For years now, one of the recipes I get asked about over and over again is a classic marble cake with chocolate and vanilla flavors. I never had a recipe to offer because I hadn’t gotten around to testing. But guess what? I finally put it at the top of my list and I can’t believe it took me this long! This marble cake is SO fun to make and could not be more exciting to slice into. Plus, it tastes amazing – perfectly moist and soft and both flavors come through quite stunningly. Just look at this marble effect: 

This chocolate vanilla marble cake starts with my Perfect Vanilla Cake recipe and it’s my favorite for a few reasons: it’s made with cake flour to keep the crumb nice and soft, sour cream to add maximum moisture without weighing the cake down, and a whole Tablespoon of vanilla for amplified flavor. It’s also super easy to make, and once you whip up the batter, all you have to do to create the chocolate flavor is divide the batter between two bowls and whisk in some extra ingredients to turn it into chocolate cake batter. Then, you’ll swirl both batters together in the same cake pans. 

Since I’d never actually made a marble cake before I started testing this one, I was a little anxious to see how things went in the oven. But then I leveled the tops of these cakes and the marble effect was so striking that I couldn’t wait to decorate the cake and slice into the layers. The slices look AMAZING. Perfectly defined swirls that paired so beautifully with this decadent chocolate buttercream (both flavor-wise and looks-wise). 

In keeping with the marble theme, I decided to whip up some easy marbled chocolate decorations with these Ghirardelli melting wafers. I love these melting wafers because they’re basically fail proof tempered chocolate. I simply melted them according to the package instructions and swirled the two flavors together on a piece of parchment paper, then used a sharp knife to cut them into triangles. It couldn’t have been easier and they taste incredible! 

To decorate this chocolate vanilla marble cake, I used a scalloped cake comb to create the textured finish and topped it with some simple swirls using Wilton Tip 1M spaced about ½ inch apart. Then, I placed my handmade marbled chocolate decorations in between each swirl. I love how elegant the design turned out, but you could also keep things simple by decorating with this easy rustic texture. Either way, you’re going to end up with a showstopper cake inside and out!

Print

Marble Cake

A true showstopper, this marble cake has stunning swirls of chocolate and vanilla cake throughout each layer. Soft and moist, packed with flavor, and so much fun to make and slice into!

Prep Time 50 minutes

Cook Time 32 minutes

Servings 15 slices

Ingredients

Vanilla Batter

• 2 3/4 Cups (290g) sifted cake flour DIY recipe in notes
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 Cup (170g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 Cups (300g) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs + 2 large egg whites, room temperature
• 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 Cup (120g) sour cream, room temperature
• 1 Cup (240ml) whole milk, room temperature

Chocolate Batter

• 1/4 Cup (22g) sifted unsweetened natural cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 Tbsp (19g) granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 Tbsp whole milk, room temperature
• 3/4 tsp instant coffee or espresso powder (optional)

Chocolate Buttercream

• 2 Cups (452g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 6 Cups (720g) powdered sugar
• 1 Cup (90g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
• 6 Tbsp whole milk, room temperature
• 4 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt

Instructions

Make the Vanilla Batter

• Preheat the oven to 350°F/177ºC. Prepare three 6-inch or two 8-inch cake pans by spraying the sides with a cooking spray (Baker's Joy is my favorite) and fitting a parchment paper circle to the bottom of the pan.
• Add the sifted cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside. 
• In the bowl of your stand mixer (a handheld mixer works fine too!), beat the butter on high for two minutes until it's light and creamy. Add in the sugar and continue to mix on medium-high for another two minutes. Turn the mixer to low and add the eggs and egg whites, one at a time, mixing until just combined and scraping down the bowl and paddle as needed. Add the vanilla and sour cream, turn the mixer to high, and beat for one full minute. It will look curdled at this point, but don’t worry – it will become smooth cake batter at the end.
• Add in the dry ingredients all at once and turn the mixer to low speed. Mix until just combined, then slowly pour in the milk. Continue to mix on low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and give it a few stirs with a whisk to make sure there are no lumps. The batter will be slightly thick.

