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. 

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.

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