Marble Cake with Buttercream Frosting
Super moist chocolate and vanilla swirled marble cake frosted with vanilla bean buttercream frosting and dark chocolate ganache!
Hello friends, it’s been like a whole month since I posted a cake recipe! I’ve been wanting to make a marble cake recipe for you guys for the longest time but I feel like there are so many recipes out there. One thing I did notice is that most of them are made with chocolate buttercream so I changed it up a little with vanilla bean frosting!
Ok, let’s talk about the details. We have a fairly dense and super moist vanilla and chocolate marbled cake. It’s frosted with a vanilla bean buttercream frosting and each layer is also topped with a dark chocolate ganache. It really is the best of both worlds here.
How to make a marble cake?
Marble cakes are much simpler than you would think. Some recipes may have you make two separate cake batters for the vanilla and chocolate but I’m not that cruel. I made a basic vanilla cake recipe, using C&H Golden Brown Sugar for extra moisture and flavor, of course. Then I separated the batter in half and added the last ¼ cup of flour to one half and a ¼ cup of cocoa powder to the other half.
To create the marble cake layers, just place globs (I used a 2 Tbsp scoop for this) of the vanilla and chocolate batter into the cake pans, filling it about halfway. Then use a toothpick to go back and forth, creating swirls. Make sure to get close to the edge of the pan as well, you want the batter to blend well.
Important ingredients for marble cake with buttercream frosting:
- Flour: I use all-purpose flour for this recipe, I wouldn’t swap it for cake flour.
- Cocoa Powder: I use a high quality dutch-process cocoa powder because the flavor is more intense and pleasant and it also doesn’t change the acidity of the cake.
- Sour Cream: I have tested SO MANY cake recipes lately and the best flavor and texture came from a combination of milk and sour cream.
- Butter and Oil: I use a combination of unsalted butter and oil because butter gives good flavor but oil helps keep the cake more moist for a longer period of time.
- Vanilla: I like to use vanilla bean paste or real vanilla beans for the buttercream but if you’re in a pinch, pure vanilla extract will work as well. kind of necessary for the vanilla bean buttercream, unless you have real vanilla beans.
How to make vanilla bean buttercream frosting?
Alright friends, we need to chat about this for a second. If you bake cakes occasionally or frequently, I HIGHLY recommend vanilla bean paste for the buttercreams. It is a total game changer. It’s certainly more pricey than an imitation vanilla extract but it’s really not that much more than a pure vanilla extract.
I ran out recently and started using some cheap vanilla (that just smelled like alcohol) and my desserts were bleh. The second most important step in this vanilla bean buttercream is whipping. Make sure to whip the frosting for a solid 5 minutes on medium high speed after adding in the C&H Confectioners Sugar.
Other Buttercream Options:
I like to give other options because not everyone loves a sweet American buttercream but then not everyone loves a buttery Swiss meringue buttercream. I chose the American buttercream because vanilla is such a subtle flavor that it’s sometimes quite difficult to detect in a European based buttercream, however, either type of buttercream works well.
There’s also French Buttercream, which you could definitely use if you have leftover egg yolks but the buttercream will have a yellow hue.
Some eggless frosting options (that are also more white) are Ermine Buttercream (boiled milk frosting) or Cream Cheese Frosting.
Also check out my cookbook Frosted for all the types of buttercream, how to make them, use them, troubleshoot them, etc.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use dairy free milk to make any of my cakes. You can also use dairy free chocolate to make ganache but I have not tested any dairy free cream. I know coconut cream will work but it will obviously taste like coconut.
There are some dairy free half and half and creams like Ripple and Chobani, you could try using ¾ of that and ¼ dairy free butter to get a higher butterfat.
Dairy free butter works well in any of my cakes and buttercreams.
All my cake recipes work well with a 1:1 gluten-free flour like Bob’s Red Mill and King Arthur Flour.
You can make this cake in:
Three (or four) round or square 6 inch baking pans
Two (or three) round or square 8 inch baking pan (three will be thinner – reduce baking time by 5-10 minutes)
Two round or square 9 inch baking pan (will be thinner than the cakes in the photo) – reduce bake time by 5ish minutes
One square 10 inch baking pan – increase bake time by 10-15 minutes, look for cues.
A 9×13 inch pan – increase bake time by at least 10-15 minutes, look for cues – layer of ganache on the cake (could even poke holes in it to make it go in a little), frosted with vanilla bean buttercream.
