My mom requested this cake for two or three years and I finally got my ass together enough to bake it.
And yes, she’s as dope as she looks.
Happy Thursday, all! They say “good things come to those who wait”, right? Though I tend to keep folks waiting longer than they should because my brain does not work on a standard timeline. It’s funny – I’m on schedule for most things in life, but when asked to do something related to my passions, I stubbornly refuse until my mental cogs line up perfectly.
Which yes, might take years. Sorry, mom.
Thankfully, this beautiful Marble Layer Cake was baked with lots of love and received with enthusiasm on mom’s birthday last month. Swirls of chocolate cake dance with soft vanilla cake and all is frosted in a lovely milk chocolate buttercream. Yes, both flavors are developed from just one batter!
Easy, tasty, and gorgeous. Sign me up.
GAIN Your Marbles
The base recipe of this beauty is my vanilla cake batter.
Whip softened butter with sugar until creamy and fluffy, then beat in three eggs, one at a time, vanilla extract, and plain Greek yogurt.
Mix in flour, baking powder, baking soda, and a touch of kosher salt. With the mixer running, stream in buttermilk. The batter will be pretty thick, and some small lumps are okay. Do not overmix!
Pull 1 cup of the batter from the bowl and plop it into a second bowl. Whisk in cocoa powder and a couple tablespoons more of buttermilk.
Tip: If you want a darker chocolate hue, use 1 tablespoon of black cocoa powder and 1 tablespoon of regular cocoa powder!
Grease two 9-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with a circle of parchment. Pour half of the vanilla batter between the two pans (so, 1/4 of the batter per pan). Dollop half of the chocolate batter on top of each vanilla layer (again, 1/4 of the batter per pan) and gently swirl with a butter knife or skewer. You want visible ripples so don’t mix the chocolate batter in too much!
Repeat the layering and swirling with the remaining batters. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes in the pans, then flip onto a wire rack, peel off the parchment underwear from each, and cool completely.
Tip: I like to bake my cake layers the day prior and store in ziptop bags in the fridge overnight to ensure they’re completely cooled for frosting.
When your cakes are primed and ready for decorating, make that frosting. Beat butter with vanilla and cocoa powder on low speed – if you turn the speed too high, congratulations, your counter is now speckled with chocolate dust. Add powdered sugar and a bit of heavy cream and continue mixing until combined, then turn up the speed and whip until fluffy. You will likely need more sugar and cream to achieve a light, spreadable texture. Keep adding one or the another until the buttercream is juuuuust right.
Place one layer onto a flat plate or cake stand. Spread a good heap of buttercream atop, then add the second cake layer and frost all around the cake. If you have leftover frosting, pipe some pretty swirls or other doodads along the top perimeter.
Slice and enjoy!
Leftovers? Cake stores well, covered, at room temperature for up to 3 days, the fridge for 5 days, or frozen for three months.
What if my cake layers are domed after baking? Sometimes you will need to level your cake before frosting in order to not have a weird burial mound-esque shape going on. Use a serrated knife to carefully slice off scraps to create a flat top. These bits and pieces are great for casual nibbling while you adorn your layers!
Happy baking!
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Have your cake! Eat it too!
Hot Fudge Brownie Sundae Layer Cake
marble layer cake
Ingredients
- 2 sticks butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt, at room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 1/3 cups + 2 tbsp buttermilk, at room temperature
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
milk chocolate buttercream
- 1 stick butter, softened
- 1tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 4 1/2-5 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4-1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 9 inch cake pans with butter or oil and line the bottom of each with a circle of parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Whip in the vanilla and Greek yogurt. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer running, slowly stream in 1 1/3 cups of the buttermilk. Do not overmix.
- Scoop 1 cup of the batter into a separate bowl. Whisk in the cocoa powder and additional 2 tablespoons of buttermilk.
- Divide half of the vanilla batter into the two cake pans. Dollop half of the chocolate butter atop and swirl with a butter knife or skewer. Do not mix too much, you want visible streaks. Pour the rest of the vanilla batter between the two pans, and repeat the swirling with the remaining chocolate batter.
- Bake 30-35 minutes until the center is set and an inserted toothpick emerges with just a few moist crumbs. Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges to release the layers and flip onto a wire rack. Cool completely.
- When the cakes are cooled, make the frosting. In a bowl, whip the butter, vanilla, and cocoa powder on low speed until combined. Add in 4 cups of powdered sugar and 1/4 cup cream and mix to combine, then increase the speed to medium high and whip until very light and fluffy. If needed, pour in more sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until the frosting is soft and spreadable.
- Place a cake stand atop a very large piece of parchment paper. Set one cake layer on the stand. Frost the top generously, then add the second layer. Frost all the way around the cake until completely covered. Pipe any extra frosting on top to create a pretty finish!
