Marble Cake

A traditional marble cake, baked in a loaf tin, is something which my husband’s great-aunt frequently makes whenever we visit her in France. But I thought I would give my own spin on a gâteau marbré by baking it in one of my many bundt pans and adding a decadent chocolate glaze.

A marble cake, as you might already know, is simply a cake which is part vanilla and part chocolate, typically swirled together to create a marble-like effect inside the cake.

I tend to think of it as a compromise cake; a proper chocolate cake can feel a bit indulgent sometimes, but a marble cake is only half as sinful.

marble cake on metal tray with blue napkin and baking utensils

Marble Cake Recipe

My son’s birthday is coming up soon and I’m thinking of baking this marble cake for him to take to kindergarten.

In previous years, I was never quite comfortable with the idea of serving a chocolate cake to a room full of tiny tots for afternoon tea, especially if they all went crazy afterwards on the inevitable sugar high – the poor teachers! I used to make a plain vanilla cake but would cover it with a chocolate frosting, until I discovered that the children were mostly only licking off the icing and eating nothing else.

So I recently resigned to making my go-to chocolate cake for their little birthday parties at school and daycare; it’s just one day a year and, if the children eat healthily most of the time, I think they should be allowed to indulge now and then, especially on their birthday 🙂

But I’m thinking that this marble cake recipe will be a sweet-toothed compromise …

marble cake on metal tray sliced

Marble Bundt Cake

Bundt pans can instantly transform any plain cake into something spectacular, and that is why I love baking with them so much.

What’s great about baking this Marble Bundt Cake is that you don’t have to do anything artsy with toothpicks or skewers to get a nice marble pattern inside the cake.

A soft tap on the kitchen counter is all that is required to gently swirl the layers of batter together.

The glaze is entirely optional, but it makes the cake look more celebratory and comforting. I toyed with the idea of sprinkling the cake with chocolate chips … maybe next time!

marble cake on metal tray with chocolate glaze

How to Make Marble Cake

Step 1

Whenever you are using a bundt pan, it is always a good idea to spray it generously first with some non-stick baking spray, followed by a light sprinkle of flour. Invert the bundt pan over the kitchen sink and tap out the excess flour.

This process will help to ensure that your cake will not stick to the bundt pan later. Trust me, there is nothing worse!

bundt pan greased with non-stick baking spray with flour shaker to the side

Step 2

Measure the dry ingredients into a medium-sized mixing bowl.

cream mixing bowl with flour, with knitted napkin and gold measuring spoons

Step 3

To make the batter, cream the butter with the sugar until it is light and fluffy.

This will take 3 to 5 minutes using an electric stand-mixer or electric beaters.

creamed butter and sugar in white mixing bowl

Step 4

Then add the eggs, one at a time, together with one to two tablespoons of the dry ingredients to stop the batter from curdling.

Once all of the eggs have been added, add the remaining ingredients to the batter.

cake batter in white mixing bowl with carton of eggs

Step 5

Remove slightly more than half of the batter to a large bowl, and this will be used as the vanilla batter for the marble cake.

two mixing bowls filled with cake batter

Step 6

To the remaining batter in the mixing bowl, add the cocoa powder and beat until it is well incorporated.

This will be used as the chocolate batter for the marble cake.

chocolate cake batter in white mixing bowl

Step 7

To assemble the marble cake, dollop about half of the vanilla batter into the bottom of the bundt pan.

bundt pan filled with vanilla cake batter

Step 8

Next, layer on top all of the chocolate batter.

At this stage, don’t worry about levelling out the batter.

bundt pan filled with chocolate cake batter

Step 9

Then top with the remaining vanilla batter. Use a small spatula to level the cake batter.

Use both of your hands to lift up the bundt pan and then give it a gentle tap on the bench, about once or twice, to let the batter settle into the grooves of the bundt pan, and also to allow the layers of batter to gently “marble”.

marble cake batter in bundt pan

Step 10

Bake the cake (without oven fan) for about 35 to 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the thickest part of the cake comes out clean. The baking time will vary depending on the size of your cake pan and your oven.

