An indulgent Chocolate and Vanilla Marble Cake Recipe topped with a rich dark chocolate glaze and decorated with flakes for more dark chocolate. If you are wondering what to bake for Valentine's Day, this is the cake to make.
What you need to make a Marble Cake
This is a lovely recipe for Marble Cake. A full list of ingredients and quantities can be found in the recipe card below.
- Butter - Unsalted butter. Only use butter when making the chocolate glaze. Baking Spread usually contains oil and this may affect the end result.
- Caster Sugar - Soft Brown sugar is fine. Granulated sugar is also fine, but it will take longer to break down with the butter to a nice fluffy batter.
- Eggs - Medium eggs
- Flour - White Self Raising flour contains a raising agent. If you use Plain flour you will need to add baking powder to make the cake rise. See your flour/baking powder packet for instructions
- Vanilla Extract - Avoid using synthetic Vanilla Flavour or learn How to make your own Vanilla Extract
- Cocoa Powder - Use pure Cocoa Powder, avoid using drinking chocolate as this usually contains added sugar.
- Milk - Whole milk contains fat which helps distribute the flavours a lot better, but you can use semi skimmed if you wish.
- Chocolate - Dark chocolate is best for flavour, but milk chocolate is fine.
How to Make a Chocolate Marble Effect Cake
Get your oven preheated to the required temperature of 170 deg (Fan assisted). I always line my loaf tins with a suitable cake liner, but baking parchment is ideal. You may need to lightly grease the sides of the loaf tin to enable the parchment to stay in place while you fill the tin with cake batter.
Using an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go along. If you are using granulated sugar this will take a little longer.
Add the eggs, one at a time, adding a little flour in between each one to help prevent curdling. Add the Vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
Tip: Sometimes it helps to lightly beat the eggs and mix in the vanilla extract before adding to the cake batter. This helps distribute the vanilla flavour more evenly around the cake.
Add the remaining flour and Milk. Mix until well combined. Do not over beat.
Place half of the mixture into another mixing bowl and add the sieved cocoa powder. Mix until well combined. If you don't sieve the cocoa powder, you could end up with uneven dark spots of cocoa in your cake.
This is the fun bit especially if you are baking with young children. Use a couple of tablespoons to dollop the chocolate and vanilla cake mixture alternatively into the loaf tin.
When all the mixture has been used, take a cake skewer and swirl it around the cake mixture to create a marble effect. Be creative with your Swirl Cake but don't over do things.
Bake the cake in the centre of the oven for about 50 - 55 mins or until baked, testing the centre of the cake with a skewer until it comes out clean. Leave in the tin to cool a little before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
TIP: All ovens are different and baking times may differ slightly. Test your cake with about 5 - 10 mins left to bake to make sure you are not over baking the cake.
Make the Chocolate Glaze Topping
The chocolate glaze for this recipe is adapted from my Easy Chocolate Glaze recipe which doesn't crack when sliced. I use it in many of my chocolate cake recipes such as this Easy Chocolate Tray Bake Topped with a Chocolate Glaze.
Here's how to make it. Melt the chocolate and butter in a heat proof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Stir frequently until melted and smooth. Take off the heat and leave to one side to cool a little.
As the glaze starts to cool, gradually layer the chocolate over the top of the cake before it begins to set. As each chocolate layer begins to set, add additional layers until you have used all the chocolate glaze mixture.
Decorate with the roughly chopped or grated chocolate before the glaze sets completely. Ensuring all the chocolate pieces stay on the cake. You may need to gently press down the flakes onto the still softened chocolate.
This is a great cake to make for any occasion. And would make a delicious cake for Valentine's Day too. Although it is best eaten on the day it is made, it will keep for a day if wrapped well and in an airtight container.
Chocolate Cake Recipes
More Chocolate Cake Recipes for you to try, including some Heart Shaped Easy Vanilla Shortbread Biscuits to bake as a special treat for the ones you love.
A delicious Chocolate Cake filled with Hazelnut chocolate spread.
Or this Chocolate Fudge Cake
Try this no bake Chocolate Tiffin
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Chocolate and Vanilla Marble Cake
Equipment
- 1lb Loaf Tin
- 1lb Cake Liner or Baking Parchment
- Baking Parchment
- Cake Skewer
INGREDIENTS
- 120 g Butter room temperature
- 120 g caster sugar or granulated sugar
- 2 eggs medium sized
- 120 g Self Raising Flour
- 1 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 2 tablespoon Cocoa Powder Sieved
Chocolate Topping
- 50 g unsalted Butter softened
- 120 g Dark Chocolate roughly chopped
Decoration
- 20 g Dark Chocolate Grated or roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170 deg Fan assisted. Grease and line a 1lb loaf tin with baking parchment or a cake tin liner.
- Using an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go along.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, adding a little flour in between each one to help prevent curdling. Add the Vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
- Add the remaining flour and Milk. Mix until well combined.
- Place half of the mixture into another mixing bowl and add the sieved cocoa powder. Mix until well combined.
- Use a couple of tablespoons to dollop the chocolate and vanilla cake mixture alternatively into the loaf tin.
- When all the mixture has been used, take a cake skewer and swirl it around the cake mixture to create a marble effect.
- Bake the cake in the centre of the oven for 50 - 55 mins or until baked, testing the centre of the cake with a skewer until it comes out clean.
- Leave in the tin to cool a little before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the Chocolate Glaze Topping.
- Melt the chocolate and butter in a heat proof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Stir frequently until melted and smooth. Leave to one side to cool a little.
- As the glaze starts to cool, gradually layer the chocolate over the top of the cake before it begins to set. As each stage of layering begins to set add additional layers until you have used all the chocolate glaze.
- Decorate with the roughly chopped or grated chocolate before the glaze sets completely, ensuring all the chocolate pieces stay on the cake. You may need to gently press down the flakes onto the still softened chocolate.
Jacqueline
Oh wow, this is delicious! Followed the recipe to the letter and my cake tasted great. My swirls weren’t as sharp as yours in the photos but perhaps as I used a chopstick ( don’t have a skewer ) that was why. Chocolate topping is so good. Thank you again!