Moist, chocolatey and vanilla-y this marble loaf cake is definitely a crowd pleaser. It’s topped with a decadent dark chocolate ganache and can be served as a dessert or a snack!
About This Recipe
This marble loaf cake is so simple to make, no equipment needed, no fancy ingredients, and definitely not a whole lot of your time! It starts with a vanilla cake batter, which is then divided in half. Add cocoa powder to one half to make it chocolate and then layer them up in a loaf pan and bake to perfection. Once the cake is cooled spread on a 2-ingredient chocolate ganache, and you have yourself a scrumptious treat!
This recipe also requires no creaming of butter and sugar, which in my opinion is one of the most time-consuming and frustrating steps in making a cake. This means there’s no need to have room temperature butter for this recipe, and all of the other ingredients are pantry staples. It’s totally beginner-friendly, so grab a bowl and whisk and let’s get started!
Taste: this cake has a delicious blend of chocolate and vanilla in one! Oh, and adding that chocolate ganache just takes the flavors to a whole new level. If you love chocolate or vanilla you are going to love this cake!
What You Need To Make Make Marble Loaf Cake
Flour: all you need is regular all-purpose flour, I have not tried this recipe with any other type of flour.
Sugar: use granulated white sugar, we won’t use much because the chocolate ganache also adds sweetness to the cake.
Butter: I used unsalted butter, if you’re using salted butter skip the salt in the recipe. (we are going to melt the butter)
Vegetable oil: use a flavorless oil like sunflower or canola oil. This make the cake nice and moist.
Eggs: use room temperature eggs for the best results. Eggs are the binding agent, they create structure and stability in the cake.
Baking Powder: this is the rising agent, it helps the cake to rise and become fluffy rather than being dense.
Buttermilk: although it’s tangy, you will not be able to taste it in the cake at all. the acid in it reacts with the rising agents to give the cake lift.
Cocoa powder: this is to flavor half of the batter into chocolate cake. Use a good quality cocoa powder for a more intense chocolate flavor.
Hot water: it’s not in the picture above, but the hot water is added with the cocoa powder into half of the batter. It helps bloom the cocoa powder, which intensifies the chocolate flavor by releasing flavor that is trapped in the solid particles.
Dark Chocolate: this is to make the chocolate ganache topping, I used 50% dark cooking chocolate.
Heavy Cream: this is needed to make the chocolate ganache topping. Make sure your cream has a fat percentage of 35% or higher.
How To Make Marble Loaf Cake With Chocolate Ganache
Step 1: In a small bowl combine all of the dry ingredients(flour, sugar, baking powder, salt,) except cocoa powder. Set aside.
Step 2: In a separate large bowl whisk together all of the wet ingredients(melted butter, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, eggs, buttermilk) except the hot water.
Step 3: Add the dry ingredients mixture into the wet and whisk to form a smooth batter. Transfer half of the batter into a separate bowl and mix in the cocoa powder and hot water.
Step 4: Alternatively scoop both the batters into a lined 8 x 3 inch (20 x 8 cm) loaf pan, a pan slightly larger or smaller will work as well. Very carefully swirl the batter only 2 or 3 times. Bake at 160 °C / 320 °F for 35-40 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Once bakes let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes then flip it on to a cooling wrack to cool completely.
Step 5: While your marble loaf cake cools prepare the chocolate ganache. Finley chop the dark chocolate and transfer it into a medium sized bowl. Heat the heavy cream in a saucepan on medium heat until small bubbles start to form on the sides of the pan. Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate, let it sit for 2-3 minutes, then mix until silky smooth.
Step 6: Let the chocolate ganache cool for 15 minutes in the refrigerator before spreading it onto the cooled marble loaf cake. After you spread on the ganache you can either let it set for a while in the fridge or dig in!
Storing/Freezing The Marble Loaf Cake
Store any leftovers in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
To freeze the cake: I recommend you freeze the cake before adding the chocolate ganache topping, wrap the cake slices or the entire loaf in plastic wrap then in a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature, then add on the chocolate ganache topping before serving!
Pro Tips
- Measure the dry and wet ingredients properly. For the flour spoon it into a measuring cup and level it using the back of a spoon.
