A recipe that takes us straight back to childhood: the Marble cake ! This one is particularly soft and stays that way for several days. We love its vanilla and chocolate marbling, which is different each time it is cooked. I'll give you all my advice on how to make it at home...
What you will love with this marble cake recipe
- flavors : the sweet blend of vanilla and cocoa in a delicious cake!
- texture : this marbled cake is particularly moist and remains so for several days. Perfect for children's (and adults') snacks.
- difficulty level : easy to prepare! The most technical step will be to alternate the chocolate dough and the vanilla dough in the mold (so not very complicated). To cook it, you will need a cake mold. I use this cake pan, in terms of heat conduction it’s the best.
Details on some ingredients of the recipe
- butter : you need soft and well softened butter.
- milk : I prefer to use whole milk because it contributes to the softness of the cake. Alternatively, you can use semi-skimmed milk.
- oil : we put a little here to make the marbled cake very soft. I use sunflower oil or rapeseed oil.
- liquid cream : take whole liquid cream 30% mg.
- bitter cocoa : choose unsweetened bitter cocoa powder (Van Houten type).
How to make a marble cake?
- We beat butter and sugars together
- We add eggs
- Apart, we mix dry ingredients
- Apart, we mix wet ingredients
- We pour them alternately in the dough
- On divide the dough in half
- We add the bitter cocoa in one of them
- We pour the two pastes alternately in the pan
- We bake the marbled cake!
NB: the complete list of ingredients and the detailed recipe are given at the bottom of the page.
My advice for a successful marble cake
- pleasure ingredients at room temperature an hour before starting, especially the butter and eggs: this helps to optimize the texture of the cake.
- do not over mix the dough from the moment the flour is added to keep all the softness of the marbled cake once cooked.
- sift the bitter cocoa before adding it so that it is well incorporated into the dough, without lumps.
- for nice marble effect : Alternate the doughs by dividing the chocolate dough in two and the plain dough in three.
How to keep the cake moist ?
To keep this marbled cake moist, the ideal is to keep it at room temperature, in an airtight container or wrapped in cling film or aluminum foil. In this way, we can keep it up to 4 days, away from light and heat.
Can you freeze this marble cake?
Yes ! We can freeze it whole or in slices once cooled. The important thing is to wrap it well in cling film and place it in an airtight container so that it does not absorb moisture.
To thaw it, place it in the refrigerator or at room temperature for several hours.
Other recipes to try
If you like easy recipes for a snack, I advise you to take a look at these other recipes from the blog:
- Very soft banana bread
- Very soft orange cake
- Very moist lemon poppy seed cake
- Chocolate banana muffins
- Soft chocolate muffins
- Easy far breton with prunes
- Chocolate shell madeleines
If you make this marble cake, please rate the recipe below and tag @liliebakery on Instagram so I can see your pretty cakes!
- 100 g softened butter
- 120 g granulated sugar
- 80 g light brown sugar
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 200 g whole milk or semi-skimmed
- 1 cs natural vanilla extract
- 50 g neutral oil type sunflower, rapeseed...
- 100 g heavy whipping cream 30%
- 270 g all-purpose flour
- 2 cc baking powder
- 0,5 cc salt
- 22 g unsweetened cocoa powder
- 50 g water
- 20 g granulated sugar
- Preheat the oven to 175° traditional heat. Butter and line a cake tin with baking paper (mine is 27x10cm).
- In a large container, whisk the softened butter and the two sugars to obtain a creamy texture. Add the eggs and mix to homogenize everything.
- Separately, mix the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder and salt.
- Separately, mix the wet ingredients: milk, oil, cream and vanilla.
- Then add half of the wet ingredients to the large container, then half of the dry ingredients. Finish with the rest of the wet ingredients and the rest of the dry ingredients. Do not overmix the batter (just enough) to preserve the softness of the cake.
- Divide the dough into two equal parts in two containers: in one of them, incorporate the sifted bitter cocoa and mix.
- To create the marbled effect in the cake pan: first pour a third of the plain batter then half of the chocolate batter. Then add a third of the plain dough, then the last half of the chocolate dough. Finish with the remaining plain dough.
- Bake for about 45 to 55 minutes (this varies a lot depending on the oven). The top of the cake should be golden brown. To find out if it's cooked through, insert a wooden skewer: it should come out dry or with a few crumbs. Leave to cool then unmold onto a wire rack.
