Easiest Marble Pound Cake Recipe (Rich Loaf Cake) (2024)

This delicious Marble Pound Cake has the perfect moist yet dense crumb structure with beautiful swirls of chocolate and vanilla!

The chocolate part tastes like fudge while the vanilla has a beautiful buttery flavor. I promise one slice will never be enough!

In this post, I will teach you how to make a delicious and rich Marble Pound Cake, or shall I say marble swirl cake?

Since the chocolate flavor is kicking big time in this pound cake recipe, I guess I will call it chocolate marble pound cake or fudge marble pound cake. Ok, I think I have confused you enough!

Let’s get started because I’m sure you want to try this cake as much as I do every time I make it!

What is a Marble Pound Cake?

A Marble Pound Cake is a pound cake that is made up of two separate batters: a chocolate cake batter and a vanilla cake batter. Mixing the two batters creates a marble cake that has an effect that looks similar to marble!

It’s an incredibly fun and easy way to create a beautiful cake that is loved by kids and adults alike. The great thing about this cake is that no two slices look alike and the cake itself looks really elegant.

You’re absolutely going to love making this marble loaf cake and since it’s a pound cake, it has a dense and rich flavor with a beautiful tender crumb structure.

What Makes This Marble Pound Cake Recipe So Special?

This marble pound cake recipe is for a moist, yet rich pound cake. The chocolate part of it tastes almost like fudge, so you have everything you love in one cake, a moist, rich texture, wonderful flavor, and it looks gorgeous.

Use high-quality butter and chocolate for this pound cake recipe, the flavor of these two ingredients is dominant. The steps to making this marble swirl cake are easy to follow.

You can use a hand mixer or a stand mixer to speed up the process of making the cake. A whisk will work too, but you will take a longer time in mixing the batter.

In this pound cake recipe, I have used evaporated milk mixed with water since (in my opinion) it enhances the richness of the cake, but of course, you can use whole milk instead.

I wouldn’t use skim milk in this recipe. If you’re looking after your calorie intake but still crave delicious pound cake,then try mylow-calorie pound cake recipe.

If you want theAuthentic Classic Pound Cake Recipe, I’ve got that too.I have a feeling that you’ll love the marble version more though! In case you are not fond of chocolate, do not add it to the batter and you will still enjoy an amazing pound cake.

How to Get the Marble Cake Swirl Effect?

Creating the marble swirl effect is incredibly easy! The trick is in the way you scoop and place the vanilla batter and chocolate batter into the prepared pan.

All you have to do when scooping both batters in the pan is to start by placing a scoop of vanilla batter beside it chocolate and then vanilla batter and beside it the chocolate batter.

Keep repeating till you have the bottom layer done. Now for the second layer, on top of every white batter place a chocolate batter, and on each chocolate, scoop a scoop of white batter.

To create a beautiful marble swirl effect, use a butter knife to make a U or an S shape. You’re going to end up with an incredibly elegant and stunning swirl effect with the least amount of work!

Do I Have to Make the Batters Separately?

Most recipes require you to make separate batters for both vanilla and chocolate, but this recipe combines the two to give you both batters with only one additional step!

All you have to do is to make the vanilla batter and then separate 2 and a half cups of the batter into a separate bowl.

Now all you have to do is to mix hot water with cocoa powder and add it to this batter. Mix it all well and you have a chocolate batter all ready to swirl into a beautiful marble design!

Seriously, that’s all you need to do. It’s incredibly easy and a fun activity to do with your kids as well!

What You Need to Make Marble Pound Cake at Home

This recipe requires the simplest ingredients that are most likely sitting in your pantry already! Here’s everything you’ll need to make this delicious and stunning marble cake at home:

All-purpose flour: We’ll be using all-purpose flour for this recipe, so don’t worry you won’t have to go buy some cake flour for it! Told you the ingredients are simple.

Baking powder: This is the leavening agent we’ll be using to bake this delicious cake.

