Chocolate Vanilla Marble Layer Cake
Two soft vanilla-and-chocolate marbled cake layers filled and covered with creamy chocolate buttercream. Makes 12 generous slices. Batch yield: One two-layer 23 cm/9-inch frosted cake, cut into 12 slices. One serving: 1 of 12 slices, approximately 175 g including frosting after baking and cooling. Allow approximately 4 hours from starting to serving. Prep_minutes is total non-oven elapsed time: 45 minutes for softening and bringing ingredients to room temperature, 25 minutes for batter preparation, 120 minutes for cake cooling, and 15 minutes for assembly and frosting. Preheating, tin preparation and melting/cooling the cake chocolate overlap the initial 45 minutes. Frosting chocolate cooling and frosting mixing overlap the cake-cooling period. Active_prep_minutes is about 60 minutes of hands-on work within those periods, not additional time. Cook_minutes assumes both layers bake simultaneously for about 35 minutes; no sequential tray batches or mandatory chilling are needed. Appliances: Oven; Microwave; Electric hand mixer. Equipment: Two 23 cm/9-inch round cake tins, at least 5 cm/2 inches deep; Baking paper; Digital kitchen scales; Measuring jug; Measuring spoons; Large mixing bowl; Medium mixing bowls; Two microwave-safe bowls; Whisk; Flexible spatula; Spoon; Skewer; Two wire cooling racks; Thin knife; Palette knife; Cake plate; Cake knife. Allergens: Butter, buttermilk and cream contain milk. Semisweet chocolate and chocolate chips may also contain milk and frequently contain soy lecithin; check both chocolate labels. Nutrition is estimated per one-twelfth of the finished cake; rounded macros provide approximately 770 kcal per slice. Storage: Keep covered at a cool room temperature of 20°C/68°F or below for up to 2 days. In warmer conditions, refrigerate promptly. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days total from baking; allow slices to stand at room temperature for 30–45 minutes before eating for a softer texture. Freeze individually wrapped slices in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature before serving.
205 min
Prep
35 min
Cook
12
Serves
770
Calories
Macros · per serving
8g protein
90g carbs
42g fat
Ingredients
For 12 servings
- 113 g Unsalted butter, for the cake
- 110 ml Canola oil
- 350 g Granulated sugar
- 4 eggs, about 200 g without shells Large eggs
- 10 ml Vanilla extract, for the cake
- 375 g Plain all-purpose flour
- 12 g Baking powder
- 4 g Fine salt, for the cake
- 300 ml Buttermilk
- 113 g Semisweet chocolate, finely chopped, for the cake
- 226 g Unsalted butter, for the frosting
- 170 g Semisweet chocolate chips, for the frosting
- 240 g Icing sugar
- 2.5 ml Vanilla extract, for the frosting
- 2 g Fine salt, for the frosting
- 30 ml Heavy cream
Instructions
- 1
Allow about 45 minutes for both portions of butter to soften at room temperature: they should indent easily but not look oily. Set out the eggs and buttermilk during this time. Keep the cake and frosting butter separate.
- 2
During the final 15 minutes of softening, heat the oven to 175°C/350°F conventional or 155°C fan. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds. Line the bases of two 23 cm/9-inch round cake tins, at least 5 cm/2 inches deep, with baking paper; leave the sides ungreased.
- 3
Put the 113 g chopped cake chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at medium power in 20-second bursts, stirring between bursts, until just melted. Let stand for 5–10 minutes, until fluid but barely warm. Do this during the softening period so it does not add extra waiting time.
- 4
Whisk together the flour, baking powder and 4 g cake salt. In a large bowl, use an electric hand mixer to beat the 113 g softened cake butter with the granulated sugar for 3 minutes, until lighter and fluffy. Gradually beat in the oil. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated and scraping the bowl between additions, then mix in the 10 ml cake vanilla.
- 5
On low speed, mix in the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk in two additions, beginning and ending with flour. Stop as soon as the batter is smooth; finish scraping and folding with a spatula rather than continuing to beat. Do not taste the batter because it contains raw flour and eggs.
- 6
Transfer 500 g of batter to a separate bowl and fold in the melted cake chocolate. Divide the remaining vanilla batter equally between the tins, about 485 g per tin. Add the chocolate batter in scattered spoonfuls, about 305 g per tin. Draw a skewer through each tin in three or four broad loops, then level gently. Avoid repeated stirring, which would blend away the marble pattern.
- 7
Bake both layers together for about 35 minutes, usually 32–38 minutes. Quickly exchange the tins between racks and rotate them after 25 minutes. The cakes are ready when their centres spring back lightly and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out without wet batter; a few moist crumbs are fine. These are simultaneous layers, not sequential oven batches.
- 8
Cool in the tins for 10 minutes. Run a thin knife around the sides, turn the cakes out onto wire racks and peel away the paper. Let cool completely, allowing about another 110 minutes. Do not frost cakes that still feel warm.
- 9
During the final 30 minutes of cake cooling, melt the frosting chocolate chips in a clean microwave-safe bowl at medium power in 20-second bursts, stirring each time. Let cool for about 15 minutes, until still fluid but no longer warm. Beat the 226 g softened frosting butter for 2 minutes. Add the icing sugar in three additions on low speed, then beat in the 2.5 ml frosting vanilla, 2 g frosting salt and heavy cream. Beat in the cooled melted chocolate, then beat for 2 minutes until smooth and spreadable. If the cakes are not yet completely cool, keep the frosting covered at cool room temperature.
- 10
Place one completely cooled layer on a cake plate. Spread approximately 200 g frosting over it. Add the second layer with its flat base facing upward, then spread all the remaining frosting over the top and sides, making broad swirls with a palette knife. Allow about 15 minutes for assembly and frosting. Cut into 12 equal wedges.
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