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.
Zukhraf
Hi
I really want to try this recipe but I have two square 8″ pans not round ones. Can I use square pans?
Sam
That should be fine! Enjoy! 🙂
Allie
I made this today for my husband’s cousin’s birthday. Turned out great. I read the directions wrong and instead of mixing the chocolate into half the batter, I mixed it in only a half cup of the batter. Whoops. But it turned out really great, especially with the mess up. And, surprisingly, it tasted like Reeses!!!!
Sam
The Reese’s taste is definitely surprising, but I am so glad it turned out for you, Allie!! Thank you for commenting!! 🙂
Denise Corrie
Can I use semi sweet chocolate chips in the cake batter?
Sam
Hi Denise, that should be fine. Enjoy!
Katarina
THIS CAKE WAS THE TITS! I made it for my 21st birthday but covered it with a blue fondant and cream cheese frosting, oh my god it’s my new favorite cake! I’m so thankful I found this recipe thank you sam!
Tessa
Oh my God! This was AMAZZINGG!!! Thank you so much for this recipe.
Julie
So I made this cake today and removed it from the oven with a few moist crumbs on it. It came out of the pan easily. When going to torte it, I noticed it seemed a little dense and almost too moist—not raw dough but dense and somewhat damp. Is this a sign I overmixed, or is this the typical texture? It’s definitely not dry.
Sam
Hi Julie! hmm, it sounds like it might have been not baked enough, maybe? There should be a few moist crumbs but they should definitively be crumbs and not wet batter, was that the case for you?
Mahjabeen
Its looking delicious.
Morgan
Hi I really want to make this cake but where’s the recipe for the vanilla cake?
Sam
Hi Morgan, if you’re looking for just a vanilla cake recipe this is my favorite: https://sugarspunrun.com/vanilla-cake-recipe/
Kelly
I made this cake this weekend for a birthday.
Things I loved about it:
– It came out of the pan BEAUTIFULLY after cooling in the pan for fifteen minutes. Seriously, not a crumb left behind.
– It was easy.
– It held up well to my decorating techniques. I torted the 8” cakes to make four separate layers and they held up so nicely to my cutting. Then, after being filled, stacked, and iced with buttercream, I covered the cake with fondant and it stayed together. No crumbling or falling or anything under all the weight.
Things I didn’t like about it:
– The whole thing just tasted like vanilla. Cutting into it was pretty with the marbles effect, but if you’re looking for a buttery vanilla swirled with a deep chocolate flavor, this isn’t your cake.
– While the consistency was ideal for decorating and torting, it was a little crumbly and dry when eating.
All things considered, it’s a great go-to recipe for a marbled cake if you need a sure thing!
Jennifer Young
Can you double the recipe?
Jennifer Young
I am trying to make 3 9in cakes
Sam
Hi Jennifer! I haven’t tried doubling this recipe but it should be find to be doubled, just take care when mixing the dry ingredients into the wet that you don’t over-mix the batter (while still making sure that the ingredients are well combined). This will make a lot of batter and thick layers, so you will probably need to increase the baking time as well. Don’t over-fill your cake pans, and if you have extra batter I would just discard it or use it to make a few cupcakes. I hope that helps!
Susan B
I love marble cake but find it difficult to make one that is soft and lucsious. I found your recipe and gave it a try for my grandson’s birthday. I was found the batter to be very thick. And then hand stirring the flour and buttermilk in was different. I always use a stand mixer on a slower speed for that. I watched the cooking time very carefully. At 23 minutes, the cake did not look done and still had some gooey mix coming out on toothpick. I left it in for another 3-5 minutes and it looked perfect. Just a few crumbs on the toothpick. After a complete cooling, I found it hard and dry. I was so disappointed. I had ran out of time so just frosted it up and will now take it to my grandson. I’ll let you know how it taste.
Sam
I hope it wasn’t disappointing when you cut into it, Susan!! Yes the hand stirring is important because it is very important to not overmix the batter (if you over-mix the cake may come out dry), and it is very easy to overdo it with an electric mixer even on slow speed. I hope it tasted good!
Marisa French
I made this for my sons third birthday. Delicious and easy to make. I used Softasilk cake flour and followed the recommendation on the box to add two tablespoons per cup of flour called for in the recipe (3 cups plus 6 tablespoons). The texture was light and it tasted delicious. So much better than a store bought cake. Thank you for sharing a great recipe!
Rosie
Made this cake for my boyfriend’s birthday. He loved it. We really liked the light, fluffy butter cream frosting. This recipe is a keeper for sure! Just wondered if you could use cake flour instead of all purpose? I know there is a big difference in protein levels of different kinds of flours. Just wondered what the outcome would be???
Sam
So glad that you enjoyed! I haven’t tried it with cake flour so unfortunately I’m really not sure how it would come out if you used cake flour instead, I’ll have to do some experimenting!
Sues
Gah this cake looks seriously splendid!! So fluffy and delicious! My weekend was filled with baking/cooking fails, too, but sometimes you have to fail before you can come out on the other side with something perfect!
Patti
Sam! I made this for the holiday and it was wonderful! Thank you for another great recipe!!
Maddie
Gorgeous and delicious, thank you!!