This cake is the perfect combination of moist and flavorful vanilla pound cake swirled with chocolate cake. Made in a loaf pan, this cake has that beautiful marble effect made by adding alternating dollops of vanilla and chocolate batter into a pan then swirling with a butter knife.
This marble pound cake recipe is made using one batter. Make the vanilla batter, scoop out a cup, and stir it into melted butter and cocoa powder for the chocolate batter. That's it. I top it with a simple sprinkle of powdered sugar so the flavors of the cake shine through.
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One reader made this with a hand mixer instead of a stand mixer. It took her a little longer, but she said the texture and flavor were worth the extra effort, and she gave the espresso powder credit for making the chocolate stand out. Love that.
If you love a good loaf cake, I've got lots of delicious loaf cakes to try next, including my gluten-free cinnamon swirl bread.
What makes this marble cake recipe work
I've made a lot of loaf cakes over the years, and they've taught me what works in a loaf pan and what doesn't. These are the choices that make the difference in this one:
- Three eggs, not two. A lot of vanilla chocolate loaf cake recipes stop at two eggs. The third egg makes this one lighter and fluffier and it still tastes rich and buttery.
- A full tablespoon of vanilla. Yes, one tablespoon, not teaspoon! The vanilla half of a marble cake should actually taste like vanilla.
- Heavy cream instead of milk. Cream keeps the crumb moist and tender. A couple tablespoons of oil help, too.
- Two oven temperatures. The cake starts at 350°F for 25 minutes, then drops to 325°F. The lower temperature lets the middle bake all the way through before the top and sides overbake.
Don't skip the creaming step. A lot of this cake's rise comes from the air you beat into the butter and sugar. Give it the full 3–5 minutes, until it's pale and fluffy, and scrape the bowl as you go.
A few ingredient notes
Full amounts are in the recipe card. These are the ones worth knowing before you start:
- All-purpose flour: I don't recommend cake flour here. It isn't sturdy enough to hold up this moist, heavy cake.
- Heavy cream: Heavy cream or whipping cream gives the best results. Whole milk, lower fat milk, or non dairy milk works in a pinch, but the texture will be different. Skip buttermilk and sour cream; they behave differently in the batter.
- Vanilla extract: Use real vanilla if you can. With this much vanilla in the batter, the fake flavor of imitation vanilla can come through.
- Granulated sugar: Plain white sugar gives this cake structure. Brown sugar is too heavy to hold it up.
- Vegetable oil: Any neutral oil works, like sunflower or avocado oil. Not olive oil; the flavor is too strong.
- Cocoa powder: Use unsweetened cocoa powder. Natural or dutch-process both work.
- Espresso powder, optional: It won't make the cake taste like coffee. It just deepens the chocolate. I highly recommend it. The same amount of instant coffee powder (not granules) works, too. The photo shows a can of ground espresso, but I recommend espresso powder. It dissolves into the batter, and regular ground coffee doesn't.
Have your butter and eggs at room temperature so the batter mixes together evenly. I pull my butter out the night before. If your kitchen runs warm, 30 minutes ahead is enough.
Step-by-step photos
The full instructions are in the recipe card below. Here's what each stage looks like.
Line the pan
I spray the pan first so the parchment stays put, then line it with two strips that overhang the sides. The overhang makes it easy to lift the baked cake out later. An 8x4 inch loaf pan is what I use; a 9x5 works too, and the cake will be a little wider and shorter.
Make the vanilla batter
Don't rush this part. The flour goes in three parts, alternating with the cream and vanilla, starting and ending with flour. If you dump the flour in all at once, only some of it absorbs the liquid and you end up with dry flour spots in your baked loaf.
Make the chocolate batter
Layer and swirl
How to get a swirl, not mud. Don't worry about making a perfect checkerboard. Dollops are all you need, and you'll get a different marble every time. Run a butter knife across the pan, then down the length of it, and stop. Swirl too much and the two batters blend together and you lose the marble.
Bake and cool
Can I bake this swirl cake in a bundt pan?
Yes. Double the recipe and pour it into a well greased or buttered and floured bundt pan. It will take longer to bake because there's so much more batter in the pan, so keep an eye on it and adjust the time.
How to store marble pound cake
Wrap the cake in plastic wrap or foil while it's still slightly warm to lock in moisture. It keeps at room temperature for 3 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week.
To freeze, wrap the whole cake (or whatever's left) tightly in plastic wrap and put it in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and bring it to room temperature before serving. I don't recommend freezing single slices. They dry out in the freezer.