- (Optional) While the cake is baking: prepare the soaking syrup (which keeps the top of the cake even softer). In a small saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil. Coat with a brush on top of the cake when it comes out of the oven.
This marbling is superb!
Thank you Lady!
This was the first time I made a marble cake. It was a success and everyone loved it. I've made it again since then and it's always a success. Thank you!
Thank you Daniela! See you soon :)
Absolutely delicious!
Thank you Sylvie! See you soon :)
Looks del, will do on sunday, thanks
Excellent marbled cake, surely one of the best I have ever eaten! Super soft without being heavy, simple to make :) PERFECT!! Thank you for this great recipe
Thank you very much Laura! See you soon for new recipes :)
Excellent marbled, very soft. Very good recipe.
Thank you Nadine for your feedback! See you soon :)
A real killer, soft as desired, favorite recipe
Thanks for your feedback Stephanie! See you soon :)
I have made it several times, it is excellent, thank you for all these wonderful recipes...
Can you replace cocoa with orange blossom water?
Thank you
Hello Magali, I don't recommend replacing the cocoa because it adds texture in the same way as flour. However, what you can do is add a few drops of orange blossom in the "natural" part. See you soon :)
Made for my son's birthday, they all loved it!
A quick question though, I would like to try in a round mold but I'm afraid I won't get the same softness... Do you think that will affect the texture?
Hello Charlotte, I'm glad you liked this marble cake! I don't recommend changing the mold because the dose of raising agent is calculated for a specific cake mold, the same goes for the cooking time. And I think it's prettier when cut into cake format :) See you soon
The best marble recipe! Super soft and easy to make, thank you for this beautiful recipe :)
My pleasure ! Thank you Lisa for your feedback :)
Thanks for this recipe, excellent! Tested with my granddaughter (as greedy as me), I appreciated the clarity and precision of the explanations, the fact that we were able to do it without the big artillery, just a hand whisk and a few bowls. We didn't have time to test putting it in the freezer, poof, it evaporated before
Thank you Marie Véro for your feedback! It's true that it doesn't last long! See you soon :)
Hello
Thank you for this recipe and bravo for all your achievements, what talent!
I just made this cake and it is absolutely delicious! I keep this reference recipe
Thank you very much Samira! See you soon :)
Hello ☺
If I double the proportions do I also have to double the cooking time?
Thank you
Hello Océane, your mold must be gigantic! :) No, you should not double the time - it depends on the depth of the mold, it's up to you to judge. You have to check the end of cooking with a wooden skewer every 5 or 10 minutes to know if it is cooked enough.
Great recipe thank you very much.
With pleasure, thank you Florence! See you soon :)
Recipe made for a friend who came for a snack. I just reduced the amount of sugar a bit and skipped the oil. The result exceeded my expectations and I must admit that you reconciled me with the marble that I always found too dry for my taste. Bravo for this beautiful recipe and a big thank you!
Thank you Andrea, with pleasure! See you soon :)
It's just incredible!! Best marbled cake I've ever made, and I've tried several!!
Thank you very much Marina for your message! See you soon :)
Hi,
The cake made this evening, and the result:
very very good marbled! Just perfect to accompany my tea! Really soft!
Thanks again for a great recipe! I haven't missed any of your desserts...until now :))
Thank you Oxana, delighted that you like this cake so much! See you soon :)
Hello, recipe tested, good cake
Thank you Fanfan for your feedback! See you soon :)
Hi! Can we substitute the heavy cream with orange juice or milk?
Hi Maria, I do not recommend doing this, because this will end up by a loaf cake drier than what it should be. Heavy cream is the best here :)
Perfect recipe, I made it for a snack and there was none left. Third time I've tried one of the recipes and I'm not disappointed.
Thank you Lulu for your feedback! See you soon :)
Hello
I wanted to know if we could make a rock icing for more deliciousness?
Thank you
Hello Mathilde, yes absolutely, you can add an additional step by making a rock glaze. See you soon :)
I confirm, do not try to make the cake in a round mold, total failure guaranteed! :)
Hello and thank you for this recipe,
Quick question, can we replace bitter cocoa with melted chocolate?
