Marble Loaf Cake
A marble cake is two bakes in one, vanilla and chocolate, with a different pattern in every slice. It's a single batter, half of which we colour with cocoa. The one rule is restraint when swirling: two or three passes of a skewer are enough for bold, distinct ribbons.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 1 h
- Rest
- 40 min
- Total
- 2 h
- Servings
- 12
- Level
- Easy
- Per serving
- 295 kcal
Ingredients
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What to use instead
Kefir or plain yoghurt can replace the milk in the same amount.
Makes: 1 loaf, 25 × 11 cm, 12 slices
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
Oven
170 °C · top and bottom heat, no fan
With a fan: 150 °C
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Step 1: Prepare the tin
Heat the oven to 170°C (340°F). Grease a 25 × 11 cm loaf tin and line it with baking paper.
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Step 2: Cream butter and sugar
With a mixer, beat the soft butter with the sugar and vanilla for 4–5 minutes until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each.
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Step 3: Make the vanilla batter
Mix the flour with the baking powder and salt. Fold it into the butter mixture in two additions, alternating with 80 ml of the milk, just until smooth.
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Step 4: Make the chocolate batter
Transfer half the batter to another bowl. Sift in the cocoa, add the remaining 30 ml milk and stir until evenly dark.
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Step 5: Layer and swirl
Drop large spoonfuls into the tin, alternating vanilla and chocolate like a chequerboard, in two layers. Drag a wooden skewer in a zigzag along the length of the tin 2–3 times, no more, or the pattern will blur.
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Step 6: Bake the cake
Bake for 55–60 minutes, until risen, the crack on top looks dry and a skewer comes out clean. If the top browns too early, cover it loosely with foil.
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Step 7: Cool before slicing
Leave in the tin for 10 minutes, then cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes and slice with a sharp knife.
Tips & variations
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Tip
Both batters should have the same thickness, which is why the chocolate one gets a splash of extra milk. That way they sit in neat layers instead of running into each other.
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Variation
Stir 50 g finely chopped dark chocolate into the chocolate batter and the zest of 1 orange into the vanilla one.
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Swap
Kefir or plain yoghurt can replace the milk in the same amount.
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Storage
Keep wrapped in cling film at room temperature for up to 4 days, or freeze in slices for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 12 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 295 kcal | 3,540 kcal |
| Protein | 5 g | 60 g |
| Fat | 16 g | 192 g |
| Carbohydrates | 32 g | 384 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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