by Chenée Lewis
This is the best marble loaf cake recipe - Starbucks has nothing on this one! It’s a chocolate marble loaf cake with swirls of vanilla and chocolate cake batter. We’re using sour cream to make our marble loaf cake moist and the results are amazing!
For more loaf pan recipes, try my Pineapple Banana Bread, my Vegan Gingerbread Loaf Cake, or my Sour Cream Pumpkin Bread with Maple Brown Butter Glaze!
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Marble Loaf Cake - Starbucks Copycat Recipe
If you're a fan of the marble loaf cake from Starbucks, you'll love this one! It's a buttery, moist pound cake made in a loaf pan, swirled with vanilla and chocolate. The best of both worlds! We'll start with an easy pound cake batter and your cake will be done in no time!
And don't worry -- it's so simple to make that pretty marbling effect. This easy marble loaf cake recipe is perfect for an easy snack, or to take to a potluck or gathering. And it stores so well so it's a great make-ahead treat!
If you'd like to try another great cake, check out my Peach Cobbler Pound Cake and my Carrot Pound Cake!
Why do they call it marble cake?
Because the mix of chocolate and vanilla cake batter creates an effect that looks similar to marble! And it's so simple and fun to create the marbling effect! And then when you cut into the loaf it looks so cool!
The best thing about this cake is that no two loaves look alike -- because you're creating the marble design, you can make it unique. You'll love making this -- it's the best marble loaf cake recipe!
How do you get the marble cake effect?
Creating the marble effect on this cake is SO easy! We'll start by dividing our vanilla cake batter, and adding ingredients to some of it to make chocolate cake batter. Then, we'll alternate adding our vanilla and chocolate cake batter to our loaf pan, finally ending up with a swirled top to our loaf to finish off the marbling effect!
The weight of the cake batter as it is spooned into the pan creates that swirly effect, and makes the finished result so pretty!
Chocolate Marble Loaf Cake Ingredients
- granulated sugar - adds a nice sweetness to this cake! Granulated sugar also creams with the butter nicely to create a fluffy cake crumb!
- salted butter - I like to use salted butter, but if you prefer unsalted, just add in ½ teaspoon of salt with your dry ingredients.
- eggs - make sure your eggs are room temperature. See below for a tip to get them to room temperature quickly!
- vanilla - be sure to use a high-qualitypure vanilla extract. Or better yet, check out my post onhow to make vanilla extractat home with just 2 ingredients!
- sour cream - using sour cream instead of milk makes this marble loaf cake moist and delicious!
- cake flour - we'll use cake flour to make this cake soft and fluffy! If you don't have any cake flour, see below for a quick tip to make a cake flour substitute! Your flour should be measured by weight using akitchen scaleor with thespoon and level method.
- baking soda - adds a bit of lift to this cake recipe!
- unsweetened cocoa powder - the added cocoa powder is what makes part of our batter nice and chocolatey and turns this into a chocolate marble loaf cake recipe!
- boiling water - helps to "bloom" the cocoa powder, bringing out the chocolate flavor!
Equipment
First, you'll need an electric mixer to whip up the batter. Then you'll want a loaf pan to bake it up! Here are some more of the tools I recommend:
Tips and F.A.Q.
What if I don't have cake flour?
If you don’t have cake flour, you can make a substitute to use for this recipe! All you need isall-purpose flour and corn starch. Just measure out 2 cups of all-purpose flour and replace 4 tablespoons of it with cornstarch. In grams, it’ll be 250 grams of all-purpose flour sifted with 30 grams of cornstarch.
What can I use if I don't have sour cream?
If you don’t have any full-fat sour cream on hand, the closest substitute would be an equivalent amount offull-fat greek yogurt.
How do I get my eggs to room temperature quickly?
