This moist and buttery marble cake recipe is the best of both worlds with rich chocolate and vanilla flavors for a perfect swirl in every bite.
This scratch marble layer cake is super moist and it makes THE perfect birthday cake. It uses simple ingredients and it doesn’t skimp on the chocolate like some marble cakes do. When you can’t make up your mind whether you want chocolate or vanilla cake, have both!
When my son was growing up, he would ask for a marble cake for his birthday every single year. I think it was really because he couldn’t decide if he wanted chocolate or vanilla cake, so he just figured he’d get the best of both worlds.
Depending on how much you marble this cake, you can get mostly vanilla in one bite, or mostly chocolate. The choice is totally up to you!
I added a bit more chocolate batter in this cake compared to the average marble cake and that’s because I find that in other marble cakes, you just don’t get much chocolate flavor.
If you prefer less chocolate, you can always lower the amount of batter you add the chocolate to…that will be just fine. You can also just not marble it as much.
Why You’ll Love This Cake
- Rich Chocolate Flavor: Unlike some marble cakes that skimp on chocolate, this one gives you a good amount!
- Moist & Butter: Thanks to sour cream and a certain mixing method, this cake stays tender and moist and the addition of butter makes it SO flavorful.
- Perfect for Celebrations: This cake is perfect for birthday parties!
- Customizable Swirl: Adjust the amount of chocolate batter to suit your taste.
Pro Tips
- Room Temperature Ingredients: It’s really great if you can let the cold ingredients come to room temperature. It just helps everything mix better.
- Don’t Overmix: Once the liquid is added, be very careful not to mix very long or at a high speed or it will over-develop the gluten and make the cake rubbery and dense.
- Proper Swirling: Be careful not to swirl too much or you’ll essentially just mix everything together fully.
Recipe
Moist Marble Cake from Scratch
Ingredients
- 2 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (2 sticks)
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 cup sour cream
- ½ cup milk
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the chocolate swirl
- ⅓ cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder (not dutch processed)
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 3-4 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Grease and flour two, 8 inch round cake pans and set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Whisk well and set aside.
- In another smaller bowl, add the oil, sour cream, milk, and vanilla extract. Whisk well and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the room temperature butter and the sugar and mix on medium-high speed with an electric mixer for about two minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time and mix on medium for about 20 seconds after each egg is added. If the eggs are still cold, the batter might curdle up on you, but just keep going.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again on medium for about 10 more seconds.
- Alternately add in the dry mixture and the liquid mixture to the butter/sugar mixture, starting and ending with the dry mixture as follows:Add in a third of the dry mixture and mix on medium speed only until just combined (about 10-15 seconds only).Add in half of the liquid mixture, mixing on medium speed only until just combined (about 10-15 seconds only). Add in another third of the dry mixture, mixing on medium speed only until just combined (about 10-15 seconds only). Add in the last half of the liquid mixture, mixing on medium speed only until just combined (about 10-15 seconds only).Add the last third of the flour mixture and mix on medium speed only until just combined (about 15 seconds only).Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again on medium speed only for about 10 seconds or feel free to mix by hand at this point just using a large spoon or silicone spatula.IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT SCRATCH CAKES: Be very careful only to mix until well combined. Once the batter is well combined, stop mixing. The batter does not have to be silky smooth. Mixing scratch cake batter too long and/or at too high of a speed can cause the gluten in the flour to over-develop and that will cause the cake to come out dense, rubbery or it may fall in the middle.
- Take out about 1 to 1 ½ cups of the batter and add it to a small mixing bowl. (If you want less chocolate swirl, use 1 cup, if you want more chocolate swirl use 1 ½ cups)
- To that batter, add the cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon oil and the 3 tablespoons of milk and mix well with a spoon or rubber spatula. If the batter is very stiff, mix in another tablespoon of milk.
- Add the chocolate batter back into the vanilla batter by the tablespoonful. Then swirl the batter in the bowl with a spoon or rubber spatula. Just marble the batter, slightly don't mix it completely. Make sure to get to the bottom of the bowl.