Make the Chocolate Batter

• There will be around 6 cups (1300g) of vanilla batter total. Transfer half of the batter (650g) into a medium bowl and whisk in the 4 chocolate batter ingredients until smooth.
• Drop large spoonfuls of the vanilla and chocolate batters amongst each prepared cake pan. Repeat until all the batter is used, then use a wooden skewer to swirl the batters into a marble effect.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes. The cakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pan for five minutes before turning them out onto a wire rack for an additional few hours of cooling.

Make the Chocolate Buttercream

• In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whip the butter on medium-high speed until creamy and light in color, about 5 minutes.
• Scrape down the bowl and paddle, then add powdered sugar, cocoa powder, milk, salt, and vanilla extract. Cover the mixer with a clean kitchen towel (to prevent ingredients flying out of the bowl), then turn the mixer to low and mix until all ingredients start to come together.
• Remove the kitchen towel, scrape down the bowl and paddle, then continue mixing on low speed until uniform and smooth, 2-3 minutes.

Assembly

• Once the marble cakes are completely cooled, level them to your desired height. Add a swipe of chocolate buttercream onto a cardboard cake circle and place the first cake layer on top. Fill and stack the cake with chocolate buttercream, then crumb coat the cake with chocolate buttercream. Place the crumb coated cake in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to let the buttercream set firm.
• To create the design pictured, reserve about 1/2 Cup of the remaining chocolate buttercream for the piping on top of the cake, then use the rest of the buttercream to frost the cake. Use a cake comb to create the scalloped texture, then place the cake in the refrigerator for another 30+ minutes to let the frosting firm up.
• Place all of the remaining chocolate buttercream into a piping bag fitted with Wilton tip 1M and pipe swirls around the top of the cake. Place marbled chocolate decorations in between each swirl (see blog post above for instructions on how to make the marbled chocolate decorations).

Notes

DIY Cake Flour Recipe: To make your own cake flour, spoon and level one cup of all-purpose flour and remove 2 Tbsp. Add 2 Tbsp of cornstarch. Repeat per the amount of cake flour you need, then sift the flour and cornstarch mixture 4 times (don’t skip that step!). After sifting, spoon and level to re-measure the amount of cake flour you need. 

Make Ahead Tips: 

1. The marble cake layers can be baked ahead and stored at room temperature, wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to two days. Alternatively you can store the cakes in the freezer for up to two months.  
2. The chocolate buttercream can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and re-mix in your stand mixer to bring it back to smooth buttercream consistency. 

To Make as Cupcakes: spoon the batters into lined cupcake tins (no more than 2/3 full), marble together with a toothpick, and bake at 350ºF for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

This chocolate vanilla marble cake is sure to be a hit at your next gathering! I hope you love it as much as I do. Let me know what you think in the comments below and feel free to tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram if you post a pic! I love to see what you create.

The post Marble Cake Recipe appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

I’m so excited to have these tools in my collection:

• Gold Whisk 
• Cake Turntable
• Measuring Cups
• Marble Silicone Spatula
• Measuring Spoons
• Icing Spatula Set

JOANN asked me to create a cake project with these baking and decorating tools and I was immediately inspired to make a marble buttercream cake with gold accents. I wanted to make a cake that captured the beauty of these tools in cake form, plus show you how fun and simple it is to make marble buttercream! These Stir products are top-notch when it comes to functionality, which made them a true joy to decorate this marble cake with.

I whipped up a quick video for this marble buttercream tutorial so you can visualize it before you read all about it below.

If you’re into cake decorating videos like this one, be sure to check out my YouTube Channel! You’ll find tons of videos to inspire you there, and make sure you never miss a new one by clicking the Subscribe button.

You Will Need

• A 6-inch cake that’s been crumb coated and chilled
• Cake turntable
• 1.5 batches of vanilla buttercream
• Black food color gel
• Bowls and spoons for color mixing
• Baker’s twine
• Parchment paper
• Scissors
• Scotch tape
• Icing spatula set
• Icing smoother
• Fondant smoother
• Small food-grade paint brush
• Gold luster dust
• Clear extract (lemon or vanilla) or vodka

Step 1: Frost the Cake

With your chilled and crumb coated cake on a turntable, use the largest bowl of buttercream to frost a smooth finish onto the cake. Start by frosting a smooth layer on the very top of the cake with your angled icing spatula.