Have a good day
Hello Aurélie, I advise against it because it would be much sweeter than the basic recipe, and you would also have to modify the quantity of fat. On the other hand, you can melt a little chocolate and make zigzags on the top of the cooled cake for extra deliciousness. See you soon :)
I can confirm, same thing happened and it was completely flat! I'll try again tonight with a mold like the one shown in the instructions.
Hi Valérie, you'll need a mold like mine if you want the same visual result. See you soon :)
The texture is soooo goood!! Thank you for the recipe
Thank you so much Venus!
I tested it in a round mold because I knew it was really perfect, the cooking time was perfect and it remained very soft.
But I have a little question if we ever want to do it without admitting to looking at what ingredients we were missing like liquid cream, can we replace it by adding more milk or simply not add it?
Thank you in any case for this great recipe ^^
Hello Léa, thank you for your feedback! I don't make a single cake without liquid cream: that's what makes it soft thanks to the fat it contains! So frankly I don't advise you to omit it :) If you want a good result, there's no miracle in baking, you need all the ingredients :) See you soon
Oh la la!! I didn't know it was so easy to make a marble cake! It was super good, super moist! Thanks for sharing, I'll definitely make this recipe again
Thank you very much Anabelle! Very happy that you like it ;) See you soon
delicious cake!
But the softened butter and sugar mixture didn't produce much (still eyes of butter that didn't incorporate)... Even less so with the eggs...
Or specify liquid butter rather than softened..
For liquid ingredients, quantities in L would probably be welcome for everyone.. ;) ..
Here it is... In any case, delicious cake..
Hello Pascal, glad you find this cake delicious! If you have pieces of butter left, it simply means that you did not beat enough! We want to have a very homogeneous mixture (reread the recipe). You absolutely do NOT need melted butter, so please do not change my recipe (especially since many readers like it, read the comments). Same for the measurements: there is nothing more precise than a measurement in grams in baking: you take your scale and you measure with it, quite simply... Was it worth taking off a star? Not sure...
Very good recipe that I just made for a Christmas snack. It was perfect! Thank you! I didn't have any cocoa chocolate, I replaced it with 100g of baking chocolate mixed with a little margarine and cream and the cake was perfect!
Thank you Lisa for your feedback! See you soon :)
Excellent marble cake tested this week: it was a hit with everyone! Thank you for this recipe, I will keep it safe.
Thanks Aurélie! See you soon :)
The softness of this marble cake is incredible! It didn't last long enough to judge its shelf life ;)
I usually made my marbles with a pound cake base but I'm going to keep this recipe from now on!
Thank you Astrid! Glad you liked the softness! See you soon :)
This marble is killer!!!!
Thank you Sylvie! See you soon :)
Hello,
Do you think it is possible to replace cocoa with Nutella?
Hello Celine, I strongly advise you not to remove the bitter cocoa because it is what gives the beautiful color and the chocolatey taste. You can add a tablespoon of Nutella with the bitter cocoa if necessary, but it risks greasing the texture. See you soon :)
Very moist and delicious, i put 30g more sugar for kids, thank you very much for sharing, the best marble cake ever, i keep it as reference in my cake book
Sarah
Thank you Sarah for your review! So glad you like it :)
I've made countless cakes, but this one is in my top 3.
How soft! THANKS
Thank you very much Raphael! Really happy that it is in your top 3! See you soon :)
Thank you for this recipe, the marbled cake is in the oven and smells delicious, I have no doubt that it will also be very good. I make your recipes with pleasure, it's always a success! And I always have full-fat liquid cream in the fridge now...
Thank you very much Soso! I'm delighted that you like my recipes :) See you soon
Just made this cake with my 5 year old daughter. We were craving for a good marble cake. This cake is outrageously delicious! And so moist! (We didn't add the syrup.) Thank you for this well explained recipe. It's definitely a keeper.
Thank you Patricia, I'm so glad you like this marble cake!
Hello girls delicious recipe a big thank you, I tested in a mini tartlet molds by 12 I did not change anything in the recipe just 15min of cooking perfect and also in muffin molds half filled 25min perfect the children are happy
Thank you Kheira for your feedback, See you soon :)
Absolutely delicious! But there's a slight problem: it doesn't keep for very long because it's devoured so quickly.