- Add to the prepared cake pans. (The batter will be thick.)
- Bake at 325 degrees F for approximately 40-45 minutes. Insert a toothpick somewhere in the middle and a few moist crumbs should stick to the toothpick or it will come out clean, but no raw batter.
- Cool on a wire racks, in the pans, for only about 10 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto the racks and allow them to cool completely before freezing the layers, or covering in buttercream. (See notes section for frosting options.)
Notes
Nutrition
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Video
Tips & FAQs
You definitely don’t want to leave it out, but you can use yogurt in place of it if you need to. Use the full-fat yogurt and not the light or fat-free version.
Be careful adjusting ingredients in cake recipes because it could throw off the ratios. Sugar not only adds sweetness, but it also helps add moisture to the cake. You could perhaps lower it by ¼ to ⅓, but I would not try lowering more than that amount, or it could affect the texture and moistness of the cake.
Store this cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4-5 days. If this cake is covered or filled with anything perishable, cover it well and store in the refrigerator up to 4 days.
This cake can be made ahead of time and frozen if desired. Let the baked cake layers cool completely, then wrap in plastic wrap and foil and place in the freezer for up to a month.
To thaw, place the wrapped cake layers on the counter at room temperature and let thaw completely, then remove the wrapping. Once defrosted, you can ice the cake.
Maybe, although I haven’t tried it out. If you do try it, make sure to grease and flour the bundt pan very well so that it doesn’t stick. Bake at 325 degrees F for the same amount of time, although it will likely take longer to bake since a bundt pan is deeper.
Do not pull it out until the cake is fully baked. The cake will be firmer to the touch and not jiggly and a toothpick inserted into the cake will come out either with a few moist crumbs on it or clean, but no raw batter
Feel free to use any frosting you like, but here are some excellent choices:
Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting
Rich Chocolate Buttercream
Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
Nutella Frosting
Mocha Buttercream
Whipped Chocolate Buttercream
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Supplies
Tried This?
If you give this recipe a try, I’d love to know what you think!
Other posts you might like
- Marble Loaf Cake
- Classic Yellow Cake from Scratch
- Vanilla Bean Cake
- Chocolate Butter Cake
- Sour Cream Chocolate Cake
- Chocolate Coconut Cake
jabeve
Can your from scratch Marble cake be madeve in a 9×13 pan? Thanks
Kara Jane
I have not tried this recipe in a 13×9 inch pan, but it should be just fine. I would bake it at the same temperature for about the same time, although you may want to start checking it at about 30 minutes.
jabeve
Thank you….Will try it soon and report back to you.
Soncerae
This cake taste AMAZING and it’s so moist. I will never buy a marble cake mix every again. An it was so easy to make. The whole family loved it and your recipe for the double chocolate buttercream frosting. It just sent it over the top.
Kara Jane
Oh this made my day! I’m so happy it turned out for you and that you loved it. 🙂 Thank you for the wonderful review!
Tee
Do you know how many cups of batter this recipe will yield? I need to make a 12” round cake
Kara Jane
Hi, I don’t really measure how many cups are in batter. To figure out how much batter I’ll need, I normally just go by how many recipe batches I’ll need to make. So, for a 12 inch round cake, you can probably use one recipe for each 12″ round cake layer. You might have a bit left over though. You could probably do a recipe and a half for 2, 12″ round cakes. (This is if you’re using 2″ deep pans. If you’re using 3″ deep pans, then you’ll need more batter.)
Tee
Hello, I’m urgently trying to make marble cupcakes with your wonderful recipe. Can you please help with how I may need to alter the recipe for 12 cupcakes?
Kara Jane
The full recipe will make about 24 cupcakes, so if you need to make only 12, then you’ll need to make only half of the recipe.
Tee
Thank you!!
