Chocolate Vanilla Marble Cake
This Chocolate Vanilla Marble Cake is typically what we call a “Gâteau régréssif” in France – meaning it makes you feel like a kid again. With a buttery and tender crumb and beautiful chocolate and vanilla swirls, this is a staple French afternoon snack for kids and adults alike. Ready for this childhood favorite? What is a Marble Cake, or “gâteau marbré”? A Marble cake, or a Gâteau Marbré as we say in French, is a popular cake characterized by its marble appearance, that we achieve by swirling together two different batters.…
- Prep time
- 20 min
- Cook time
- 50 min
- Yield
- 8 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 2/3 cup (150g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) sugar
- 165g eggs (3 eggs)*2 cups (235g) all purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ cups (60g) milk (2% m.f or whole)
- 2 tsp (8.5ml) vanilla extract
- 3 tsbp (22g) unsweetened cocoa powder + 1 tbsp (15ml) milk*Whisk the eggs together in a small bowl and weight them. Adjust if needed: remove some of the egg mixture to get 165g exactly.
Instructions
- 1
Preheat oven to 390°F (200°C). Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan with butter and dust with flour.
- 2
Step 1 - Using a spatula or a whisk, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs and mix until well incorporated.
- 3
Step 2 - In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Combine with the wet ingredients, and mix until just incorporated. Add in the 60g of milk, and mix until just incorporated.
- 4
Step 3 - Divide the batter in two separate bowls. In the first bowl, stir in the vanilla extract. In the second bowl, stir in the cocoa powder with one tablespoon of milk.
- 5
Step 4 - Using a large spoon, dollop about 1/3 of a cup of the vanilla batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly along the bottom. Using another large spoon, dollop the same amount of chocolate batter in the middle, and spread it out (pushing it down slightly in the middle and leaving some of the vanilla cake mix visible all around the edges).
- 6
Repeat with a layer of vanilla cake mix, and then a layer of chocolate cake mix (always pushing the batter slightly in the middle, and leaving some of the batter underneath visible around the edges – to create that wavy marbled pattern when sliced). Repeat, alternating the layers, until all the batter is used. To create marbling, run a sharp knife through the batter, vertically along the length of your loaf pan, forming a "S".
- 7
Step 5 - Bake for 10 minutes. Lower the heat to 350°F (180°C) and bake for 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.
- 8
Transfer to a cooling rack, and let cool at least 15 minutes before removing from the pan and slicing.