Cupcakes – Should make about 23 cupcakes, bake for 16-18 minutes – fill cupcakes with chocolate ganache and frost with vanilla bean buttercream.
Just like all the rest of my cakes, I test if it’s done baking by pressing gently on the tallest part of the cake. The cake will spring back if it’s done baking. If it stays indented, give it a few minutes in the oven, before testing again.
You can also insert a toothpick into the center of the cake (the tallest part) and make sure it comes out clean or with a few crumbs but without any batter on it.
How to make ahead
To make the cake ahead of time you can make the cakes even a couple of weeks in advance. When you remove them from the oven, let them cool for about half an hour and then wrap them individually in plastic wrap. Then place them in a freezer bag, squeezing out all the excess air.
You can frost them while they’re frozen but the frosting and ganache may start to set super quick so you’d have to work really quickly. It’s best to let them sit out at least 30 minutes before frosting.
To make the ganache ahead of time: You can make the ganache the night before assembling the cake and let it cool, covered at room temperature.
The buttercream can be made even a week in advance and store it covered in the refrigerator or the freeze (airtight) but let it thaw at room temperature the night before assembling. You may need to rewhip or just mix it well with a rubber spatula.
How to store finished cake
I usually just cover my cakes with a cake dome or place it in an airtight container and store it at room temperature for 1-2 days (unless it’s too warm out and the cake is soft, feel free to refrigerate right away).
It’ll stay well covered in the fridge for over a week but it dries out quicker than the freezer so I recommend refrigerating for only about 3-4 days and freezing for longer.
To freeze the whole cake, refrigerate it until it’s firm. Then wrap it in plastic wrap so it’s completely covered. Then wrap it in aluminum foil and freeze.
To freeze slices, place the slices in an airtight container and then place the container in a freezer bag, squeezing out all the excess air or do the above with each individual slice.
Bring it back to room temperature by thawing at room temperature for a few hours before serving.
This chocolate and vanilla bean marble cake with buttercream frosting is definitely one of my favorites. It doesn’t get much better than combining chocolate and vanilla in such a beautiful way.
If you make this, make sure to rate and leave a review. Don’t forget to tag me @baranbakery on instagram and let me know what you think. As always, have a blessed and happy baking!
Love, B
This post was sponsored by C&H Sugar, all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Baran Bakery possible!
Very good, but can I use cake flour instead or does it have to be all purpose flour
Should be fine with cake flour too!
Amazing results! Made this cake base for a friends birthday with Swiss meringue buttercream and to say it was a HIT would be an understatement!! Such an amazing recipe
Hello, I tried scrolling through the older comments to see if this had already been answered but do you have a 10” three later version of this recipe somewhere? Could I double this recipe? Do you have a baking temperature or time recommendation?
Your recipes are so lovely and always turn out so great, thank you for what you do!
Hi Jessica, thank you so much!
You could just double that whole recipe for a 10 inch three layer cake!
I have the vanilla one if you want to see that as a reference.
https://baranbakery.com/vanilla-10-inch-cake/
Oh thank you! I have used that recipe multiple times and it is also excellent! So I can just follow that baking time? Thank you!
Yes that should work fine, give or take a few minutes.
Hello,
Thank you for this recipe. I’ve tried it many times and I really love it. Lately, I’ve been finding that the cake layers always seem to have large holes. I’ve tried not to overmix and make sure to tap the pans before baking, but I still have the air bubbles. I’ve used 1 tablespoon of leaving. Would there be a solution for this? Thank you!
Hi Mia, I would try sifting the dry ingredients together before adding them to the batter. Let me know if that works!
Hi Bernice,
Thank you so much for your response. I’ll try that 🙂
This looks so good! What a fabulous treat to make for a special occasion!
I would like to add something to the filling to counteract the sweetness. What would you suggest? Thank you!
Hi Sara, I added the layer of dark chocolate to try and balance it. You could add a little almond extract but even some kind of paste like a hazelnut praline paste but obviously those would change the flavor.
If you don’t like the sweet frosting, you could also use a Swiss meringue buttercream
https://baranbakery.com/how-to-make-swiss-meringue-buttercream/
A French buttercream
https://baranbakery.com/how-to-make-french-buttercream/
Or an ermine frosting
or even a cream cheese frosting 🙂
https://baranbakery.com/red-velvet-cake/
Would I be able to bake this in two 9 inch rounds, instead of 3 6 inch rounds?
should be fine! 🙂