The idea of marbling two different colored batters into a cake originated in nineteenth century Germany. Marble cakes made their way to America with German immigrants before the Civil War. Originally the cakes were marbled with molasses and spices. One of the first recorded recipes for marble cake appears in an American cookbook called Aunt Babette’s Cook Book: Foreign and Domestic Receipts for the Household, published in 1889. This recipe replaced the traditional molasses and spice batter by marbling melted chocolate into the cake, a reflection of a new American obsession with chocolate. The cake remained popular throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. According to the Encyclopedia of Jewish Food by Gil Marks, “Many Jewish bakeries in the New York area in the 1950’s through the 1970’s would distinctively add a small amount of almond extract to the chocolate marble cake, creating a version sometimes referred to as a ‘German Marble Cake’ that had a characteristic almond aroma.”
What do you need to make marble cake?
This is my recipe for marble cake, which has become a family favorite over the past few years. I flavor my marble cake with almond extract as a nod to the classic German Jewish recipes. It’s a fairly simple recipe. All you need for this traditional version is vanilla cake batter, chocolate cake batter, a mixing bowl (no need for separate bowls – I have a trick for avoiding extra dishes), and a loaf pan!
How do you make a marble cake from scratch moist?
In a slightly modern twist, I add dry instant vanilla pudding mix to my batter. This little trick is a fantastic way to add moisture and flavor to your cakes; it also helps to thicken the batter, which provides the perfect texture for marbling. Be sure to use instant pudding mix, not cook-and-serve; just sift the dry mix in with the dry ingredients. It creates a wonderful texture and locks in moisture so the cake doesn’t dry out as quickly. It also gives a lovely vanilla essence to the batter, which blends nicely with the almond extract. They certainly weren’t doing it this way in Germany 150 years ago, but sometimes it’s fun to improve on tradition. Try it!
For instructions on how to marble a cake, click here.
Recommended Products:
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Marble Cake
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups cake flour
- 1/2 cup dry instant vanilla pudding mix (about one small 3.4 oz package)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
- 3/4 cup milk, room temperature
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup very hot water
NOTES
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the cake flour, vanilla pudding mix (in dry powdered form), baking powder, and salt.
- In a larger mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to whip together the butter, sugar, eggs and almond extract for a few minutes till the mixture turns light yellow.
- Beat in half of the milk and half of the sifted flour mixture, then beat in the remaining milk and flour mixture. Whip until the batter is smooth and creamy and be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Rinse and dry the medium mixing bowl that you used for the sifted flour; you’ll need it again soon. In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder and 1/3 cup of very hot water till smooth.
- Pour a little less than half of the cake batter into the medium mixing bowl that you rinsed out. Whisk in the cocoa powder/water mixture till fully combined and smooth. This is your chocolate marbling batter.Reserve the rest of the batter—this is your light cake marbling batter.
- Generously grease your loaf pan using butter or cooking spray. Pour the light and dark cake batters into your loaf pan and marble them. If you don't know how, check out this post with printable instructions: How to Marble a Cake
- Bake the marble cake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes.
- Carefully remove the cake from the pan and let it cool completely on the rack.This cake will keep at room temperature for 3-4 days; wrap in plastic wrap or foil to seal in the moisture.
Nutrition
tried this recipe?
Let us know in the comments!
Other Great Recipe Ideas
Pass the Sushi: Caramel Frosted Zucchini Bread
Eat the Love: Chai Chocolate Orange Marbled Brioche Loaf
Brown Eyed Baker: Buttermilk-Chocolate Chip Crumb Cake
Two Peas and Their Pod: Blueberry Lemon Loaf Cake
Connie Craig Leveille says
My mother was from Germany and she made marble cake from memory on a regular basis. I never thought to ask her for the recipe. I found this recipe and made it. It is delicious, moist and tastes just like her. Thank you.
kirsten A pamp says
This was amazing! I used gluten free Cup for Cup flour and added a couple of tablespoons of extra flour to accommodate Colorado’s high altitude. I did two 8 8nch rounds and layered instant chocolate pudding between. It was for a birthday cake. So the frosting was vanilla buytercream but chocolate woukd be amazing too.
Martha says
This in the best recipe that i ever tried..Thanks..
Peggy says
Outstanding! I live at 7000 feet in Colorado and needed a high-altitude marble cake recipe. Took your excellent recipe and made these high-altitude adjustments: substitute 1 c of the flour with all-purpose instead of cake flour along with the normal 1/4 c cake flour and add 2 Tbs cake flour for high altitude; reduce baking powder to 1 1/2 tsp, skosh less butter and sugar, use 3 extra-large eggs and 7/8 c. milk. Baked in 8×8 heavy (professional) pan for 52 min at 350 degrees. Wonderful flavor, did not fall, great crumb. Thank you so much — this will be my go-to marble cake from now on! Appreciated your specific warnings such as precisely measuring pudding mix.
