Marble Cake
This recipe starts with my favorite vanilla cake. You’ll love it because it’s so incredibly soft and moist, and easy as can be to make in just one bowl. Divide the batter into two separate bowls and and stir half of it together with a mixture of cocoa powder and water. Then just fill your cake pans with alternating spoonfuls of each, and swirl together!
Even better than from the bakery! This moist, buttery marble cake is made completely from scratch with ingredients you probably already have on hand.
Marble Cake
prep time
30 MINS
cook time
35 MINS
total time
1 HR 5 MINS
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups cake flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream*
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup hot water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F, lightly mist 3 6-inch diameter cake pans** with non-stick spray, and line them with circles cut from parchment.
- Place the cake flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.
- Add the softened butter, and mix on medium-low speed until the mixture resembles damp sand (about 1 minute).
- Add the eggs, one at a time, stopping to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula after each addition.
- Stir in the sour cream until smooth.
- Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula, and stir in the milk and vanilla.
- Beat the batter on medium speed for about a minute to a minute and a half, to aerate the cake batter and build the cake's structure.
- Stir the cocoa and hot water together in a smaller bowl, then fold about half the cake batter into the cocoa mixture until blended.
- Divide the batters equally between the 3 prepared pans, using the tip of a sharp knife to swirl the chocolate and vanilla cake batters together.
- Bake the cake layers for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the thickest part of a cake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool for 20 minutes in the pan, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely before filling and frosting with Easy Chocolate Frosting.
Recipe Notes
*Greek yogurt or buttermilk can be substituted. If you don't have buttermilk, you can substitute by stirring 2 teaspoons of white vinegar or lemon juice into 2/3 cup of regular milk. Allow the mixture to stand for 5 minutes, or until thickened and slightly curdled.
**This cake can also be baked in two 8-inch or 9-inch diameter cake pans. The cake layers may bake up slightly thinner, and the bake times may need to be adjusted.