Marble Cake
Marble Cake – Tender and moist chocolate and vanilla cake are swirled together to make this delicious, from-scratch marble cake.
Happy New Year, friends! It’s officially 2020 and what better way to kick off the new year than with cake! This post is long overdue, but I’m excited to finally have it up for you today.
Birthday Boy
Last month, Westin turned 11! I haven’t quite gotten over the fact that I’ve been a mom for 11 years now, and I certainly haven’t gotten over the fact that this handsome kid is nearly a teenager! Someone please slow down time 🙂
For this year’s cake, Westin requested a marble cake with peanut butter frosting. I actually made him this cake a few years ago but never posted about it. Not sure why that was. Anyway, I’m glad he loved it so much that he asked for it again and that I get to share it with you.
Marble Cake
As most of you already know, a classic marble cake is made up of chocolate and vanilla cake swirled together. If you want to go super traditional, you’d actually use more vanilla cake batter and swirl it with chocolate cake batter. For my cake, I did equal parts chocolate and vanilla cake batter.
Super Moist Cake
I used my favorite chocolate cake recipe and my go-to vanilla cake recipe. The chocolate cake is rich, moist and perfect for any occasion and any flavor pairing. Note that it’s a dark chocolate cake, so if you’d like a lighter chocolate flavor, feel free to use a regular cocoa powder in place of the dark cocoa powder. The color and flavor will be a bit lighter than what you get in my dark chocolate cake. The vanilla cake has a nice buttery flavor to it. Both cakes are super moist and delicious on their own and even better together!
Peanut Butter Buttercream
For the buttercream, Westin specifically requested my Peanut Butter Buttercream. I don’t blame him! It’s one of those frostings that you’ll want to spoon into your mouth right out of the mixing bowl. It’s one of my all-time favorites and pairs beautifully with the chocolate and vanilla cakes.
You’ll notice, however, that I’m not adding the peanut butter buttercream below in the recipe. I think this cake stands alone. I also think it can be paired with so many different frostings, that I want to give you the option of picking your favorite. I’ll link several below.
Cake Scraper Design
And before we get to the recipe, how about a quick sneak peek at one of the new scraper designs I’ll be coming out with soon on Shop.CakebyCourtney.com.
I love the understated detail it adds to the cake!
Buttercream Options
- Vanilla Buttercream
- Caramel Buttercream
- Chocolate Buttercream
- Peanut Butter Buttercream
- Cream Cheese Buttercream
- Strawberry Buttercream
Marble Cake
Ingredients
FOR THE CHOCOLATE CAKE
- 1/2 cup (59 g) dark cocoa powder I like Extra Brute Cacao Barry
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (120 g) all-purpose flour lightly spooned into a measuring cup and leveled off gently with a knife
- 1 tsp. (4 g) baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. (2.8 g) salt
- 1/2 tsp. (2 g) baking powder
- 1/2 cup (120 g) buttermilk at room temperature
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (54.5 g) vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup (118 g) hot water
- 1 tsp. (4.2 g) vanilla extract
FOR THE VANILLA CAKE
- 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (54.5 g) vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups (150 g) cake flour lightly spooned into a measuring cup and leveled off gently with a knife
- 1 tsp. (4 g) baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. (2.8 g) salt
- 1/2 cup (120 g) buttermilk at room temperature
- 1 tsp. (4.2 g) vanilla extract
Instructions
FOR THE CAKE
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Spray three 8-inch or four 6-inch round cake pans with non-stick cooking spray, line the bottom with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
FOR THE CHOCOLATE CAKE BATTER
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine all of the dry ingredients and stir until combined.
- In a separate mixing bowl, combine all the wet ingredients and whisk until combined.
- With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Mix again on low for about 20 to 30 seconds. Transfer the batter to another bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
FOR THE VANILLA CAKE BATTER
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Stir to combine. Set aside.
- In the now clean bowl of the mixer, combine the butter, sugar and oil for the vanilla cake. Mix on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, one at a time, making sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl between each addition. Add the vanilla.
- With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and buttermilk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just incorporated.
MIXING BATTERS
- Now that both cake batters are finished, you'll be alternately adding each flavor to each of your three cake pans. I suggest starting with 8 ounces of vanilla cake batter in each pan, followed by 8 ounces of chocolate cake batter in each pan, for a total of about 16 ounces of batter in each pan. If you're using 6-inch pans, use 6 ounces of vanilla, followed by 6 ounces of chocolate. When I add the second cake batter flavor to each pan, I use a spoon to make dollops of cake batter. Once all the batter is added to the three cake pans, take a toothpick and make swirls in the batter.
- Bake the pans for 30 to 33 minutes. Let cool in the pans for about 10 to 15 minutes before inverting onto wire racks to cool completely.
- As always, it's best to make the cake layers ahead of time so you have time to chill the layers in the freezer for at least an hour before you start stacking and decorating the cake.