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Ingredients
For the vanilla batter
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup heavy cream or whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ sticks (¾ cup) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
For the chocolate batter
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder natural or dutch-process
- ½ teaspoon espresso powder optional
For topping
- powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line an 8x4 inch loaf pan with parchment paper. A 9x5 inch loaf pan will also work.I like to spray the loaf pan first with nonstick cooking spray then trim a long strip of parchment paper to the width of the loaf pan. Lay the parchment length-wise in the pan and press down gently so the parchment paper sticks to nonstick spray. Spray the parchment paper in the pan then lay the leftover piece of parchment across the pan. There should be overhang on the sides of the pan, allowing you to easily lift the baked marble pound cake out of the pan later on. Set aside the prepared loaf pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- In a measuring cup or small bowl, combine the heavy cream and vanilla extract. Set aside.½ cup heavy cream, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter and beat for 1-2 minutes until smooth. Then add the sugar, slowly, continuing to beat on medium to medium-high speed 3-5 minutes until light and fluffy.TIP: Part of the rise from this cake will come from how much air you are able to incorporate into the butter mixture so beating together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy is important. Stop the mixer to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed to ensure everything is mixed evenly.1 ½ sticks (¾ cup) unsalted butter, 1 ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The mixture should be very light, fluffy and airy after beating for a few minutes after incorporating the third egg. TIP: While many pound cake recipes use only 2 eggs, adding the additional egg benefits this recipe by making it lighter and fluffier, while still maintaining a rich, buttery flavor. Stop the mixer to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed to ensure everything is mixed evenly.3 large eggs
- In this step, we will add the flour mixture in 3 parts alternating with the cream and vanilla, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. This process is important because it allows the flour to absorb the butter and cream mixtures a little at a time. If you add all the flour at once, only some of the flour will hydrate (aka, absorb the moisture from the butter and cream mixtures), leaving dry spots of flour in the batter, which will leave dry spots of flour in your baked loaf. With the mixer running on low, add ⅓ of the flour mixture and mix for a few seconds. Keep the mixer running and add ½ of the cream/vanilla mixture. Next, add ⅓ of the flour mixture then the remainder of the cream mixture. Lastly, add the remaining ⅓ of the flour and stir just until there are no dry flour spots. Do not overmix, as this will lead to a tough cake versus one with a tender crumb.
- Stir in the vegetable oil, making sure not to overmix the batter. Set the batter aside for a moment.2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- To a separate bowl, mix together the melted butter with the cocoa and espresso powder, if using, until smooth.2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon espresso powder, 3 tablespoons melted butter
- Transfer 1 cup of the batter to the cocoa powder butter mixture and stir to combine. This is your chocolate batter.
- Place the two batters next to each other with your prepared loaf pan nearby. With an ice cream scoop or a spoon, scoop a small amount of the plain batter into the bottom of the prepared pan and use a spatula to smooth it out. Next, spoon dollops of the chocolate batter on top, leaving space between dollops for the vanilla batter so it forms an alternating pattern of vanilla and chocolate. Repeat the process of alternating dollops of both batters until there’s no batter remaining. Gently shake the loaf pan back and forth to smooth the batter out and allow it to fill in any gaps.
- Using a butter knife, gently swirl the top of the batter horizontally across the pan then vertically up and down lengthwise. Refrain from swirling too much otherwise the batters will get all mixed together and muddled, losing the marbled effect.
- Bake the pound cake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 325° and bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs attached. Cover loosely with aluminum foil at anytime during baking if you see the top is getting too browned.
- Let the pound cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Using the parchment overhang, lift the cake out of the pan and allow to cool on a wire rack. While still warm, dust with powdered sugar before slicing and serving.powdered sugar
Notes
- To store: To retain moisture, wrap the cake in plastic wrap or foil while still slightly warm, if possible. Store cake at room temperature for 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- To freeze: Wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap and place in a freezer safe bag. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature before serving.
- Recipe inspired by and adapted from Sally's Bake Blog and the comments made by other bakers on that recipe and other similar recipes across the internet.
Comments
Nat says
Lovely recipe 🫶
Kimberlee Ho says
So thrilled you loved it!
jul says
worth the extra effort! i just used a hand mixer so it took a little extra time but the result was amazing! love the texture and the flavor so much. espresso powder in anything chocolate is bound to make the flavor stand out more. thank you!
Kimberlee Ho says
Amazing! Thanks for baking and sharing your feedback, it's so helpful for other bakers.