Next, add buttercream to the sides of the cake and glide your icing smoother over them while turning the turntable to create smooth sides.

You’ll notice a crown of buttercream forming on the top edges of the cake, which is essential to getting sharp edges on the top. Use your angled icing spatula to swipe the crown inwards (toward the top center of the cake). Repeat until you’ve got nice sharp edges.

When your cake is looking ultra smooth, pop it into the refrigerator to firm up for at least 30 minutes. If you want more tips on creating a perfectly smooth cake finish, I’ve got a great tutorial for you here. 

Step 2: Mix the Marble Buttercream

Divide the remaining buttercream into three small bowls. Add 2 drops of black food color gel into the first bowl and gently mix it with your spatula until it’s about half mixed. You’ll want a dark grey color with some streaks of white/lighter grey in there.

Scoop out about 1 teaspoon of this dark grey marble color and mix it into the second bowl. Repeat the process of mixing until you have a light grey color with streaks of white mixed in. Keep the last bowl uncolored.

Step 3: Make the Marble Buttercream Wrap

Once your frosted cake is nice and chilled, wrap a piece of baker’s twine around it to measure the circumference. Cut the baker’s twine to mark the circumference and lay it out on your work surface. Spread a piece of parchment paper out as long as the baker’s twine and mark about one inch past the twine, then cut the parchment paper.

After trimming the parchment paper lengthwise, I marked the height at 4 ½ inches tall (almost the height of the frosted cake) and trimmed the excess. When you’re finished trimming the parchment, tape it down onto your work surface. 

Using the small angled spatula, scoop the dark grey and light grey marbled buttercream and gently apply it to the parchment paper. You’ll want to be sure not to spread or mix it up too much as you place it onto the parchment. Next, scoop the uncolored buttercream either with the same spatula (for an even more marbley look) or a clean spatula (for a cleaner look) and apply it to the parchment next to the marbled grey buttercreams.

Repeat the process of scooping and applying the buttercream until you’ve covered the length of the parchment, creating varying heights along the way. Make sure to place the highest buttercream splotches at least ½ inch down from the top of the parchment.

When you’ve finished applying the buttercream to the parchment paper, use an angled spatula to gently smooth the buttercream down until it’s about ¼ inch thick. Using gentle pressure here will prevent the marble from mixing too much underneath.

Step 4: Apply the Marble Buttercream Wrap

Place your chilled, frosted cake on the turntable. Un-tape the marble buttercream wrap from your work surface and wrap it around the cake as tightly as possible. It should stick to the cake really easily since the frosting is still very wet at this point. 

Use your fondant smoother to smooth the buttercream wrap down and adhere it to the cake, then place the wrapped cake back into the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to let the marble buttercream firm up.

Step 5: Reveal the Marble 

Once the buttercream beneath the parchment paper is firm to the touch, gently peel the parchment away to reveal the stunning marble buttercream beneath.

I chose to keep the texture that the parchment paper created instead of smoothing it down because a) it looks amazing and b) last time I smoothed out the marble it all blended together and didn’t look as cool. 

Step 6: Paint the Gold Accents

Mix a few drops of clear extract or vodka into about 1 teaspoon of gold luster dust. Add more liquid if necessary to thin it into a paint-able consistency. When the gold paint is just right, use a small food-grade paintbrush to paint the top edge of the marble buttercream wrap.

Isn’t this marble buttercream cake so elegant? It ended up matching the gold marble Stir tools so perfectly!

This marble buttercream cake is so perfect for a wedding, fancy birthday party, anniversary, or any event that could use a little elegance. Let me know what you think in the comments below and feel free to tag @sugarandsparrowco and @joann_stores on Instagram if you post a pic!

And if you’re looking for beautiful baking or cake decorating tools, you must check out the Stir products exclusively at JOANN. If you’ve got a local JOANN store, you should be able to find them all in the baking section. You can also find all of these tools at JOANN.com. I was super excited to see that the Stir line also has molds, cake mixes, sprinkles, and basically everything you could need to make a creative cake (or any bake, really). 

Disclaimer: I was compensated by JOANN for my work of creating this project, styling, filming, photographing, and writing about their products. As always, all opinions are honest and my own. Thank you for supporting brands that support Sugar & Sparrow.

