A buttery, soft vanilla and chocolate swirled cake topped with a creamy chocolate peanut butter ganache. This classic cake is wonderfully versatile and super easy to make!
I made this marble cake saying “hey let me just make something quick and simple for dessert tonight, nothing big, nothing complicated”. There I was thinking ahh this isn’t going to be something special. Maaan was I wrong! It turned out to be one of the greatest bakes I’ve ever made!
I really shouldn’t have been that surprised though because marble cake was one of my all time favourite childhood treats. This specific recipe right here really had me head over heels. I mean check out this crumb……
This cake is basically a smaller version of my insanely delicious marble layer cake, made to fit in a regular cake loaf pan. The recipe is adapted from my super fluffy vanilla cupcakes and it can also be made into a single 9 inch layer cake.
Cake Ingredients
- Cornstarch: a DIY cake flour, sort of, helps keep the batter thick so that it bakes evenly. The cornstarch prevents the cake from becoming dense, even days later.
- Butter: a cake made with butter is bound to be full of flavour. Since we have a vanilla cake portion, butter is used to ensure a delicious taste and soft texture.
- Sour cream & Milk: a mix of the two is a perfect combination to create a melt-in-your-mouth crumb. The sour cream reacts with the baking soda which make the cake soft yet sturdy. Milk is added to thin the batter and make it lighter.
The cake itself comes out so soft and buttery yet fluffy and super creamy. I’m so happy with how it turned out and I can’t wait to make it again with all sorts of different frostings and toppings.
Chocolate cake batter
I experimented quite a bit with the chocolate portion of this cake. I wanted to make sure that it would be easy, without having to make a separate batter. Initially I tried to add melted dark chocolate to the vanilla batter but the result was a denser cake with a more fudgy consistency.
After a few more attempts, I found the perfect balance of chocolatey-ness and crumb by using cocoa powder and a splash of water. A little bit of sugar to cut the bitterness results in a delicious cake-y crumb that doesn’t overpower the vanilla.
Ganache Frosting
I topped the cake with a chocolate peanut butter frosting that I had found on Sally’s Baking Addiction. Absolutely adore her recipes! I wasn’t entirely sure about it as I had never paired it with marble cake, but it was just fabulous with the cake.
Chocolate and peanut butter=good
Vanilla and peanut butter=good
Vanilla+chocolate+peanut butter= most amazing combination ever. It’s really just about the math. I watch too much Friends haha.
Another frosting that is superb with this cake is this wonderfully decadent chocolate toffee frosting. I hope you guys try that one too because it is better than I can even attempt to describe.
Marble cake is really just one of those timeless home-y bakes that warms the heart. Such a delicious treat that can be enjoyed no matter the occasion.
My favourite substitutions
- Instead of all purpose flour, you can use cake flour. Leave out the cornstarch/cornflour if you do use cake flour.
- For an even lighter cake, use 1 whole egg and 2 egg whites.
- Vanilla essence is okay if you don’t have extract but try to get the best quality possible.
- If you can’t find sour cream then plain Greek yoghurt is okay to use. The cake may be slightly more dense.
More loaf cakes to love:
Enjoy my friends xoxo
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