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Two slices of marble cake showing a beautiful swirl of chocolate and vanilla sponge on a plate, served with a cup of coffee in the background.

Marble Cake

A soft, buttery Marble Cake swirled with rich chocolate ribbons for the perfect balance of flavors. Easy to make, beautiful to slice, and moist for days this marble cake truly gives you the best of both worlds.
5 from 1 vote
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Course: Cake, Dessert
Cuisine: American, Classic
Keyword: Marble cake birthday, Marble cake design, Marble cake near me, Marble Cake Price, Marble cake with oil, Moist marble cake recipe with oil, Simple marble cake recipe, Simple moist marble cake recipe
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Cooling Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 12 slices
Calories: 340kcal
Cost: $8

Equipment

  • 1 9x5 inch loaf pan (or 9-inch round/bundt pan)
  • 1 Electric mixer (stand or hand mixer)
  • 2 Mixing bowls (for dividing batter)
  • 1 Rubber spatula (for folding and scraping batter)
  • 1 Measuring cup set —
  • 1 Measuring spoon set —
  • 1 Butter knife or skewer (for swirling the batters)
  • 1 Cooling rack (to cool the cake completely)

Ingredients

  • 2 ½ cups All-purpose flour - spooned and leveled
  • 2 ½ teaspoon Baking powder —
  • ½ teaspoon Salt - reduce if using salted butter
  • 1 cup Unsalted butter - room temperature
  • 1 ¼ cups Granulated sugar —
  • 4 large Eggs - room temperature
  • 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract — —
  • ¾ cup Whole milk - room temperature
  • 3 tablespoon Unsweetened cocoa powder - for chocolate batter
  • 2–3 tablespoon Hot water or milk - to bloom cocoa
  • 1 tablespoon Sugar - optional for chocolate batter
  • — — Optional glaze/frosting - ganache vanilla glaze, or powdered sugar

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease and flour your loaf or bundt pan, and line with parchment paper if desired. Set aside.
    Baking ingredients for marble cake—bowls of flour, eggs, and a stand mixer filled with creamy yellow batter—arranged on a sunlit kitchen counter.
  • Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3–4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, then mix in vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt. Alternate adding dry ingredients and milk to the butter mixture until just combined.
  • Transfer half of the vanilla batter to another bowl. Mix cocoa powder with hot water (and sugar if using) into a smooth paste. Stir this cocoa mixture into half of the batter until evenly chocolate.
    A close-up of chocolate and vanilla cake batter being swirled together in a baking pan using a spatula, creating a marbled design.
  • Spoon alternating dollops of vanilla and chocolate batter into the pan. Swirl gently with a knife in a figure-8 pattern. Bake for 50–60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
    A loaf of marble cake cooling on a wire rack, with one slice cut to show the dark chocolate and light vanilla pattern inside.
  • Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely before slicing to reveal the marbled pattern. Serve plain, glazed, or dusted with powdered sugar.
    Two slices of marble cake showing a beautiful swirl of chocolate and vanilla sponge on a plate, served with a cup of coffee in the background.

Notes

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Nutrition

Serving: 90g | Calories: 340kcal (17%) | Carbohydrates: 40g (13%) | Protein: 5g (10%) | Fat: 18g (28%) | Saturated Fat: 10g (63%) | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 95mg (32%) | Sodium: 180mg (8%) | Potassium: 130mg (4%) | Fiber: 1g (4%) | Sugar: 24g (27%) | Vitamin A: 550IU (11%) | Calcium: 70mg (7%) | Iron: 1.5mg (8%)
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