This homemade marble cake rivals any bakery and is incredibly easy to make. With just 15 minutes of prep time, this cake pairs vanilla and chocolate cake in a gorgeous swirl that is sure to impress and tastes as good as it looks.
¾cup (170g)unsalted butter1 ½ sticks, room temperature
1 ¾cups (346g)granulated sugar
4largeeggs
1cup (227g)sour cream
⅔cup (158ml)milkI used whole milk
1Tbspvanilla extract
4oz (114g)semi sweet chocolatemelted and cooled
Chocolate Frosting
2cups (452g)unsalted butter4 sticks, room temperature
1cup (84g)unsweetened natural cocoa powder
4-5cups (454-567g)powdered sugar
3-4Tbspheavy cream
¼tspsalt
1tspvanilla extract
Instructions
Cake
Preheat the oven to 350º F. Grease two or three 8 inch springform pans with butter (butter the sides and bottom) and line each pan with a parchment paper circle for easy cake removal. Set aside.
In a small mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2 ½ cups (300g) all-purpose flour, 2 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt
In a large mixing bowl combine the butter and sugar, beat using an electric mixer, 1-2 minutes until fluffy.
Add in the eggs, sour cream, milk, and vanilla extract. Beat with the electric mixer.
4 large eggs, 1 cup (227g) sour cream, ⅔ cup (158ml) milk, 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing just until the flour is incorporated.
Add 2 ½ to 2 ¾ cups of batter to a separate mixing bowl, about 610-630 grams of batter. Gently mix the melted chocolate into the batter.
4 oz (114g) semi sweet chocolate
Evenly divide the batter among the pans. I found that the batter looked most marbled when I alternated small dollops of each batter, swirling and repeating until the batter is gone. If using 2 pans, that’s 2 ½ to 3 cups of batter per pan, if using 3 pans, that’s 2 cups of batter per pan. If you have bake even cake strips, secure them around the outside of the pans.
Bake 2 pans for 40-45 minutes or 3 pans for 32-37 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Allow the cakes to cool for 20-30 minutes in the pans, then use a small spatula to loosen the cake from the edge of the pan. Remove the cake from the pans and allow them to cool completely on a cooling rack.
Chocolate Frosting
In a mixing bowl, beat the butter on high for 3 minutes.
2 cups (452g) unsalted butter
Sift in the cocoa powder and 3 cups of powdered sugar. I like to sift these in because it helps break up clumps, creating a light and fluffy frosting. Beat the frosting on low speed until combined and thick.
Mix in 3 Tbsp of heavy cream, vanilla extract and salt.
3-4 Tbsp heavy cream, 1 tsp vanilla extract, ¼ tsp salt
Add in the additional powdered sugar (1-2 cups), mix on low. If the frosting is too thick, beat in an additional tablespoon of heavy cream.
Assemble the Cake
If needed, level the cooled cakes using a cake leveler or serrated knife.
Spread a small amount of frosting on the bottom of your cake plate / stand, this acts as “glue” to prevent the cake from moving. Place one cake layer over the frosting. Measure 3/4 to 1 cup of frosting and evenly spread that on top of the first layer. Top with the second cake layer and spread another ¾ to 1 cup of frosting on top of that layer. Use the remaining frosting around the sides and top of the cake.