Unsalted butter: The flavor of butter really shines through the cake so try to find the best quality butter you can get your hands on.

Sugar: We’ll be using white sugar for this recipe

Eggs: You’ll need 3 large eggs at room temperature. It’s important that the eggs aren’t too cold, or they’ll affect the baking process. If you don’t have time to wait till they reach room temperature, make sure to read the post to know a quick way to do it!

Vanilla extract: We’ll be using 1 ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract in this recipe you get a beautiful, subtle vanilla flavor.

Milk: I’ve used evaporated milk to give the recipe a richer feel, but you can opt for whole milk instead too. The recipe card includes all the information you’ll need to use whole milk instead.

Cocoa powder: Be sure to use high-quality cocoa powder since its flavor will come through in the cake. The better the quality of your ingredients, the better the flavor.

Salt: We’ll be using just a pinch of salt to bring everything together.

How to Make Marble Pound Cake – Step by Step

Making this Marble Pound Cake is easier than you think! Here are step by step instructions to make the best marble cake you’ve ever had:

1- Start by preheating your oven to 350F or 180C. Now butter and flour a 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan and set it aside.

2- Next, take a bowl and sift the dry ingredients, namely the flour with salt and baking powder into it. Keep it aside.

3- Grab a separate large bowl and add butter to it. Beat for 3 minutes on medium speed using an electric mixer or stand mixer until lighter in color. Now add the sugar and beat until the batter is fluffy and much lighter in color, about 4 minutes on high speed.

4- Add the vanilla extract and then add the eggs one at a time, and each time you add an egg, beat for three minutes.

5- Next, add half the sifted dry ingredients to the butter and sugar mixture and beat at the lowest speed until combined. Make sure to not overmix it.

6- Now add all the milk and beat until combined then add the rest of the flour and beat until combined. The batter should look silky but a little thick.

Now the Fun Part

7- Take around three fourth of the batter (around 2 cups and a half) and separate it into another medium bowl. Add to it the chocolate and hot water mixture, mix well, this is your chocolate batter.

8- Time to scoop the batters into your prepared loaf pan. Using a large spoon or measuring cup, drop the cake batter into the prepared pan, alternating between vanilla and chocolate.

9- For the second layer, on top of every white batter place a chocolate batter, and on each chocolate, scoop a scoop of white batter. Make a U or an S shape using a butter knife or rubber spatula.

10- Tap the pan lightly two times over the kitchen counter. Place in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

11- Once the cake is done, cool it in the pan for 10 minutes once the cake is done, then transfer it to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Your Marble Pound Cake is ready to serve!

How Do I Get My Eggs to Room Temperature Quickly?

Like I mentioned above, you need to make sure your eggs are at room temperature before using them for this recipe. This is because the temperature of the eggs will affect the rise or even baking time of your cake.

If you don’t have enough time to leave the eggs out till they reach room temperature, here’s something you can do:

Submerge your eggs in a bowl of lukewarm water for about 15 minutes. This will allow them to quickly reach room temperature and make sure you have the best marble cake ever!

Storage Information

Wrap your marble cake tightly in plastic wrap and keep it at room temperature for up 4 days. Your cake will also stay fresh in the fridge for up to 2 weeks if kept in an airtight container.

You can also freeze this cake for up to 3 months. Make sure to let the cake cool completely before covering it with plastic wrap and storing it in a freezer bag. You can also slice the cake and freeze each slice individually after wrapping them with plastic wrap and then placing them in a container.

Other Recipes You’ll Love

Whipping Cream Pound Cake: This cake is also known as the Elvis Presley pound cake because it was his favorite type of cake! This recipe features a secret technique that will give you the best cake you’ve ever had in your life!

Light Pound Cake (Low Calorie): Want to have a delicious pound cake but without the extra calories? Then this beautiful low-calorie pound cake is for you! Each slice of this light and beautiful cake has only 115 calories! Now you can enjoy a treat without the guilt!

📖 Recipe