Chocolate Orange Marble Cake
A soft, moist loaf cake with orange batter on one side and chocolate batter on the other, swirled together into a marble pattern. Simple to put together and ready in about 2 hours, start to finish.
Equipment
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment
- 9x5-inch loaf pan
- Wire cooling rack
- Fine grater (for zest)
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (227 grams, softened)
- 2 cups sugar (400 grams )
- 4 eggs (200 grams, room temperature)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2⅓ cups all-purpose flour (292 grams )
- ¾ teaspoon osher salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅔ cup yoghurt (160 grams, room temperature)
- 2.5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled slightly (71 grams)
- 4 teaspoons Dutch process cocoa powder, sifted
- 2 teaspoons tightly packed orange zest
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325°F (170°C).
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3–4 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Mix in the vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. With the mixer on low, add this dry mixture to the butter mixture in three parts, alternating with the sour cream — start and finish with the flour mixture. Mix just until combined each time, no more.
- Take out about one-third of the batter (roughly 1¾ cups / 421 grams) into another bowl and fold in the melted chocolate and cocoa powder until even. Fold the orange zest into the batter that's left in the main bowl.
- Spread about one-third of the orange batter (roughly 1 cup / 281 grams) into the bottom of your greased 9x5-inch loaf pan. Now spoon heaping tablespoons (about 18 grams each) of orange and chocolate batter in a checkerboard pattern across the pan — about 3 scoops across the short side. Tap the pan on the counter a couple of times to settle it. Build a second layer the same way, but flip the pattern — chocolate over orange and orange over chocolate from the layer below. Tap again, and repeat with whatever batter remains. Finish by running a knife through the batter in a figure-eight motion to create the marble, then tap the pan once more to even everything out.
- Bake for 1 hour 40 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean, or an instant-read thermometer reads 200°F (93°C). Tent with foil partway through if the top is browning too fast. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Video
Notes
Notes
- Store the cake at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or refrigerate for up to a week.
- To freeze, wrap the cooled, unsliced loaf tightly in cling film and foil, and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
- Don't over-swirl the batter — a few figure-eight passes with a knife is enough. Too much swirling blends the colours into grey instead of keeping the marble distinct.
- If the top is browning too quickly but the centre isn't done, tent loosely with foil for the remaining bake time.
- Bring the butter, eggs, and sour cream to room temperature ahead of time — this makes a real difference to how smoothly the batter comes together.