- If you have a convection oven (oven with a fan setting) I recommend reducing the temperature by 20 degrees
- Baking time may vary: all ovens are different, your cake might take a longer to fully bake, or it might bake faster. So it’s best to start checking on the cake at 30 minutes.
- If the top of the marble cake is browning too fast then cover it with some aluminum foil and continue to bake until it’s fully done.
- Loaf cakes do take a bit longer to cool than regular cakes because of their shape. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then flip it onto a wire rack and let it cool in the refrigerator. This will speed up the cooling process.
- Let the chocolate ganache cool down for 10-15 minutes before spreading it onto the cooled loaf cake. Place it in the refrigerator to speed up the cooling process. The longer it’s chilled the thicker your chocolate ganache will be.
- You can also enjoy this marble loaf cake without the chocolate ganache topping, just add about a quarter cup extra granulated sugar to the cake batter.
- Let the melted butter cool slightly before adding it in with the other ingredients.
- Don’t have buttermilk? Make it at home in one simple step!
FAQ’s
Should the ganache be poured on hot or cooled?
Always cool the ganache before adding it on top of your cakes, the colder the ganache get the thicker it gets, meaning it will hold it’s shape better and stay on the cake rather than just sliding off leaving a very thin layer of ganache on your cake.
What percentage cream should I use to make ganache?
It’s best to use heavy cream which has a fat percentage of 35% or above. I you only have cream that has a fat percentage of 18% you could use it as well but you would also need to add about 2 tablespoons of butter to the chocolate ganache.
What can I substitute for buttermilk?
You could use full fat yogurt instead, but it actually very easy to make buttermilk at home: for every one cup of milk add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar and let it sit for 5 minutes and you have yourself buttermilk that can be used in any recipe that calls for it.
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Recipe Card
Marble Loaf Cake With Chocolate Ganache
Moist, chocolatey and vanilla-y this marble loaf cake is definitely a crowd pleaser. It’s topped with a decadent dark chocolate ganache and can be served as a dessert or a snack!
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 40 min
Total Time: 55 min
Course: Dessert
Servings: 8
Calories: 549kcal
— Print Recipe —
Ingredients
For the marble loaf cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (240g)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (113g)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup buttermilk (236ml), room temperature
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil (60ml)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 2 Tbsp boiling water
For the chocolate ganache topping:
- 15oz dark chocolate (115g), 50% cocoa
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (120ml)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160 °C / 320 °F. Grease and line a 8 x 3 inch (20 x 8 cm) loaf pan, a pan slightly larger or smaller will work as well. Set aside.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan or in the microwave and set it aside to cool down.
- In a small bowl combine the all purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt. Give it a whisk and set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, combine the melted butter, eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil and vanilla extract. Whisk until fully incorporated.
- Add the dry mixture into the wet and whisk until fully combined and there are no streaks of flour in the batter.
- Transfer half of the batter into another bowl and mix in the cocoa powder and boiling water to make a chocolate cake batter.
- Alternatively scoop both the batters into the prepared loaf pan, use a skewer to slightly swirl the batter (just 2-3 times!). You could also bake the cake without swirling at all!
- Give the pan a few taps to remove any air bubbles and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. If the top is browning too fast, cover with aluminum foil and continue to bake until it’s done. Once bake let the cake cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then flip it onto a cooling wrack to cool completely.
- While the cake cools prepare the chocolate ganache topping. Chop the dark chocolate finely and add that into a small bowl. Heat the cream in a saucepan on medium heat until small bubbles start to form on the side of the pan. Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate, let it sit untouched for 2-3 minutes. Then whisk until silky smooth! Let the ganache cool for 15 minutes in the fridge before adding onto the cake.
- Spread the chocolate ganache on the cooled marble loaf cake, slice and enjoy! (You could also let the ganache set on the cake for 10-15 minutes before serving.)
Nutrition (estimated per serving)
Calories: 549.25kcal
Total Fat: 32.16g
Carbs: 59.45g
Sugars: 32.47g
Protein: 7.56g
Sodium: 252.95mg
Fiber: 2.76g
** Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more. **
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marble loaf cake video tutorial
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