Thank you Mireille! See you soon :)
Could you tell me which T45 or T55 flour for the cake, I still have doubts about the grind to choose.
I read the comments and among the comments, I saw one that took away a star which particularly annoyed me and which pushed me to make a comment (I have never done one before)
I made two logs for Christmas (mascarpone and coconut mango), both of which were totally successful and it's really thanks to you. You are clear, you give us a lot of details.
In general, I am anxious when I bake, I always bring a backup cake (bought in a pastry shop) now I bake peacefully and with pleasure. THANKS !
A 73 year old lady
Oh thank you very much Marie! Your message touches me a lot! I try to be as precise as possible in my advice and recipes so that everyone can make beautiful and delicious desserts at home :) Thank you for your loyalty to my blog in any case, see you soon for other recipes :)
My daughters loved it! Thank you for the recipe. However, I used 30 ml of light semi-thick cream. When it says 100 g of cream, does that mean 100 ml or 100 cl?
I'd like to make this marble cake for my daughters' birthday in PS
Hi Célia, I recommend weighing your ingredients; grams are more precise than centiliters or milliliters. See you soon :)
Bonjour.
Is it possible to use heavy cream instead of liquid cream?
Goods.
Aline
Hello Aline, I recommend liquid cream instead, as indicated in the recipe, because thick crème fraîche in a jar has a more pronounced acidic taste. See you soon :)
Hello,
I'm going to try this recipe tomorrow for the delicatessen I've been working for for a while now after reading the many comments :)
Could you advise me on the temperature in a fan oven please?
We look forward to seeing you!
Magali
Hello Magali, I never bake with fan-assisted heat (except in rare cases) and this cake cooks well with traditional heat. If you have no choice, you have to "feel your way" by reducing the temperature and/or the cooking time a little. I can't give an opinion without first testing it in the kitchen. See you soon :)
This recipe is great, the cake is ultra soft!
Thank you very much Maryline! Glad you like it so much :) See you soon
Easy and well explained recipe.
I made this marble cake and it was a real success!
It didn't stay on the table for 24 hours.
Thank you for your recipe.
Nadia
Thank you very much Nadia! See you soon :)
Perfect :)
I didn't soak it and it was fine :)
Thanks Aurélie for your feedback! Glad you like it :) See you soon
Hello
Why not in a round mold?
Hello Mati, the marbled cake is traditionally made in a cake mold. You will have more difficulty creating the marbled effect in a round mold because it will be completely flat. See you soon :)
Hello,
Great recipe, thank you very much for sharing.
The cake was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. I was a little afraid that the oil would make it quite greasy but the result was perfect. Too bad I didn't achieve the same marbled effect as in the photo even though I divided the dough as indicated.
A tip to succeed every time?
Hello Tia, glad you like this marble cake! I gave all my tips in the recipe and in the text above the recipe. In my step-by-step photos I show how to proceed. See you soon :)
Wow! This is best marble cake I've ever had. It looks good, is so moist and absolutely delicious.
Thanks from Australia
Oh thank you Celeste! So glad you like it :)
Gorgeous ! Very soft, great taste, one of the best (if not THE best) marbled ones I have eaten! A first for me, I've never made one before, I keep the recipe aside to make it again and again :)
Thank you very much Clémence! I'm really happy that you like it so much :) See you soon
Just made the cake today. PERFECT!! I used a round cake tin and didn't have the whipping cream. But even without those two the cake turned out soft and moist. Had to take it away from family so they could eat food.
Thank you Grace! So glad you liked this cake!
It's the best marble I've made. Simply excellent. I will definitely do it again.
Oh thank you very much Sylvie! So happy that it is your favorite of the marbled ones! See you soon :)
This marble is killer!! The best by far...
This is the second time I've made one of your recipes, Aurélie, and I congratulate you because your advice is clear, it makes even novices want to try it! Thank you!!
Oh great, thanks Claire! I'm glad it's in your TOP list of marbled! See you soon :)
Hi there! Is this better made on the day or the day before? Thanks xx
Hi Emilia, you can eat your marble cake on the same day or the following day if you keep it in an airtight container. It will stay moist.
Cake made.
It is perfect, soft as you want, not too sweet. My husband and my daughters loved it.
To do and redo. Thank you for this great recipe.
