A marbled cake is simply a mixture of two flavours, mainly vanilla and chocolate. A marbled look can also be achieved by combining different colours of cake eg a rainbow cake.
The light combination of vanilla and chocolate not only tastes delicious but also looks lovely. Any vanilla cake can be used as a base and the marbled portion is achieved by taking a third of the vanilla cake batter and adding a little cocoa powder.
Now this recipe is my easy one bowl vanilla cake recipe. I have trebled the original recipe by simply tripling the measurement of each ingredient, using larger baking pans and increasing the baking time. The same method can be used by mixing 2 parts of the recipe to make a smaller cake as indicated in my celebration cake. When making a smaller cake, take out a third of the cake batter and add 3 TB cocoa. Use 2 or 3 x 20cm pans and bake cake layers for 20 – 25 minutes.
The recipe listed below makes 12 – 15 servings.
Ingredients for Cake
- 375 g butter
- 2 1/4 c caster sugar
- 3 c self-raising flour
- 3 TB cornflour
- 3 tsp vanilla extract
- 6 eggs
- 5 TB sifted cocoa powder
- 3/4 c milk
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius.
- Grease and line 2 or 3 x 23 cm cake pans.
- Measure out all the ingredients, except the cocoa powder into a mixing bowl and using an electric beater, beat till smooth, pale and fluffy.
- Remove a third of the cake batter and add the sifted cocoa and beat lightly till combined.
- Divide vanilla batter equally into 2 or 3 baking pans.
- Using a tablespoon, add heaped spoonfuls of the chocolate batter randomly onto the vanilla cake batter so that each pan gets an even distribution of the chocolate batter.
- Using the spoon, drag lightly through the cake batter so that a marbled look is created. Do not mix the batter as you will lose the marbling effect.
- Bake for 25 – 35 minutes till cakes are well risen and coming away from the sides of the pan.
- Cool for 5 minutes in baking pans before turning onto a wire rack to completely cool.
- When cool, sandwich and cover cake layers with vanilla or chocolate buttercream.
Vanilla or chocolate buttercream
- 250 g room temperature butter
- 3 c sifted icing sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1-3 TB milk or cream
- 1/4 sifted cocoa powder for a chocolate version
- Beat butter with an electric beater or stand mixer till pale and fluffy.
- Add sifted icing sugar in 2 batches and beat well with each addition.
- Add vanilla.
- Depending on the consistency of the icing, add milk or cream till you have the consistency of soft serve ice cream
- Add cocoa to make a chocolate buttercream.
