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Layered Marble Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

A super moist layered marble cake with bold vanilla and chocolate swirls. Made with oil, butter, and sour cream for the most tender crumb, and topped with rich, fudgy chocolate cream cheese frosting.
Prep Time45 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 16 servings

Ingredients

For the Vanilla Batter (Base):

  • 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 large eggs room temperature
  • 1 cup sour cream room temperature
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup whole milk room temperature

For the Chocolate Swirl:

For the Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting:

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the Cake:

  • Preheat the oven to 340°F (170°C). Grease two 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the Dutch-process cocoa powder and 3 tablespoons of hot coffee until completely smooth. Set aside.
    1/3 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder, 3 tablespoons hot coffee
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt.
    2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, sour cream, vegetable oil, melted butter, vanilla extract, and whole milk until smooth.
    3 large eggs, 1 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 1/4 cup unsalted butter, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1/2 cup whole milk
  • Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
  • Transfer about 1/3 of the batter (roughly 1 1/2 cups) to a separate bowl. Add the bloomed cocoa paste, 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar, and 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Fold until uniform.
    2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • Divide the vanilla batter between the two pans. Dollop the chocolate batter on top (5-6 spoonfuls per pan). Swirl with a knife 3-4 times.
  • Bake for 27-32 minutes, until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs. Cool in pans 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • Beat the softened cream cheese, butter, and salt together until light and smooth, about 3-4 minutes.
    8 oz cream cheese, 1/2 cup unsalted butter, 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Sift together the powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Add gradually to the cream cheese mixture, alternating with the heavy cream.
    2 2/3 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder, 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • Add the vanilla extract and mix then mix in the melted and cooled dark chocolate until smooth and creamy.
    2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 3.5 oz dark chocolate (60-70% cacao)
  • Adjust consistency: add more cream if too thick, or refrigerate 15-20 minutes if too soft.

Assemble:

  • Cut off the domes of each cake using a serrated knife to make sure the layers sit evenly.
  • Place the first cake layer on a cake stand, flat side up. Spread about 3/4 cup of frosting on top.
  • Place the second layer on top, flat side up. Apply a thin crumb coat over the entire cake. Refrigerate 15-20 minutes.
  • Apply the remaining frosting, smoothing or swirling as desired. pipe swirls on top of garnish with chocolate shavings or cocoa powder.

Nutrition

Calories: 528Calories | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 294mg | Potassium: 201mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 43g | Vitamin A: 678IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 106mg | Iron: 2mg