely combined and batter is evenly chocolate.
- Alternate adding vanilla and chocolate batter to each pan, evenly distributing batter into each pan. Use a knife to swirl for marbled appearance.
- Bake on 350F (175C) for 30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out mostly clean but with a few moist crumbs (do not over-bake or the cake will be dry, you want there to be a few crumbs).
- Allow cake to cool for 15 minutes before carefully inverting onto cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
Chocolate Frosting¹
- In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave chocolate chips at 15 second intervals, stirring between intervals, until chips are completely melted. Set aside and allow to cool slightly (about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally).1 cup (170 g) semisweet chocolate chips
- Cream room temperature butter with an electric mixer. Stir in slightly cooled chocolate and beat well.1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter
- Gradually add sugar, scraping down the sides and bottom of bowl occasionally.2 cups (320 g) powdered sugar
- Sprinkle in salt and vanilla extract, stir well.½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon salt
- Gradually add heavy cream, increase speed to high and beat for 1 minute.2 Tablespoons heavy cream
- Spread a thick layer of frosting over the top of one cake round and sprinkle with mini chocolate chips. Top with second cake round and evenly frost cake. Slice and serve.
Notes
Cake Flour
Cake flour may be substituted. If using weights, use the same weight indicated in the recipe. If using cups you will need to use 3 cups + 6 Tablespoons of cake flour (cake flour is lighter than all purpose, which is why the weight is the same but the volume is different).Storing
Store cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Keep in mind the refrigerator tends to dry out cakes and make them a bit dry!Troubleshooting
A cake that turns out dense, dry, or crumbly (or tasting like cornbread) was most likely over-mixed, the flour was over-measured, or the cake was over-baked. When mixing wet and dry ingredients together, do not use an electric mixer, use a spatula and a gentle hand to stir ingredients together until combined. If you are not using a scale for this recipe, please see my tutorial on how to measure flour. When baking, always bake in the center rack. Make sure that your oven is not running hot, as many ovens run much hotter or cooler than indicated. Keep an oven thermometer near the center of your oven to monitor the temperature, as an oven that runs hot will cook a cake too fast and dry it out. Use the toothpick test to test if your cake is done. Ideally a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake should come out with a few moist crumbs (but not wet batter). If the toothpick comes out completely clean, the cake is definitely done baking and may be bordering on being over-baked.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Patricia Diamantouros
Thank you for responding about the buttermilk substitute . I look forward to making this yummy cake
Patricia
Patricia Diamantouros
Can you substitute 1 tablespoon or teaspoon of vinegar in regular milk to make the buttermilk or will it ruin the cake and make it curdle? Not sure 1 tablespoon or 1 teaspoon?
Sam
Hi Patricia! You can use vinegar instead of lemon juice. I have a post on making buttermilk substitute if you ever forget. You need 1 TBSP. 🙂
Patricia Diamantouros
Thank you so much. I look forward to making this yummy cake
Patricia
lana
Can we make this in a 9 by 13 inch pan?
Sam
It will work in a 9 x 13 but I’m not sure of a bake time. The temperature will remain the same. 🙂
Marla
Hi Sam, I love so many of your recipes and am looking forward to trying this one! Do you know if you can make this in a loaf pan? I’m looking for a good marble loaf recipe but haven’t found one yet. If so do you know what the cook time may be? Thanks so much!
Sam
Hi Marla! It will work in a loaf pan, but it may be a little too much batter. Make sure to not fill it more than 2/3 of the way full. I’m not sure what the bake time will be. Let me know how it goes! 🙂
Alicia
I used this recipe to bake a cake and it was great! But I’m wondering if it would work for cupcakes as well?
Sam
Hi Alicia! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! This will work for cupcakes as well. 🙂
Rivka
Recipe looks easy and amazing going to try it out today
Sam
I hope you love it, Rivka! 🙂
Ruma
I tried this today, i had followed all the steps, but still i can see some cracks on the top.
What went wrong?
Sam
Hi Ruma! It could be that the flour was accidentally over-measured or the cake was over-mixed, or it could be that when you cut into the cake it turns out the cracks on top aren’t a problem at all 🙂
Mo
Hey there! I made this recipe this spring and it was delicious! I am looking to bake it again and I am reading weighted measurements. I am unsure if I followed the written 390g for AP flour or if I reduced it down to 360g AP flour as one cup of AP flour generally weighs 120g.
When you weigh yours do you get 390g? Do you weigh or measure when you bake this recipe personally?
Thank you!! I want to reassure I get the same delicious results as it was so, so good!