It is important to let the cake cool in the bundt pan for about 10 to 15 minutes so that it can settle, before carefully inverting the cake onto a wire rack to cool completely.

marble bundt cake cooling on wire rack
sliced marble cake on metal tray with cake knife and blue napkin
marble bundt cake
4.49 stars (27 reviews)

Marble Bundt Cake

Thanh | Eat, Little Bird
Prep30 minutes
Cook50 minutes
Total1 hour 20 minutes
Serves: 8 to 12
A delicious and easy Marble Bundt Cake, perfect for any occasion. Recipe for a moist marble cake, which looks spectacular baked in a bundt pan and topped with a chocolate glaze.
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Ingredients

For the cake

For the chocolate glaze

Instructions 

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F (without fan).
  2. Grease and flour a large bundt pan with approximately 2 litres (8 cups) capacity. (See Kitchen Notes below)
  3. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl.
  4. Using a stand mixer or electric beaters, cream the butter and sugar until the mixture is pale and fluffy. This should take about 3-5 minutes on medium-high speed.
  5. On low-medium speed, add one egg, followed by a tablespoon of the flour mixture. This helps to prevent the mixture from curdling. Beat until the egg has been incorporated. Repeat until all of the eggs have been added.
  6. Add the vanilla extract and milk.
  7. Add the remaining flour mixture and beat lightly until all of the ingredients have been incorporated.
  8. Remove slightly more than half of the batter to another bowl. This portion will form the vanilla batter for the marble cake.
  9. Add the cocoa powder to the bowl with slightly less than half the batter, and mix it through. This portion will form the chocolate batter for the marble cake.
  10. Dollop half of the vanilla batter into the prepared bundt pan.
  11. Next, pour in all of the chocolate batter. At this stage, don’t worry about spreading the cake batter evenly.
  12. Dollop the remaining vanilla batter onto the chocolate layer, and use a small palette knife to smooth out the layer.
  13. Tap the bundt pan gently on the kitchen surface once or twice to make sure that the batter settles into all of the grooves of the bundt pan. This tapping motion also helps to gently mix the batter to form a marbled pattern inside the cake.
  14. Place the cake pan into the oven and bake (without oven fan) for 35-50 minutes, or until a cake skewer inserted in the thickest part of the cake comes out clean. The baking time will vary depending on the size of your cake pan and your oven.
  15. Once the cake is cooked, let it rest in the cake pan on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes.
  16. Carefully turn the cake out onto a wire rack and let it cool completely.
  17. To make the chocolate glaze, whisk together the icing sugar (powdered sugar), cocoa powder, milk and vanilla extract. Depending on how thick you want the glaze to be, you may not need all of the milk. If the glaze is too runny, simply thicken it with some more icing sugar (powdered sugar).
  18. Once the cake has cooled completely, drizzle the glaze over the cake.
  19. Leave it for at least 30 minutes to set before serving.

Kitchen Notes

  • PREPARING THE BUNDT PAN
    I’m always a little nervous when using bundt pans, even when they are non-stick. To prepare the bundt pan before using, I always spray them with a non-stick baking spray, followed by a light dusting of flour. Tap the bundt pan over a sink to remove the excess flour.
  • BIRTHDAY PARTIES AND BAKE SALES
    I have made this Marble Bundt Cake many times for my kids to bring to school to celebrate their birthdays, or for school bake sales. From this cake, I can cut about 20 thin slices, usually enough for all of the kids and teachers in one class.
  • OVEN TEMPERATURES
    All recipes on this website state temperatures for a regular oven (i.e. a conventional oven without fan). If you have a convection oven with a fan, please consult the manufacturer’s handbook on how to adjust the temperature and baking time accordingly.
  • CONVERSIONS
    To convert from cups to grams, and vice-versa, please see this handy Conversion Chart for Basic Ingredients.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 12g, Calories: 333kcal, Carbohydrates: 36.4g, Protein: 4.6g, Fat: 19.9g, Cholesterol: 123.1mg, Sodium: 232.7mg, Fiber: 1.3g, Sugar: 25.6g

Did you make this recipe?

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Update

This recipe was originally published on 11 October 2017. It has been updated with new photos and more comprehensive recipe notes.

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