Marble Cake

4.55 from 371 votes
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This homemade Marble Cake is so moist and and buttery. Easy marble cake recipe with deep chocolate flavors. Every bite is chocolatey and sweet. 5 stars.

Homemade marble cake recipe with butter, sugar, all purpose flour, eggs and cocoa powder.
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Marble Cake Recipe From Scratch

Marble cake is one of my favorite cakes.

It is a rich, moist and buttery cake with chocolate swirls. Every bite is chocolatey, sweet and decadent.

It is great with a cup of coffee or tea and I enjoy it whenever I need a quick sweet bite.

This is the easiest and the best marble cake recipe step by step, adapted from my butter cake recipe. The taste is 5 stars!


How To Make Marble Cake

Delicious and easy marble cake recipe.

In this recipe, you will learn how to make the cake mix with the following ingredients:

  • Unsalted butter
  • Sugar
  • Eggs
  • All-purpose flour
  • Milk
  • Cocoa powder

Mix the cocoa powder to make the chocolate batter. Follow the steps in the recipe card and learn the techniques on how to create the marble effect in the cake.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.


Marble Cake Without Chocolate

Moist marble cake, sliced into pieces.

You can use chocolate in the cake but I prefer to use cocoa powder because it’s easier.

Cocoa powder doesn’t compromise the taste.

This recipe is guaranteed to yield a cake that is rich, buttery with deep chocolate flavors.


Baking Tips

For the best results, please follow the tried and tested tips below:

  • Grease the cake pan generously with butter.
  • Regardless of the size of pan used, double and stack two pans together before baking. This will make sure that the cake doesn’t have a thick brown crust and have a softer texture.
  • Cover the top of the cake at 20 minutes mark in the oven. This will make sure that the top of the cake is not too brown.
  • Let cool the cake on wire rack for 30 minutes before removing from the pan. This will ensure that the bottom of the cake doesn’t stick to the pan.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use sour cream?

Yes, you can. Sour cream makes marble cake extra moist. Substitute milk in the recipe with the same amount of sour cream (4 tablespoons).

What cake pan to use for homemade marble cake?

I baked the cake with mini loaf pans because I love small packages. The batter makes three mini loaves. You can also use regular loaf pan (9×5 inch) or standard rectangle cake pan measuring 9×9-inch or 8×8-inch.

How many calories per serving?

This recipe is only 310 calories per serving.

Taking a bite from a piece of homemade marble cake made with cocoa powder.

What To Serve With This Recipe

Serve the cake with coffee or tea. For an afternoon tea party, I recommend the following recipes.

I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on FacebookPinterest, and Instagram for new updates.


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4.55 from 371 votes

Marble Cake

This homemade Marble Cake is so moist and and buttery. Easy marble cake recipe with deep chocolate flavors. Every bite is chocolatey and sweet. 5 stars.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Servings: 6 people
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Ingredients  

  • 7 oz. (200g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 sticks (225 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 7 oz. (200g) sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 tablespoons whole milk
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease a pan with butter. Mix the flour and baking powder together, then sift. Add the salt and mix well. Set aside.
  • Use an electronic hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the butter and sugar until well combined and pale yellow in color. Add the first egg and beat well after each egg addition until creamy. Scrape down the sides, then add the vanilla extract. Fold the flour into the mixture and mix well. Add the milk.
  • Divide the batter into two portions. Stir the cocoa powder into one portion and mix well. Transfer the plain batter into the greased baking pan and shake it lightly to distribute it evenly.
  • Pour the cocoa batter into the middle of the baking pan and lightly swirl it with a butter knife. I usually make an "S" shape with the knife a few times. Be careful not to overmix.
  • Bake until golden brown and cooked through, about 40 minutes. If the top browns too quickly before the cake is set, cover it with aluminum foil at the 20-minute mark to prevent it from becoming too brown and crusty.
  • Insert a cake tester into the center of the cake to check for doneness. If the middle is still wet, bake for a little longer. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Then, remove it from the pan, slice, and serve immediately.

Video

Notes

I used 3 mini loaf pans to make the marble cake. You can use 1 regular loaf pan (9×5-inch), 1 square pan (9×9-inch or 8×8-inch) or 1 round pan to make this recipe.
You may cut down the chocolate portion to 1/3 of the batter. If so, use 1 tablespoon cocoa powder to mix the batter.

Nutrition

Serving: 6people, Calories: 310kcal, Carbohydrates: 60g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.03g, Cholesterol: 126mg, Sodium: 317mg, Potassium: 124mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 34g, Vitamin A: 205IU, Calcium: 78mg, Iron: 2mg

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

Please rate and comment below!

About Rasa Malaysia

Bee is a recipe developer and best-selling cookbook author, sharing easy, quick, and delicious Asian and American recipes since 2006. With a strong following of almost 2 million fans online, her expertise has been featured in major publications, TV and radio programs, and live cooking demos throughout the United States and Asia.

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Recipe Rating





291 Comments

  1. Karly says:

    Drooool. This looks absolutely perfect! It’s been too long since I’ve had a good marble cake, but that’s gonna have to change!

  2. Yara Bitar says:

    Thanks for sharing this recipe, it seems very tempting. However, can I substitute butter for oil ?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      I am not sure, I have never tried oil in my marble cake recipe.

  3. Ann Sainin says:

    Hi,
    Baked this and it turned out very well. Spongy and yummy. I didn’t use loaf pan but a tube pan. Super delicious. It stays well too the next 2 days as I kept it in the oven (I lived in Germany and weather is cold). Thank you for the super recipe.

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Hi Ann, yes this marble cake recipe is super delicious. Thanks for trying.

  4. Wallpapers says:

    Thanks for sharing the recipe, it looks moist and delicious!

  5. Web Tutorial says:

    thanks for the lovely recipe!

  6. Plant Wallpapers says:

    5 stars
    It looks so delicious <3

    Thanks

  7. rhea says:

    hi I wanted to try out the recipe but I just wanted to ask, how long can the cake be kept and where and how it should be kept? really excited to try out the recipe because it looks delicious! :-))

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      You can keep it in the kitchen at room temperature for two to three says. Just cover up but it might turn drier after the second day.

  8. Amy Chang says:

    Hi Bee, I’ve tried ur marble cake recipe. Ur instructions are so simple and clear to follow. And the cake tastes great. I understand that caster sugar can also be used in this recipe as you’ve mentioned earlier but how much caster sugar is to be used? Is it the same measurement as the icing sugar?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Yes.

      1. Bunny Tan says:

        It is the same measurement if I use raw brown sugar?

        1. Rasa Malaysia says:

          Yes.

  9. Matbakhoki says:

    5 stars
    Thank you so much for the recipe

  10. Lee says:

    Hi, I just tried to make this but the chocolate portion did not turn out as dark as yours in the pic. I used exactly the same measurements as yours and mixed the cocoa in vigorously but it was only a light chocolate shade. Any idea why? Thanks!

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      I don’t know why maybe your chocolate is less rich?

      1. Lee says:

        I used Hershey’s cocoa powder, which has never disappointed and always creates dark chocolate cakes. The cake tastes delicious but choc flavour is not that great.

        1. Rasa Malaysia says:

          Just add more then.

          1. Lee says:

            I did add more! But it was still so light in colour.

            1. Noni says:

              Hi Lee,

              Try to use hersey dark cocoa powder or better with dutch processed cocoa powder.