Tori Avey says
Thank you so much for sharing the high altitude adjustments! Other readers will really appreciate it.
Ann says
Thank you!!! I live in CO as well. Thanks for doing the adjustments for me. 🙂
Thelecia says
This cake is devine! I’m using this recipe for a wedding for the second time next weekend! People looovvvee it!!!
Mara says
Hi Tori- wanted to tell you that I used a gluten free 1-1 flour in this recipe and it was DIVINE. My gluten sensitive friends just flipped. Definitely adapts beautifully. Thanks for the killer recipe!
Tori Avey says
Fantastic Mara! Thanks for sharing your tip.
Kiki says
Total fail … worst recipe ever. 🙁
Tori Avey says
Hi Kiki, wow sorry it didn’t work out for you! If you could give me more input on what went wrong I might be able to help you troubleshoot. As you can read below many readers have had a great experience with this recipe.
Mika says
Hi! Is it possible to freeze the cake (before or after baking)? 🙂
Peggy says
I froze mine after baking for about a week (unfrosted) well wrapped and it was just great! I don’t think I’d try to freeze it as batter but haven’t tried.
Marcia Neves says
Tori,
Can you approximate how many cups of batter this is? I have been hired to bake a four tiered wedding cake and the couple requested this recipe after I baked a sample for them. I have been losing a great deal of sleep over this as I am so very stressed out. The tiers will be 6,9,12 & 15″ with chocolate mousse filling and butter cream frosting. Please help, I am desperate! The wedding is in exactly 3 weeks to the day!
Marcia
Tori Avey says
Hi Marcia, I am so sorry I have never measured the amount of batter. For such an important event, I would suggest making a few test layers in advance so you will have a better handle on how much is needed to make these tiers. Sorry I can’t be of more help!
Maritza Mathura says
I am thinking of making this cake ,can I substitute the milk for sour cream. Also can I used melted chocolate instead of cocoa powder
Tori Avey says
Hi Maritza, I have not tried these substitutions so I cannot advise you if they will work or not. Sorry!
MARION says
THIS IS MY ABSOLUTE GO TO RECIPE. I MAKE ONE ALMOST EVERY WEEKEND. I USE DR OETKER INSTANT PUDDING AND PASTRY FLOUR. THANK YOU VERY MUCH
Tori Avey says
Happy you like it Marion! 🙂
Sarah Cohen says
Too dense and not cake-like but more bread textured. Also, the pudding left a really strange artificial after taste. Do not recommend.
Tori Avey says
Sorry to hear that Sarah! Most readers have had great success with this recipe, and every time I have made it I’ve found it to be very delicate and cake-like. Did you use cake flour (not all purpose), as recommended in the recipe? As for the pudding giving an artificial taste, this may be a brand-specific issue. If you were to try it again I would advise using a different type of pudding. Either way, I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you!
Leah says
Hi, this recipe looks delicious. Can I make it with spelt flour?
Tori Avey says
Hi Leah, I’m not sure about that. I never recommend any subs in baked recipes unless I have thoroughly tested them myself.
Michael says
Thanks Tori, simply the best marble cake recipe ever!
Diane says
This cake was so delicious and I made a whipped cream icing made with cream cheese and it was a sure hit so moist and nice will make again. Wonder how you could make this same cake chocolate loved the texture?
Anabell Vasquez says
can i make this into a birthday cake
Tori Avey says
Here is a helpful post for converting recipes for various pan sizes: https://food52.com/blog/13239-how-to-make-your-baking-recipe-fit-your-pan-size Alternatively, you could make two loaf cakes, push them together, and frost them as one larger square cake.
Margaret says
Hi Tori,
This recipe sounds delicious! ! I want to make it now, but don’t have any vanilla pudding. Is there a substitute for the puddng?
Thanks so much!!
Tori Avey says
Hi Margaret, unfortunately I cannot recommend a substitute in this recipe. The pudding is really a vital part of the texture.
Zainab says
Hello Tory! Please do reply to my comment 🙂
Definitely a great recipe! Super moist and
yummy .. the vanilla pudding really does the magic in the texture and gives a lovely vanilla flavour to the cake! I replaced the almond extract with vanilla, and milk with buttermilk ( always better to use with butter cakes) for fluffiness and it was really good! It was really moist, but is there anything else I could do to get a fluffier crumb? I want this to feel like as though one is biting into a cloud ?
Trish says
Loved this recipe. Only difference was that it took a little over an hour to bake. About an extra 10 minutes. Is there a natural version for the pudding. Since the cake is mostly made from scratch, is there a from scratch pudding recipe that can be substituted?
Elijah says
Honestly one of the best marble cakes i’ve ever had!! i made it in a bundt pan and it turned out just fine! Super moist and the flavor was amazing. I made an almond glaze to go over the top and dusted with powdered sugar. Will definitely be saving this and making again! Huge hit!