The post Marble Buttercream Cake Tutorial Feat. the JOANN Stir Collection appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

I’ve been dying to try a marble cake for awhile now and the thing that’s kept me from it was the thought of making two different cake batters. It sounded like too much effort just to have a pretty marble effect. BUT after some research it turns out there’s a way to make two different flavors from the same cake batter. A revolutionary idea! So in the spirit of Fall, I introduce to you my very first marble cake ever: pumpkin and chocolate swirled together in the same cozy cake layers. 

This pumpkin chocolate marble cake is perfectly spiced, super moist, and so ideal for autumn baking. It starts with whipping up my favorite pumpkin layer cake batter, then you’ll reserve some of the batter to mix with melted semi-sweet chocolate. Since it’s mixed with the pumpkin cake batter, the chocolate cake batter ends up with spiced undertones and is so tasty. I didn’t realize how well pumpkin and chocolate went together until I made this cake and I’m so happy to know! Those two batters get swirled together to give the resulting cake layer a beautiful marbled effect. 

I polled my Instagram followers about what frosting to pair with this pumpkin chocolate marble cake and the winner was brown butter frosting, which I was secretly hoping would win. Brown sugar frosting was a close second and if you’d rather go with that, this pumpkin pie layer cake includes a brown sugar frosting that you can use. But brown butter frosting, oh my. It is so tasty with these marbled cake layers! One of these days I’ll dedicate an entire blog post to it. 

To make the brown butter frosting, you’ll add some of the butter into a frying pan, melt it over medium heat, and bring it to a simmer until it starts to turn foamy and light brown in color. It will start to smell nutty and you’ll see little brown bits forming. At this point you add it into a glass container and let it re-solidify before mixing it up into buttercream. It was my first time making brown butter frosting and I just can’t get over how tasty it is and those little brown bits in the buttercream finish make me swoon. 

After filling and topping this pumpkin marble cake with brown butter frosting, I added a chocolate ganache curtain drip. This is where you pour the ganache on top of the chilled cake and use an offset spatula to push curtains of ganache over the edges. It’s a bit more of a rustic technique than my traditional chocolate ganache technique, and I just love it on this cake. 

I tinted the remaining brown butter frosting with AmeriColor Burnt Orange and used Wilton Tips 6B and 4B to pipe a crescent of open stars. I wanted a little nod to the pumpkin flavor in this recipe without being too obvious. The real star of the show are the cake layers inside, so regardless of how you decorate, you’ll be super excited to cut into the cake and reveal all that marbling! 

Print

Pumpkin Chocolate Marble Cake with Brown Butter Frosting

Deliciously spiced pumpkin and chocolate cake batters swirled together to create a marble effect in each layer. Paired beautifully with brown butter frosting and a chocolate ganache curtain drip.

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 45 minutes

Servings 15 slices

Ingredients

Pumpkin Chocolate Marble Cake

• 4 Oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 3/4 Cups (290g) sifted cake flour
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 Cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 Cup (140g) packed brown sugar
• 1 Cup (200g) granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 Cups (360g, 12oz) canned pumpkin purèe
• 1 Cup (240g) full fat buttermilk* DIY recipe in notes

Brown Butter Buttercream Frosting

• 2 Cups (452g) unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 7 Cups (840g) powdered sugar
• 1/4 Cup (60ml) whole milk or heavy whipping cream, room temperature
• 1/2 tsp salt

Chocolate Ganache Drip (optional)

• 1/4 Cup (46g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 Cup (60ml) heavy whipping cream

