Marble Cake
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This marble cake may look fancy, but its flavor is pure old-fashioned goodness.
With swirls of tender vanilla and fudgy chocolate cake, this marble cake looks fancy but tastes like pure old-fashioned goodness, and it appeals to kids and grown-ups alike. It’s essentially a marbled version of this award-winning Kentucky Butter Cake. Surprisingly, you don’t need two completely different batters to make marble cake. You simply take a third of the vanilla batter and mix it with melted chocolate and cocoa powder and voilà — that’s your chocolate batter! Be careful not to over-marble the batters or the flavors will get muddled; a few swirls around the pan with a knife will do the trick.
What You’ll Need To Make Marble Cake
Most recipes for marble cake call solely for cocoa powder for the chocolate portion of the cake. I like to add real chocolate as well for a more intense, fudgy flavor; this makes the chocolate swirl portion of the cake taste almost like a brownie.
If you’d rather not buy a whole carton of buttermilk for this recipe, it’s easy to make your own. Simply add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to a liquid measuring cup. Then add regular milk to the 1-cup line and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes, or until slightly curdled and thickened.
The Method
This butter cake is a “high-ratio” cake, which means that the weight of the sugar equals or exceeds the weight of the flour. Instead of the more common “creaming” method (where the butter and sugar are beaten together before the eggs, flour, and liquid are added), high-ratio cakes can be made using the “high-ratio” or “quick-mix” method. This involves mixing all the dry ingredients with the butter and some of the liquid first, then adding the remaining liquid ingredients. This method is not only faster and easier than the traditional creaming method, but it also yields incredibly tender and fine-textured cakes.(Other high-ratio cakes on the site include pound cake, yellow cake, and rum cake.)
How To Make Marble Cake
In a small saucepan, combine the cocoa powder, 1/2 cup of the sugar, and the water. Bring to a simmer over high heat, whisking until smooth.
Off the heat, immediately add the chocolate; whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla.
Whisk and set aside. (Note that the mixture will start to look curdled as it sits; that’s okay.)
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or beaters, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and remaining 2 cups of sugar. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds to combine.
Add the softened butter and half of the buttermilk mixture and mix on low speed until moistened but still a little crumbly, about 1 minute.
With the mixer running on low, gradually add the remaining buttermilk mixture until incorporated.
Increase the speed to medium and mix for three minutes, stopping once to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. The batter should look pale and creamy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl again, making sure the batter is evenly mixed.
Transfer about 2-1/2 cups of the batter to a medium bowl and add the chocolate mixture.
Whisk until smooth — that’s your chocolate batter.
Spoon half of the remaining vanilla batter into a greased Bundt pan.
Pour the chocolate batter over top.
Finish by spooning the remaining vanilla batter over the chocolate (don’t worry about covering the chocolate layer completely).
Using a butter knife, swirl the batters together with a zig-zag motion, going three times around the pan. It may not look like the batters are swirled; that’s okay. It’s important not to overswirl.
Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. While the cake bakes, make the glaze. In a small saucepan, combine the butter, sugar, water, and vanilla. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the sugar is dissolved, about 1 minute.
Set the baked cake on a cooling rack. Using a skewer or toothpick, poke about 40 holes in the bottom of the still-hot cake, going about 3/4 of the way down. Spoon or brush half of the glaze evenly over the bottom of the cake. If the glaze starts to pool on the surface, poke more holes to help it absorb.
Leave the cake on the rack to cool for 30 minutes.
Invert the cake onto a serving platter. Brush the remaining glaze evenly over the top and sides of the cake, letting it soak in as you go. (Go slowly so that the glaze gets absorbed.)
Let the cake sit for at least two hours before serving. Cut with a serrated knife.
You May Also Like
- Kentucky Butter Cake
- Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Cinnamon Walnut Swirl
- Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake
- Lemon Pound Cake
- German Chocolate Cake
- Chocolate Bundt Cake
Marble Cake
This marble cake may look fancy, but its flavor is pure old-fashioned goodness.
Ingredients
For the Cake
- ½ cup natural cocoa powder, such as Hershey's
- 2½ cups sugar, divided
- ½ cup water
- 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, best quality such as Ghirardelli, broken into 1-in pieces
- 1 cup buttermilk (see note)
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
For the Glaze
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¾ cup sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Spray a 10-in (12-cup) Bundt pan generously with nonstick cooking spray with flour, such as Baker's Joy or Pam with Flour.
- In a small saucepan, combine the cocoa powder, ½ cup of the sugar, and the water. Bring to a simmer over high heat, whisking until smooth. Off the heat, immediately add the chocolate; whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla. Set aside. (Note that the mixture will start to look curdled as it sits; that's okay.)