Esther
Thank you Kara Jane , for your marble cake recipe I’m going to bake later for my family .?♥️♥️♥️
Kara Jane
You’re so welcome! I hope you love it! 🙂
Esther
Hi Kara Jane , I don’t have sour cream but have Greek yogurt I can use the same amount as sour cream. Please let me know thank you ?♥️♥️♥️
Kara Jane
Yes you can use Greek yogurt instead and in the same amount.
Esther
Thank you Kara Jane, I bake the cake it’s turned up very beautiful and tasty. Thank you so much.God bless ?♥️♥️♥️
Kara Jane
Oh that’s wonderful! So glad you liked it!
Kimberly
Hi, I have been trying to find a recipe for a dairy free marble cake since my nieces are allergic. Your cake looks amazing and moist! Do you know if it would turn out well with dairy-free substitutions? Thanks!
Kimberly
Kara Jane
I’m not very experienced at baking dairy-free, but it would be worth a shot! Replace the butter with dairy-free butter or margarine, replace the sour cream with dairy-free sour cream or yogurt, the milk with a dairy-free alternative (I’d go with something that has a good amount of fat in it like coconut). If you need to also replace the eggs…that’s when it would get a little tricky, but if eggs are okay, I’d just try the subs above and see how it turns out. Let me know if you try it…I’m curious!
Jordan
Found this cake on a FB cake decorating page I follow with rave reviews. Would this cake be dense enough but not too dense tasting to carve? I’m carving a dinosaur, likely 6 layers high with center dowel, but was asked for a not too dense cake. Thanks.
Kara
Oh wonderful! It’s nice to know it got rave reviews! I get what you’re saying about the density. In my opinion, I feel like this one is somewhere in the middle when it comes to denseness. Since it’s a scratch cake, it’s a bit more dense and not quite as fluffy as a box cake, but it’s not super dense either. You might put it in the fridge to chill before carving though as that will help keep it together. That’s always helped me. It might be a good idea to make a small batch of this though to see how you like it before making all 6 layers though. I’m always a big fan of doing a test cake. Hope this helps. 🙂
Jem
I’d like to change this recipe from 2 8in layers to 3 6in layers. What do you recommend for baking time?
Kara
Hi Jem, good question. So, if you use one recipe batch and split it between 3, 6-inch round cake pans then the cake layers will be thinner than if you’d used 2, 8-inch round pans. So, you’ll need to bake them for less time. I don’t know the exact time as I normally make this in the 8-inch round pans, but I’d start checking at about 25 minutes. You could also bake them at 350 degrees F, instead of 325 degrees, since they are smaller and that will take some time off the baking as well and might help them puff up a bit more. To play it safe, start checking at 20-25 minutes. You don’t have to open the oven door at that point, just turn the light on and take a peek and see if the batter has firmed up, then keep a close eye on it. The batter will be a bit thinner so it will dry out quicker if left too long to bake. Here’s a link to a post on how to tell when a cake is done that might also be helpful. It’s a lot to re-type here, so this post will lay it out for you: https://iscreamforbuttercream.com/how-to-tell-when-a-cake-is-done-baking/
Hope this helps!
Jordan
Hi, I’d like to make this cake 4 layers high in 6 inch pans. Would 1.5 batches be enough? I presume cook time would be 325 degrees for roughly 25 minutes?
Kara
Hi Jordan, yes I think that would be a good amount to make. Yes, start checking them earlier and I think 25 minutes is a good guess to start checking, but it’ll probably need a bit more time than that. You could also bake them at 350 degrees F as they’re smaller and it might help them rise up a little more. Of course, you’ll need to check them earlier…maybe around 20 minutes or so.
Sally
Kara,
First & foremost – I LOVE all your cakes, decorating tips and all recipes! Thank you so much for all you do! Your white cake is an all-time favorite in our family! I’m no pro at all, but enjoy baking – esp for my family. My grandchildren have all asked me to make their birthday cakes. Question – for the marble cake recipe, I need to make it in a half sheet cake pan (13×18) – do you think I should double this recipe since it’s for 2-8″ cakes? Thank you again for everything Buttercream & then some! 🙂
Kara
Hi Sally, I think a recipe batch and a 1/2 would probably be enough, since one batch would fill a 13×9 inch pan. If you just want to play it super safe though, you could double it and you’d probably have some extra and could make some cupcakes out of it. Also, thanks so much for your kind words!