Thank you very much Evelyne! See you soon :)
Super marble cake...the best I've ever made.
I simply divided the amounts of sugar by 2...
I cut it into slices and put the rest in the freezer...
Every time I served it, my husband would rave about how soft this cake was.
How to say thank you?
Oh thank you very much Danièle! I am really delighted that you like it so much... Looking forward to counting you among my loyal readers! See you soon :)
Hello, I'm going to make the marble cake this afternoon and I find your explanations great. I would like to know the length of the mold because I have different sizes of cake molds.
I wish you a nice afternoon, and will keep you informed as soon as my cake is made.
Hello again, I just reread the recipe and I just saw the size of your mold, again a thousand apologies, I hadn't seen it, sorry.
Good afternoon.
Hello Dominique, no worries :) I hope you liked the soft marble cake!
Hello and a big thank you For me the best marble that I have made It is very soft and mega good thank you very much
Oh thank you very much Francine, I'm really glad you like this soft marble cake! See you soon :)
very nice discovery and excellent I keep it in my favorites
Thank you very much Josiane, I'm really glad you like it! See you soon :)
Top, very easy to do by following the steps carefully.
Very soft.
My colleagues loved it!!
Thank you very much Julie! Your colleagues are lucky :) See you soon
Excellent cake! The recipe is perfect! What is great about your recipes is that there are no changes to make, you just have to follow the proportions
Data for a successful cake!
Oh thank you very much Chantal! I am very happy that you like this marble cake! I try to be as precise as possible so that my readers succeed as best as possible :) See you soon
Hello,
Instead of cocoa can we put Nutella? I would have liked to make it round for my son's birthday is it possible? Good evening
Thank you very much, I hope I will reconcile myself with baking.
Hello Andreia, to answer you, you can possibly change the shape of your mold yes (provided it is the same volume). On the other hand, bitter cocoa is a dry ingredient, Nutella a fatty ingredient, so I do not advise you to change my initial recipe, otherwise you will not have the expected result in texture... See you soon :)
Easy to make. I used a crown mold, the result is perfect with an irresistible softness! Even removing 50g of sugar.
To do and redo without hesitation.
Thanks Aline for your feedback, delighted to know that it works with a crown mold! See you soon :)
Excellent marble cake, very easy to make.
It is really very soft.. I did not have time to see if it keeps well because it was eaten too quickly!!! To be made again very soon
Oh thank you Alexia! Glad you liked it so much! (and devoured it at high speed) See you soon :)
Perfect and easy to make! Thank you for this great recipe
Is it possible to add the syrup the next day and not when it comes out of the oven?
Hello Alizé, thank you for your feedback! I really advise you to add the syrup when it comes out of the oven because the cake is still warm and absorbs well. See you soon :)
Tested today and approved! Finally a marbled cake recipe that isn't dry! Thank you
Thank you very much Cécilia, indeed, it remains very soft this one! See you soon :)
I come back to my comment the day before. The result is just fabulous. The cake is super soft, everything went quickly.
Ah great :) Thanks for your feedback
This marble cake is delicious! It was ready in one afternoon, very soft and easy to prepare. Thank you very much for your recipe. Have a nice day.
Thanks Jana! See you soon :)
This recipe is becoming my reference!
Thanks for your return ! See you soon :)
Grams for liquids, how to do it?
Take a kitchen scale?
Very very beautiful and good recipe
A cake that is soft on the inside and crispy on the outside.
Very accurate explanations
Congratulations to you
Thank you very much Coco for your comment! See you soon :)
Yum
Super good, everyone loved it thank you
Thank you Evelyne! See you soon :)
For the vanilla part I replaced the cream with coconut milk.
Everyone loved the softness of this recipe which is also very easy and quick to make.
Great then! Thanks for your feedback. See you soon :)
Bonjour.
I'm going to make this cake this afternoon.
All the great comments encourage me to do this.
Is it essential to add brown sugar?
Thank you for your reply.
Have a good day
Hello Claude, I highly recommend brown sugar when it is indicated in the ingredients of my recipes: the taste and texture are impacted. See you soon :)
Delicious and super moist cake! I made it in a slightly larger cake and it was very good too.
Thank you Eugenie! See you soon :)
This is the best marble cake recipe for me!