Instructions

Make the Pumpkin Chocolate Marble Cake

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF and prepare three 6-inch or two 8-inch cake pans by spraying the sides with cooking spray and placing a wax or parchment paper circle into the bottom of each one.
• Place the chocolate chips into a glass bowl and microwave in 15-20 second intervals, stirring after each one, until the chocolate is fully melted and uniform. Set aside to cool. Place the sifted cake flour into a medium sized bowl and add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and ground ginger. Whisk together and set aside.
• In the bowl of your stand mixer (a handheld mixer works fine too!), cream the butter on high for two minutes until it's light and fluffy. Add in white and brown sugars and continue to mix on high for another two minutes, scraping down the bowl and paddle as needed. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Add pumpkin puree and vanilla and mix for one minute on medium-high, scraping down the bowl and paddle once more. It will look very curdled at this point, but don't worry! It will all come together after the next step.
• With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Add the buttermilk in a steady stream and mix until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and give it a few stirs to make sure there are no lumps. Batter will be slightly thick, but pourable.
• Reserve about 2 Cups of the pumpkin cake batter (about 500g) into a separate small bowl and whisk in the cooled melted chocolate until the batter is uniform.
• Place spoonfuls of the pumpkin cake batter and chocolate cake batter into each prepared cake pan and carefully swirl with a kitchen skewer or butter knife to create a marbled effect throughout the cake layer. Try not to over-swirl and make sure to fill each pan no more than 2/3 full. Bake for 32-36minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pan for ten minutes before removing and continuing to cool on a wire rack or flat surface.

Make the Brown Butter Buttercream Frosting

• Brown the butter: Add 1 Cup of the unsalted butter into a large frying pan and cook over medium heat until the butter melts, stirring occasionally. Continue cooking for another 6-7 minutes while stirring constantly. The melted butter will start to foam on top, then will turn light brown in color and smell deliciously nutty. Remove from heat at this point and transfer to a glass container. Allow it to re-solidify for about 2 hours at room temperature or place it into the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. It should be completely room temperature and thick (about the consistency of a thick caramel) before continuing on with the buttercream recipe.
• Once the brown butter is room temperature, cream the other 1 Cup of unsalted butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high until creamy and light in color, about 5 minutes, scraping down the bowl and paddle as needed.
• Add the cooled brown butter and vanilla and mix on medium speed until uniform. Turn the mixer to low speed and add the powdered sugar a few cups at a time, scraping down the bowl and paddle after mixing in each addition. Add the milk and salt and continue mixing on low speed until smooth.

Make the Chocolate Ganache (Optional)

• Place chocolate chips into a heat resistant bowl (glass or metal). In a saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the heavy whipping cream until it just starts to simmer, then pour the cream over the chocolate and let sit for about 30 seconds. 
• Whisk together until the ganache is uniform in consistency and there are no bits of chocolate left on your whisk. Cool the ganache at room temperature for 10-20 minutes, or until the ganache itself is room temperature or slightly above. 

Assembly

• Once the cake layers have cooled completely, level them to your desired height. Fill and stack the layers with brown butter frosting, then crumb coat the cake with more brown butter frosting. Refrigerate the crumb coated cake for 20-30 minutes to let the frosting firm up.
• To create the design pictured, use the brown butter frosting to create a smooth finish on the cake, then refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes before dripping the cake with a curtain drip of chocolate ganache (pour the cooled ganache over the top of the cake and use an offset spatula to nudge it over the edges).
• Place the cake back into the refrigerator to let the ganache set while you tint the remaining brown butter frosting burnt orange (I used AmeriColor Burnt Orange for this part). Divide the frosting between two piping bags, one fitted with Wilton Tip 6B and one fitted with Wilton Tip 4B. Pipe open stars in a crescent formation around the top of the cake.

Notes

*DIY Buttermilk Recipe: Add 1 Tbsp white vinegar into a mason jar or measuring cup. Add one cup (240ml) whole milk and let sit for at least 15 minutes before using in a recipe. 

Make Ahead Tips: 

1. The cake layers can be made ahead and stored, wrapped in plastic wrap, at room temperature for up to two days. Alternatively, you can store the wrapped cake layers in the freezer for up to 2 months before thawing and frosting.
2. The brown butter can be made ahead and stored in a glass jar or airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, let it sit at room temperature until softened. 
3. The brown butter buttercream frosting can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and re-whip in your stand mixer to bring back to smooth buttercream consistency. 
4. The chocolate ganache can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to drip consistency by gently heating it in 15-20 second intervals in the microwave, stirring after each one, until it becomes room temperature or slightly above. 

This pumpkin chocolate marble cake recipe is so perfect for any Fall gathering! I hope you love it as much as I do. Let me know what you think in the comments below and feel free to tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram if you post a pic! I love to see what you create.

The post Pumpkin Chocolate Marble Cake with Brown Butter Frosting appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.