Wendi Noah
Let me just say; Your recipes are amazing!! I have made so many of them for our church and family events that I am now the go to baker at church. Saturday I made 80 cupcakes using your Raspberry cupcakes and icing and the best ever chocolate cupcakes. Wow again everyone loved them !! You are awesome, thank you.
At hand is a Wedding cake, renewing vows after 50 yrs and they are chocolate lovers. They have decided on a marble cake with chocolate icing. Will this recipe hold up to wedding cake standards? Wedding cake tiers 2/10 2/8 & 2/6 is my plan, It’s been 6 yrs since I’ve made my last wedding cake so I’m extremely nervous.
Kara
Wendi, I’m so happy that you love the recipes! Thank you for the wonderful comment!
So, onto your wedding cake question. What a wonderful celebration – renewing vows after 50 years! I totally get the nervousness behind making wedding cakes. I really don’t do major cakes for people but maybe a couple times a year and it still stresses me out. 😉 This cake will work just fine stacked as long as you prepare it with boards and dowels between the tiers. Just a quick note that I usually use three layers to make one tier. The tiers will look taller and a bit more professional. With only 2 layers per tier, they can tend to look a little squatty if that makes sense. Anyway, feel free to make it to your preference though! I do have a post on how I prepare and stack my cakes if you’d like to check it out. I’ll add a link below. One last tip though, you’ll want to go ahead and try out the recipe for yourself before committing to making a wedding cake out of it. I always say this no matter whose recipe it is. You always want to make sure you actually like the taste and that there are no surprises. 🙂 Here’s the link to that post: https://iscreamforbuttercream.com/how-to-stack-a-cake/ Also, if I may make a suggestion for the frosting. I have a very good fudgy chocolate buttercream recipe I just added to the site. It’s for the Cosmic Brownie Cupcakes, but just scroll past the cupcake recipe and grab the buttercream recipe. It’s SO good and very chocolatey. Here’s that link: https://iscreamforbuttercream.com/cosmic-brownie-cupcakes/#recipe
I hope it all works out and that they love the cake!
Wendi
I clicked on your amazon choice for the stacking. Everything is unavailable, could not find a foam board anywhere. Thank you for your suggestions, I will make with the 3 layers per tier. Will prepare a 1st run with marble cake/chocolate fudge icing this weekend. You are a A+ Baker, I love to see your suggestions, excited to try this combo for the happy couple.
Thank you
Wendi
Kara
Sorry Wendi. I need to go back into the post and update the supplies. Foam boards are really hard to find right now. I’ve looked for them in the past year and when I find them, they’re super expensive. I’m not sure why. I would just use a regular cake board round for between tiers, but try to find something heavier for the actual base at the bottom. Let me know how it all turns out. Best of luck!
Arlette
Hi Kara, thanks for another great cake recipe! I thought I’d try this for a birthday cake. I didn’t happen to read about the full fat sour cream and I used reduced fat, but it turned out, AND I made it in a 9 X 13 inch pan, because I was needing that size for my cake design. I only had to keep it in the oven five or so extra minutes and it baked perfectly. The cake cast offs from the carving were delicious. I am using chocolate cream cheese and cherries filling, with SMBC for the top coat. 🙂 The cake actually looks like a giant can of sardines, since my friend loves sardines. I wish I could post a photo here…lol
Thank you again. I love and use so many of your recipes! God bless you!
Kara
Hi Arlette, well it’s good to know that reduced fat sour cream still worked! That’s awesome and thank you for the great review! I wish I could see the cake too. Feel free to email it to me if you like. kara @ iscreamforbuttercream.com (I’ve added spaces so spammers don’t get me.) Also, thanks for adding in that you baked this in a 9×13 inch pan and how long it took. That will definitely help others who read the post. 🙂