Oh thank you very much! See you soon :)
Finally, a recipe for a really moist cake. I'm not very good at baking, so I'd like to say it's easy and even foolproof. Tried and tested, thank you.
Thank you Samira! See you soon :)
Perfect marbled!!!!
It's super soft and tasty, without being too sweet.
I also tried the waffles and the chocolate chip cake: success every time!
Thank you for offering us recipes like this!
Thanks for your feedback, Anaïs! I'm glad you like my marble cake! See you soon :)
Delicious! I've made it several times, and it's always so good! Even if I change a few ingredients (like the cream with Petit Suisse), the cake always remains as moist and delicious. All the recipes on this site are delicious; I'm never disappointed! Thank you, Madam, for sharing your recipes with us!
Thank you very much, Marion! I'm delighted that you like this marbled cake! See you soon :)
A real treat
Thank you very much! See you soon :)
Excellent marbled cake, thank you for this recipe!
Note: I didn't have heavy cream on hand, I replaced it with 50/50 butter and milk, it came out perfect, but I'll try the cream next time.
Thank you very much Jonathan! See you soon :)
I am a pastry chef myself and I love your recipes.
Oh thank you! That's a real compliment, as I'm not a professional pastry chef. See you soon :)
Just top
Time at the table after cooling: exactly 8 minutes for 4 guests
Not even a crumb left
So I have to make them in pairs each time.
Otherwise at home it's slow
Well done and thank you for sharing your recipes and tips.
Thank you Pamela! See you soon :)
Great recipe! The marbled cake is super soft. It was a unanimous hit.
Thank you!
Thank you Margaux! Goodbye :)
Hello,
I would like to make this cake for my daughter's birthday at her nursery and would therefore like to limit the sugar.
The soaking syrup should help with the softness, so it's better if I reduce the sugar in my dough?
Or the soaking syrup is really optional and I don't put it in
Not tested yet but given the very good comments, I have little doubt about the success :)
Thank you
Hello, don't change the recipe itself. You can omit the soaking syrup, but it's a shame for the softness. Be aware that this marble cake, even with syrup, is much less sweet than the store-bought version. See you soon :)
I have made this several times and each time it was a success!
This cake isn't too sweet and keeps well for several days. By doubling the ingredients, I also made madeleines using the exact same batter but only leaving them in the oven for 10 minutes and they were just as delicious!
A must
Thank you very much, Zoe! Glad you like it! See you soon :)
My 6-year-old granddaughter and I just made your recipe. She has been passionate about baking for some time. This marbled cake is to die for. We had a lot of fun making it and sharing it with the family who loved it, much to the delight of my granddaughter. Thank you very much for your recipes. Next week we will tackle the white chocolate brownie.
Thanks again for sharing.
Thank you very much, Sylvie! I'm glad you liked it (and your little girl did too). See you soon :)
Hello,
Can I replace the whole cream with light cream? I only have that as liquid cream... Otherwise I have semi-thick cream.
Thank you in advance.
Hello, always use whole cream in baking :) See you soon!
Super moist cake. Now my favorite recipe. I didn't have time to photograph it, it disappeared too quickly.
Thank you for this recipe
clear
Thank you very much Claire! See you soon :)
I love marble cakes
Excellent recipe. I added a glaze. I'll make it again. Thank you.
Thanks Monik! See you soon :)
Magnificent!!! The texture is perfect, however I reduced the sugar by a third and it was very good.
Thank you Houda! See you soon :)
Great recipe!!
Thank you!
Recipe tested and 1000% approved
Very good and soft
Thanks Fifi! See you soon :)
Excellent recipe! Everyone loved it! It was as moist as promised!!
Thanks Sophie! See you soon :)
A delicious recipe for a moist cake! My children loved it, and so did their friends.
Thank you! See you soon :)
Hello, I just made the recipe, I just halved the sugar.
It's very soft and super beautiful!
I used Van Houten chocolate, and I was expecting a more pronounced chocolate flavor!
I'm eagerly waiting 4 hours to see if it stays soft.
Thank you again for your recipes, which I only discovered yesterday!
Thank you Christelle and welcome! See you soon :)
The cake is delicious!!! The recipe is now in my favorites; I'll try it with orange next time. Thank you so much!
Thank you so much ! Goodbye :)