It’s important to use room temperature eggs in most baking so that the cold egg doesn’t affect the rise or even baking of your result. If you didn’t have a chance to leave your eggs out to get to room temperature, try this tip. Just submerge the eggs in a bowl of lukewarm water for about 15 minutes. That will allow them to get to room temperature more quickly and ensure the best chocolate marble loaf cake!
How do I store this cake?
You can store this cake in an airtight container for up to 4 days at room temperature -- if you would like to store it longer, you can freeze it, well wrapped, for up to 2 months.
What size loaf pan should I use?
Some bakers have mentioned to me that they ended up with too much batter for an 8.5 x 4.5 in. loaf pan. This may come from an excess of flour in the batter, which can happen if you measuring flour by volume instead of weight. To prevent this, I always recommend measuring dry ingredients by weight using a kitchen scaleor with thespoon and level method. To be on the safe side, you can definitely use a 9x5 inch loaf pan for this recipe as well -- just begin checking the cake after 55 minutes of baking.
If you try this recipe,I would love it if you couldleave a star review rating and comment below! It’s so wonderful hearing your feedback! And don’t forget to share your creations with me by tagging@chenee_today on Instagram!
More Pound Cake Recipes You'll Love
- Chocolate Sour Cream Pound Cake
- Apple Cider Donut Cake
- Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake
- Key Lime Pound Cake
📖 Recipe
Marble Loaf Cake - Starbucks Copycat Recipe
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The best marble loaf cake recipe - Starbucks has nothing on this one! It’s a chocolate marble loaf cake with swirls of vanilla and chocolate cake batter. We’re using sour cream to make our marble loaf cake moist and the results are amazing!
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine :American, German
Servings: 10 slices
Calories: 406kcal
Recipe Source: Chenée Lewis
Equipment you may need
9 x 5 in. loaf pan
Ingredients
- baking spray
- 1 ⅔ cups (333 g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (170 g) salted butter - room temperature (1 ½ sticks)
- 4 large eggs - room temperature
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) pure vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup (153 g) full-fat sour cream - room temperature
- 2 cups (250 g) cake flour - measured by weight using akitchen scaleor with thespoon and level method
- ½ teaspoon (2 g) baking soda
- ⅓ cup (29 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ cup (59 ml) boiling water
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray a loaf pan with baking spray and line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal.
baking spray
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
1 ⅔ cups granulated sugar, ¾ cup salted butter
Add eggs one at a time, followed by vanilla and sour cream, mixing well after each addition.
4 large eggs, 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract, ⅔ cup full-fat sour cream
Sift in flour and baking soda and mix gently until just combined.
2 cups cake flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda
Spoon ⅓ of the batter into a separate bowl and add cocoa and hot water. Mix until just combined and smooth.
¼ cup boiling water, ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
Alternate ⅓ cup scoops of vanilla and chocolate batter into the center of prepared loaf pan until all batter is added. Tap loaf pan onto the counter a few times to minimize air bubbles, then gently swirl with a butter knife or toothpick to marble the top of the loaf.
Bake in preheated oven for 65-70 minutes or until a toothpick in the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan for 15 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
Video
Notes
Storage and freezing: You can store this cake in an airtight container for up to 4 days at room temperature -- if you would like to store it longer, you can freeze it, well wrapped, for up to 2 months.
Loaf pan size: Some bakers have mentioned to me that they ended up with too much batter for an 8.5 x 4.5 in. loaf pan. This may come from an excess of flour in the batter, which can happen if you measuring flour by volume instead of weight. To prevent this, I always recommend measuring dry ingredients by weight using a kitchen scaleor with thespoon and level method. To be on the safe side, you can definitely use a 9x5 inch loaf pan for this recipe as well -- just begin checking the cake after 55 minutes of baking.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 slice | Calories: 406 kcal | Carbohydrates: 54 g | Protein: 6 g | Fat: 19 g | Saturated Fat: 11 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5 g | Trans Fat: 1 g | Cholesterol: 110 mg | Sodium: 215 mg | Potassium: 121 mg | Fiber: 2 g | Sugar: 34 g | Vitamin A: 617 IU | Vitamin C: 1 mg | Calcium: 39 mg | Iron: 1 mg
Nutrition Disclaimer
Did you try this recipe? Rate it below!I can't wait to see (and share) your results! Follow me on Instagram at @chenee_today and tag #cheneetoday!
