Marble Loaf Cake - Chocolate and Vanilla Snack Cake

Close up view of chocolate and vanilla marble pound cake sliced on a plate.

Marble Loaf Cake - Chocolate and Vanilla Snack Cake

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: marble loaf cake

Difficulty Level: Beginner

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 45

Total Time: 1 5

Servings: servings

Calories: 383kcal

Author: Kara @I Scream for Buttercream

This easy marble loaf cake, is a delightful snacking cake with a pound cake-like texture and a swirl of chocolate and vanilla in every bite.

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US Customary - Metric

Ingredients

For the loaf cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour (Measured correctly: Spooned into the measuring cup and leveled off – don't scoop and pack the flour into the cup, that will add too much flour.)
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cup granulated sugar (If not adding a glaze, you can use 1 ½ cups sugar to make it a little sweeter if desired.)
½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled down to room temperature (1 stick)
⅓ cup vegetable oil
½ cup sour cream, room temperature (or plain yogurt)
¼ cup milk, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
2 tablespoons hot strong coffee, or hot water

For the glaze:

½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3-4 tablespoons heavy cream, or whipping cream (not whipped cream or cool whip)

Instructions

For the loaf cake:

In a small bowl, melt the butter and set aside to cool down a little.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and spray (or grease) an 8-9 inch loaf pan with non-stick baking spray.
In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar, then whisk well and set aside.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the melted (but not hot) butter, oil, room temperature sour cream, room temperature milk, room temperature eggs and vanilla extract and whisk well.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the liquid ingredients into that well.
Mix by hand with a large spoon or silicone spatula until well combined. Once everything is combined well, stop mixing. Mixing too long will make the loaf cake very dense and rubbery.
Take out about 1 ¼ cups of the batter and place in another bowl. (You can just use the bowl that contained the liquid mixture.)
To this mixture, add the cocoa powder and the hot coffee (or water) and stir until well combined. Remember to only stir until well combined as stirring too much will cause the cake to become too dense.
To the prepared loaf pan, add about ½ cup of the vanilla batter and spread smooth across the bottom of the pan. Add the chocolate batter and the vanilla batter to the loaf pan alternately, using a tablespoon until all of the batter has been added to the loaf pan. Don't worry about doing this perfectly.
Once all the batter has been added to the pan, take a knife and run it through the batter to swirl both batters together. Be careful not to scrape the bottom of the pan and to only swirl several times. Swirling too much will completely mix the batters together and the loaf cake won't have that marble look.
Bake the loaf cake approximately 45-55 minutes. Ovens vary so start checking a little early. A toothpick inserted into the middle will come out either clean or with a few moist crumbs on it when it's ready to come out of the oven. Try not to over bake or the cake will turn out dry.
Set the cake on a cooling rack for about 15 minutes, then turn the cake out of the pan and let cool completely on a cooling rack before adding the glaze.

For the glaze:

In a saucepan, add the chocolate chips and milk, then melt over medium heat. Melt and stir until smooth. Be very careful not to heat it at high heat or the chocolate will burn.
Check the consistency once melted and if it's too thick, add about a teaspoon of milk and mix well, then check the consistency again. Repeat until the desired consistency is reached.
Set aside to cool down for at least 10 minutes. The glaze will thicken up a bit as it cools. Drizzle or spoon the glaze onto the cooled loaf cake.
See the notes section for best ways to store this cake, serve it and for more FAQs.

Notes

How to Store: This cake can be stored covered well in an airtight container or covered in plastic wrap at room temperature for about 5 days. It can also be stored, covered well, in the refrigerator, but needs to be brought back to room temperature or warmed up before eating for the best texture. (See how to serve below.)

How to serve: This cake is best served close to room temperature or warm. Cakes made with butter, like this one, tend to firm up a bit when chilled. The texture is softer and more moist when at room temperature or warm.
If the cake is cold, set it out to come closer to room temperature for about 20-30 minutes before serving, or pop a slice in the microwave to warm up a bit.

For other questions: Make sure to check out the TIPS & FAQs for this recipe in the recipe post, which should answer other questions you may have about ingredients, substitutions, other pan sizes etc.

Nutritional values are an estimate.

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Nutrition