I am making this cake in the next couple of days and my cake flour won’t be here in time. Would it be ok to use the DIY method take 1 cup of all purpose flour and take two tbsp out and add in two tbsp of cornstarch? I know you need to sift it multiple times after as well.
Yes!
Why do you use 3 eggs in the vanilla cake instead of 3 egg whites like you do on your other vanilla cake recipes? Is it an error or should I try to do it with 3 regular eggs?
Thank you!! 🙂
It’s just a slightly different recipe.
When you combine the butter, sugar and oil for the vanilla cake do you use a paddle attachment or whisk?
Thank you!
Paddle.
I don’t know what happened with the chocolate batter but it was liquid when it was done. I’ve gone ahead and used it but I don’t think it turned out how it was intended. My daughter and I checked and rechecked the recipe but we did it as written. I’ll let you know what happens.
My chocolate cake batter is runny. You didn’t do anything wrong.
Can you make this in a 9 x 13 pan?
Yes you can.
Does the vanilla recipe make enough for a 2 layer cake? Or do I need to double it?
It’s enough for 1.5 layers.
Thank you SO much for sharing this recipe! I made it for my daughter’s birthday with vanilla buttercream frosting and it was a hit! Barely a crumb left
Love it!
This cake is absolutely amazing, So delicious and so easy to prepare. My all time favourite marble cake recipe, If I could I would give it 10 stars. Thank you for sharing your amazing recipe.
Thank you so much!
Hi Courtney! If I’d make this recipe into cupcakes, do you have an idea how many would be the yield? Also how many minutes would be the bake time? I appreciate your input! Love your creative recipes! -Donna
About 20-24 cupcakes. Might be a little less time but keep your eye on it!
I am at 7k ft would I adjust the anything for altitude? I have made your classic vanilla cake as is, but I wasn’t sure if that was luck. 😁
Anyone higher than 5000 ft can reduce sugar by 3 tbsp, add 3 tbsp flour and reducing baking powder by 1/4 tsp.
I have regular old hershey’s cocoa. I live overseas and that’s all I can get my hands on. Is that ok?
Yes!
I’m not sure who needs to read this, but the chocolate and vanilla batters have different consistency. The vanilla is much thicker. But they cook up wonderfully! This is my new go to cake! So delicious!
Yes they are defintely different consistencies but work so well! Thank you!!
The cake tasted a bit dry and close-textured. Is it possible this could be due to over baking? Or overmixing?
Both things!
Courtney, if possible you can disregard my question about the Peanut Buttercream, I clicked the wrong link. Thank you!
I need to make a 10 inch cake should I triple the recipe?
No just double it.
Thank you for sharing how to do this correctly. Few people out there really know what you know, because this recipe is spot-on and is very delicious. I am going to sub to your website, and I hope that you have a Youtube Channel too — where I can watch you make your cakes step-by-step. I am a Noob in doing stuff like this, so I am glad that an Expert (like you) is sharing the behind-the-scenes ways to do stuff — that I never imagined that we could do at home.
Thank you so much!
In the process of making it! One problem, my chocolate cake batter is super thin and my vanilla is thicker. I threw it in the oven anyway but it doesn’t seem right. I triple checked all of the ingredients were right. What could I have done wrong?
My chocolate cake batter is super thin! You didn’t do anything wrong!
What would be the best way to reduce this down to just a 2 layer cake to feed about 10 people?
Really disappointed. I think the chocolate batter should have gone into the pan first since it was much runnier than the vanilla. Dollops of the vanilla would have worked better. It ended up looking mostly like chocolate, and they all sunk in the middle. I am always so careful not to overmix. Not sure what went wrong. 🙁
I made this cake yesterday. Not sure what happen but it sunk in the middle. I was able to level the layers and the cake is delicious. Just wondering what went wrong. I have to make this in a 3 layer 10 inch cake. Should I triple it for thicker layers?
I would double it.
it’s there any substitute for the buttermilk?
You could do half greek yogurt/ half milk
I plan to make this this week, but am wondering about subbing the buttermilk with a non-dairy milk+lemon juice. Will that work at all? My husband is OK with butter, but not milk!
You can do that! I also like to do half milk Half yogurt, you can use whatever DF version you like!
I was try it this night, it was perfect but maybe next time I will reduce the amount of sugar if I could so, since I think with buttercream it will be extremely sugary tasty or maybe I need to combined it with salted caramel to make balance
Also after baking, it was perfect and fluffy with high appearance but once I put it aside for 15 minutes to take it out from pan there were thin but they have the same amazing taste with moisture on it, can I know what was my mistake is I have to get this issue?
Thank you
I love this vanilla cake. I doubled this recipe to make a 6″ cake but was wondering if all six eggs would be necessary. I’ve looked at other recipes, and most of them use only four eggs. Thank you!
Thank you for the recipe! I’ve been baking cakes for over 30 years, self taught turned to professional decorating and establishments. I’ve always love marble cake and find this to be one of the best recipe. Very moist and with the buttermilk always make any cake wonderful. There’s nothing I will change at all make it just the way it is.