“Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity” – Charles Mingus.
Lately I was stuck in a bout of blogger’s block: ideas weren’t coming and everything around me felt a little routine. The people near me kept asking for the same cakes and cookies I’ve made before — which, on reflection, I should take as a compliment. To spark a bit of creativity I turned to my readers and online friends for suggestions. As I scanned the list of requests, one idea kept catching my eye: a marble cake.
There’s something inherently appealing about marble cake — two simple flavors, vanilla and chocolate, combined in every slice. It’s visually pleasing because no two slices look the same, and it’s fun to create by swirling two batters together. A simple swirl can lift an ordinary tea cake into something a little more special, and who doesn’t appreciate a touch of special in their day?
This is not an ordinary cake. The crumb is soft and buttery, light enough to melt in your mouth. It uses a classic creaming method — butter, sugar, eggs, flour and milk — and the difference between a good cake and a great one lies in getting each step right.
The technique is straightforward: cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy (five to ten minutes if you’re using an electric mixer). Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition so the mixture stays smooth. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the milk in portions so the batter stays tender. If you want a plain vanilla loaf, bake it as is. To marble it, divide the batter, mix cocoa into one half, then layer and swirl the two batters in the pan before baking.
Marble cake
A soft, light, buttery chocolate-and-vanilla marble cake.
Ingredients
- 170 grams (about 3/4 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 200 grams (about 1 cup) granulated sugar
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 190 grams (about 1 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour (maida)
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 120 ml (about 1/2 cup) milk, at room temperature
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F). Butter a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan and dust it lightly with flour.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar together using a handheld mixer or a wooden spoon until the mixture is pale and creamy — about 5–10 minutes with an electric mixer.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition so the batter stays smooth.
- Stir in the vanilla and beat for another minute.
- Add one-third of the flour mixture and beat until just incorporated.
- Add half of the milk and beat until smooth.
- Repeat: add another third of the flour, then the remaining milk, then the final portion of flour, beating gently after each addition.
- Transfer just under half of the batter to a separate bowl and fold in the cocoa powder until completely combined.
- Spread a layer of the vanilla batter in the prepared pan, then add spoonfuls of the chocolate batter on top. Use a knife or skewer to swirl the chocolate and vanilla together to create the marble pattern.
- Continue layering and swirling until all the batter is used.
- Bake at 160°C (325°F) for 45–55 minutes, or until the cake springs back when pressed gently and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
You can use a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan, a tall 8 inch round pan, or a small Bundt pan for this recipe. The recipe can be doubled if you need a larger cake. This cake is mildly sweet; increase the sugar to taste if you prefer a sweeter loaf. If you use salted butter, you can omit the additional salt. The cake will keep for 4–5 days in an airtight container; if the top becomes slightly sticky, dust with sifted icing sugar before serving.
I baked one smaller loaf as a little gift and a regular-sized loaf as well, which explains the narrow slices in the photos and the imperfect marbling. Yet, no matter how pretty the pattern, I always find myself reaching for the chocolate swirls first.
This cake may not be show-stopping, but it will win over anyone’s taste buds: simple ingredients, straightforward method, and very satisfying results. I baked this marble cake in my Morphy Richards 52 Litre Oven — it produced an even bake and a tender crumb.
Happy baking!