Do you prefer chocolate or vanilla cake? No matter your preference, marble cake is the best of both worlds! It has been snowing a lot this week, and that always puts me in the mood to bake. This Marble Loaf Cake is the perfect recipe for those cold days! It’s buttery, moist, and flavorful. As an added bonus, since it does take a bit longer to bake, it warms up the house as well.
This recipe is styled after a pound cake. Pound cakes are traditionally made with one pound each of all the ingredients – butter, sugar, eggs, and flour. With this recipe. I wanted to keep all of my favorite parts of a pound cake, like the crispy top and denser texture, but wanted to make it more moist and flavorful. The addition of Greek yogurt and a little milk helps to accomplish that.
When you bake this cake, it’s important to make sure that all cold ingredients- the butter, eggs, yogurt, and milk- are at room temperature before you start. This will allow the cake to rise as much as possible and really help you achieve that soft and fluffy texture. If you know you’re going to be making this recipe ahead of time, just get all of the ingredients out a couple of hours before! If you forget, that’s okay! Just cut your butter into small slices and allow to sit for 15 minutes or so. You can bring your eggs up to temperature by putting them in a bowl of warm (not hot!) water. The milk and yogurt are added later in the recipe, so just allow them to sit out until you need them.
I really love loaf cakes, and this is one of my favorites. The dark chocolate swirls contrast nicely with the lighter vanilla cake, which makes for a really beautiful slice. This Marble Loaf Cake is perfect for an after dinner dessert, or just as an anytime treat. Plus, it’s a little more fun than just a plain chocolate or vanilla cake. I hope you enjoy!
Marble Loaf Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 2/3 cup (1 small container) greek yogurt plain or vanilla
- ½ cup whole milk
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease and set aside 9×5 inch loaf pan.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes.
- Add vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Mix in greek yogurt.
- Once fully combined, add salt, baking powder, and half the flour. Mix until incorporated.
- Add the milk and stir. Once incorporated, add the rest of the flour.
- Remove half of the batter from the bowl and set aside. This will be the vanilla cake.
- Add the cocoa powder to the remaining batter and mix until fully combined.
- Add the batter to the prepared loaf pan. Alternate scoops of chocolate and vanilla batter. Once all batter is in the pan, use a butter knife to swirl the flavors together.
- Bake at 350°F for around 1 hours and 20 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool fully before slicing. Enjoy!