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or beaters, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and remaining 2 cups of sugar. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds to combine. Add the softened butter and half of the buttermilk mixture and mix on low speed until moistened but still a little crumbly, about 1 minute. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the remaining buttermilk mixture until incorporated, then increase the speed to medium and mix for three minutes, stopping once to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. The batter should look pale and creamy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl again, making sure the batter is evenly mixed.
- Transfer about 2½ cups of the batter to a medium bowl. Add the chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth.
- Spoon half of the remaining vanilla batter into the prepared Bundt pan. Pour the chocolate batter over top. Finish by spooning the remaining vanilla batter over the chocolate (don't worry about covering the chocolate layer completely). Using a butter knife, swirl the batters together with a zig-zag motion, going three times around the pan. It may not look like the batters are swirled; that's okay. It's important not to over-swirl.
- Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
- While the cake bakes, make the glaze: In a small saucepan, combine the butter, sugar, water, and vanilla. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the sugar is dissolved, about 1 minute.
- Set the pan on a cooling rack. Using a skewer or toothpick, poke about 40 holes in the bottom of the still-hot cake, going about ¾ of the way down. Spoon or brush half of the glaze evenly over the bottom of the cake. If the glaze starts to pool on the surface, poke more holes to help it absorb. Leave the cake on the rack to cool for 30 minutes.
- Invert the cake onto a serving platter. Brush the remaining glaze evenly over the top and sides of the cake, letting it soak in as you go. (Go slowly so that the glaze gets absorbed.) Let the cake sit for at least two hours before serving. Cut with a serrated knife.
- Note: If you’d like to make your own buttermilk, check out the easy method here.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: This cake keeps well for several days. Once cool, store in a cake dome (or cover with plastic wrap) at room temperature until ready to serve.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, double-wrap it securely with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, or place it in heavy-duty freezer bag. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (16 servings)
- Calories: 443
- Fat: 19 g
- Saturated fat: 12 g
- Carbohydrates: 66 g
- Sugar: 45 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Sodium: 223 mg
- Cholesterol: 87 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I will try this recipe out today It sounds really good. Could I put less eggs in there?
Hi Susu, For the best results, I’d stick with 4 eggs. Hope you enjoy!
Thanks I will stick with the 4 eggs. Thank you for the reply.
This is a wonderful recipe. I am going to make it again for company and would like to do ahead and freeze. My question is do I drizzle sugar syrup on it before freezing or after thawing when I take it out of the freezer. Thank you.
Hi Elaine, I’d brush the glaze on before freezing it. (And glad to hear you like it!)
Hi
Will this be good for a tiered cake? As the texture is more dense?
Sure, Asif, it should work.
Question, will the cake be good or too dry without the glaze?
It will be too dry without the glaze.
This cake is just special! I prepared it for probably the 5th time over the weekend and each of my adult children were complimentary as they have been each time it has been prepared. They all say it is their favorite dessert.
I am so grateful for your websites and recipes! They are my absolute “go-to” sources!
Thank you!
Hi, thanks for sharing your recipe. I plan on making this recipe for a customer but I bake with a pot on my gas cooker. Do you have any tips that can help give my cake a brown top?
Hi Chioma, If you have an oven, I’d stick it under the broiler for a few minutes to brown the top. (Keep a very close eye on it so it doesn’t burn.)
Hi! I have made this cake countless times. It’s perfect! But I can never remember what type of cocoa I use. Could I use Dutch cocoa in this?
Thank you for your recipes!
Glad you like it, Hanna! I don’t recommend Dutch process cocoa powder here.
I can’t wait to try this! I followed the directions exactly.. when I inverted the cake onto the rack, the sugar syrup had a film over it… I simply removed it and then brushed the rest over it. Is that something that happens or I should be concerned with eating it? Thank you!
Hi Samantha, it should be fine. You may have been over-generous with the cooking spray and it may have left a little film om the cake.
Thanks! I worded that poorly. I meant the reserved syrup had gotten a film over it, it wasn’t the cake. I’m assuming that’s fine as well.
Yep, not to worry – it’s fine.
Wow! My husband asked for a marble cake (his Mom used to make it cuz it was his favourite). I’m not a fan of the butter sauce so used a ganache drizzle. What a delicious cake. Thank you!!!
I made this cake for my grandson’s 6th birthday, his choice. Not only did I thoroughly enjoy making it but everyone, especially the kids, loved it! The cake is delicious, Jenn.