Moist Marble Cake from Scratch

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: marble cake

Difficulty Level: Beginner

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 45

Total Time: 1 15

Servings: servings

Calories: 458kcal

Author: Kara @I Scream for Buttercream

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.

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US Customary - Metric

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

How to Store: 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.

How to serve: Most cakes are best served close to room temperature, especially when made with butter like this one. If the cake is cold, set it out to come closer to room temperature for about 20-30 minutes before serving.

You can also pop a slice in the microwave to warm up a bit.

Frosting Options:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting

Rich Chocolate Buttercream

Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

Nutella Frosting

Mocha Buttercream

Whipped Chocolate Buttercream

Be sure to check out the TIPS & FAQs section in this post—it should answer any questions you may have about ingredients, substitutions, other pan sizes etc.

Nutritional values are an estimate.

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Nutrition