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Last Updated on February 28, 2024 by Chenée Lewis
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Reader Interactions
Comments
V
Super delicious!! The pound cake was moist and soft. Definitely making this again!Reply
Chenée Lewis
Yay! Thank you so much!
Reply
Jeff
This makes a really tasty marble loaf cake. It’s flavorful and moist.But, the only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is that the pan size is absolutely not correct. And, it’s not a problem with measuring the flour improperly. I followed the directions and used the recommended 8.5 loaf pan and the batter completely overflowed and burned in the bottom of my oven. When I put the batter in the pan, it didn’t seem like it was too much. But, when it baked, it was a nasty mess.
I am a very experienced baker and have baked professionally. I weigh my ingredients. I should have followed my gut and used a 9.5 pan, but I assumed the recipe was well-tested, so I went with the author’s instructions. I don’t know if somehow pan sizes vary, but I can’t see how this could ever work in a 8.5 pan.
That said, if you are going to make this cake, USE A 9.5 LOAF PAN or you may end up with a mess.
Reply
Chenée Lewis
So glad you liked the flavor of the cake, and thanks for the feedback! I personally have made this cake in both a 9.5 and an 8.5-inch pan, but I appreciate you sharing your experience! I've seen a few comments like this so I'll just update the instructions to be for a 9.5-inch pan, to hopefully avoid any future messes! 🙂
Reply
Dina and Bruce
So moist. Love how the bread looks like tiger stripes! Making it again this weekend!Reply
Chenée Lewis
I'm so glad you like it!
Reply
Shelby
This is such an easy and elegant looking loaf! Perfect for dinner parties or with my afternoon tea!Reply
Justine
This was so soft and fluffy! Easy to make, too!Reply
Chenée Lewis
Wonderful! So glad you liked it.
Reply
Sharon
Gorgeous swirl!! I love recipes like this for someone like myself who can't decide between two flavors! lolReply
Casey
This definitely tasted just like Starbucks - only better because I got to eat the entire thing! So good and made the perfect breakfast for days!Reply
Chenée Lewis
So glad that you liked it!
Reply
Kim
I love the Starbucks version of this and yours looks so good! I also love knowing exactly what is in my food, so this is the perfect copycat recipe for me!Reply
Addy
Soooooo delicious! It’s nice and moist if you don’t overbake it and the flavour is wonderful. Thank you!Reply
Chenée Lewis
Good to hear that! Thank you so much!
Reply
Alodia
Hi, just wondering if this can be done in a 9 x 13 sheet cake pan?
Reply
Chenée Lewis
Hi! I haven't tried it that way, so I'm not sure how it would turn out. It would most likely have a shorter baking time.
Reply
SWain
Great recipe, personally I don’t eat carbs or go to Starbucks. I made it for my mom and she loooooved it!!!
I found it a very easy recipe to make doubled it so I could use my grandmothers Pullman pan. I will definitely make this again!Reply
Chenée Lewis
So glad it was a hit! Thank you so much!
Reply
Emma
This cake turned out amazing! Definitely tastes like Starbucks. Such a great recipe!!!
Reply
Chenée Lewis
So glad you liked it! Thank you!
Reply
Monya
It came out great, I will make againReply
Chenée Lewis
Glad to hear it! Thanks!
Reply
Stella
This is the best marble cake I've ever made or purchased. I made it twice in 1 week. I would say it's better than Starbucks and I really like Starbucks! Thank you!
Reply
Chenée Lewis
Thank you so much! So glad you liked it!
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