Sam
This is an older recipe, so I had it listed at 390g for the 3 cups of flour. It has been tested and works at 390g. I have since standardized my weights and use 125g for a cup of flour. It also works at 375g. Personally I ALWAYS prefer weights. It’s faster and more accurate. 🙂
Mo
Thank you
I too prefer weight for ingredients, more accuracy as you mentioned and you can keep consistent results.
I appreciate your help! Going to do 375g.
Nikita
Made this cake a few years ago and I’m baking this cake again! It was moist for days!! Simply outstanding!
Sam
I’m so glad to hear it was such a success, Nikita! Thank you so much for commenting and for trying my recipe! <3
Lily
Hello! This recipe looks amazing. I’m excited to try it.
I want to make this for a birthday. I’d like to make a 9 inch 3 layer cake. Can I use this recipe to do that?
Do I double/triple the ingredients? What baking times would you use?
Thanks
Sam
Hi Lily! You will need to increase the recipe by 50%. Baking it in 9 inch pans will probably reduce the time just a little bit. I haven’t done it so I can’t be sure exactly how long they will need to bake. 🙂
Lily
Thanks!
I have another question that I just thought of. I’m not sure how to increase the sugar and buttermilk by 50%.
Do you know what 1 3/4 cup sugar increased by 50% is?
And do you know what 1 1/4 cup buttermilk increased by 50% is?
My math skills are lacking haha
Thanks for all your help!
Sam
I’m so sorry for the delayed response! I don’t know how I missed this question. To increase the sugar you can use 2 and 2/3 cups (525g) of sugar, and for the buttermilk use just over 1 3/4 cup (450 ml). It’s always easiest if you can use weights or in the case of buttermilk ml. Good luck! 🙂
Isis Peggy
Hi there,
I would like to try to make this cake. Have you ever done this with cocoa powder instead of the chocolate bar? I have it and would like to use what I have if possible.
Sam
I haven’t with this recipe, but cocoa powder really will dry out the cake batter and make the chocolate part too dry so you would have to compensate by adding additional liquid to the chocolate batter. How much and what exactly is difficult for me to say without having tried it myself.
Karen
Will this make enough batter for a 9 x 13″ pan? What would the bake time be? My grandson has requested I make a marble cake in a rectangle with vanilla icing in the middle and chocolate on the sides!! He usually doesn’t eat cake so I want to bake to his specifications!!
Sam
Hi Karen! This recipe should fit in a 9 x 13 without any issue, but I’m not sure what the bake time would be. I would just keep an eye on it. 🙂
devon
This was absolutely delicious, I used your cream cheese icing as per the birthday girls request.
I did find they sunk a bit in the middle for me, any thoughts? It didn’t matter as you couldn’t tell and it tasted great. Thanks for another awesome recipe!
Sam
Hi Devon! I’m glad everyone enjoyed it! Sinking in the middle can be caused by either over-mixing or under-mixing the batter. Hopefully it looks better next time. 🙂
Ellen Coyne
Chocolate buttercream frosting was WAY too salty.
I had never heard of putting a 1/2 tsp. salt into a frosting recipe before but I followed the recipe as written.
I had to throw it away and make a new batch minus the salt. The results were much more satisfying.
Sam
I’m so sorry that happened, Ellen! Were you using salted butter by chance? If you use salted butter you definitely wouldn’t want to add the salt.
Arjumand
Hey Sam,
I want to bake this cake for my mom’s birthday. Would this recipe bake 3 x 6 inch cake layers?
Thanks!
Sam
Yes this should make enough for 3 6 inch cakes. 🙂
Brittany
Hi there,
I want to bake this cake for my husband birthday. I have one 9 x 2.75in and was wondering if this recipe would make work for 1 pan or if I need to make a second layer. Also, I’ve never used this pan (but super last minute) it says it’s a “springform pan” would it work for this?
Thank you!
Sam
Hi Brittany! You could use the springform pan here. It probably won’t hold all of the batter but it should hold more than half of the batter. Just be sure not to overfill the pan. You want to make sure not to fill the pan more than 2/3 of the way full. It will definitely need to bake longer as well. Enjoy! 🙂
Devi McBride
Hi Sam!
I just came across this recipe and am really excited to try it. My sister requested a marble cake for her daughter’s 2nd birthday party. Will this recipe make enough for 3 – 8inch round cake pans or just 2? I’ll definitely come back and tell you how it turns out 🙂
Sam
Hi Devi! This recipe makes a 2 layer cake. You can bake it in a 3 layer cake with the recipe as is, but the layers would be pretty thin. Alternatively you can increase the recipe by 50% to make that third layer. 🙂
Laila
So 50% of every ingredient?
Sam
Hi Laila! To make the 3 layer cake you will need 1.5 times all of the ingredients here. 50% more and that is for every ingredient. 🙂