Marble Loaf Cake
Classic marble loaf cake is a tender vanilla cake and rich chocolate swirls. Simple to make and perfectly moist every time!
Equipment
- 9x5 inch loaf pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup + 3 tbsp (238 g) Sugar
- 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp (180 g) Vegetable Oil
- 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 cup (120 g) Sour Cream
- 1/4 cup (60 g) Whole Milk, (room temperature)
- 4 large (200 g) Eggs, (room temperature)
- 2 cups (250 g) All Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/8 tsp Baking Soda
Chocolate Swirl
- 1/3 cup (28 g) Dutch Process Cocoa Powder
- 1 tsp Espresso Powder, (optional)
- 3 tbsp (42 g) Hot Coffee, (you can also use hot water if you don't have coffee)
Chocolate Glaze
- 1 cup (170 g) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- 1 cup (240 g) Heavy Cream
- 2 tbsp Salted Butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan with nonstick baking spray. Line with parchment paper so that there's about 2 inches overhang on both longs sides. (this makes it easier to remove from the pan)
- In a large bowl, combine sugar, oil, vanilla extract, sour cream, and whole milk. Whisk together for about 1 minute, until everything is combined and smooth, then add in the eggs and continue to mix until combined, about 1 minute. 1 cup + 3 tbsp Sugar 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract 1/2 cup Sour Cream 1/4 cup Whole Milk 4 large Eggs
- Add in the dry ingredients - all purpose flour, kosher salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix until smooth and there are no patches of flour, about 30 seconds. 2 cups All Purpose Flour 1 tsp Kosher Salt 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder 1/8 tsp Baking Soda
- Pour 1/2 of the batter (about 1 1/2 cups, 360g) into a separate bowl. Add the cocoa powder, espresso, and hot coffee. Whisk together until smooth. 1/3 cup Dutch Process Cocoa Powder 1 tsp Espresso Powder 3 tbsp Hot Coffee
- Both batters will be rather runny, this is how it's supposed to be! Pour about a 1/2 cup of the yellow cake batter into the loaf, then begin pouring a little of the chocolate batter on top of the yellow cake batter. Repeat this process, alternating until both batters are gone. Take a long wooden skewer or butter knife and swirl the batter gently.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes, until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
- When the loaf has cooled completely, prepare the chocolate ganache topping by adding heavy cream to microwave safe bowl. Warm for one minute, then add the semi-sweet chocolate chips. Mix together until the chocolate melts into the cream (microwave in 10-15 second increments if the chocolate doesn't melt completely but be careful not to burn the chocolate!), then add butter and mix until fully melted and smooth. 1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips 1 cup Heavy Cream 2 tbsp Salted Butter
- Pour the ganache on top of the chocolate cake while it's still on the wire rack to prevent making a huge mess. The ganache will thicken as it cools so be sure to pour while it's still warm.
Notes
- Use a kitchen scale to measure the ingredients! Using a kitchen scale gives you consistent, bakery-level results every time. no guessing, It’s the easiest way to make sure your cakes come out exactly the way I tested it here in my kitchen, every single time.
- Whisk the wet ingredients thoroughly first. That full minute of whisking the sugar, oil, dairy, and vanilla matters. It fully dissolves the sugar and creates a smooth base so the batter bakes up tender, not grainy.
- Don’t overmix once the flour goes in. Mix just until no dry patches remain, about 30 seconds is perfect. Overmixing at this stage can lead to a tight or rubbery loaf.
- Alternate in thin layers for cleaner swirls. Smaller pours (about ½ cup at a time) create more defined marbling than dumping large amounts of batter at once.
- Expect a runny batter, it's supposed to loaf this way. Both batters should be fluid. This looser consistency allows the vanilla and chocolate layers to marble naturally instead of clumping or sinking.
- Swirl gently, Less is more! Two to three slow passes with a wooden skewer or butter knife is all you need. Over-swirling blends the batters and dulls the marble effect.
Nutrition
Calories: 534kcal, Carbohydrates: 50g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 35g, Saturated Fat: 13g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 97mg, Sodium: 310mg, Potassium: 213mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 30g, Vitamin A: 515IU, Vitamin C: 0.2mg, Calcium: 84mg, Iron: 3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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