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Learn how to make a moist, delicious Marble Cake the easy way! Chocolate and yellow cake batters are swirled together for a beautiful dessert that looks super fancy but requires very little effort.

Want to add more easy cakes to your recipe box? Try my Easy Chocolate Snack Cake and Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake.

marble cake slices on plates
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This Marble Cake recipe is one of my all time favorite cakes. With a few simple swaps, the doctored up cake mix is so moist it doesn’t even need frosting. The swaps make the cake a little more dense, a lot richer, and more flavorful. Plus there are only 6 ingredients!

Then, instead of having to make two separate cake batters, you just scoop out some of the yellow cake batter and add chocolate to it. Swirl the chocolate into the yellow in the bundt pan and you’ve got a gorgeous marbled cake with hardly any effort.

RECIPE WALK-THROUGH

Ingredient Notes

You only need 6 simple ingredients – nothing about this cake is complicated!

  • 1 box of Yellow Cake Mix – my personal favorite brand is Betty Crocker, but you can use any brand you like. A white cake mix would also work, I just happen to prefer the buttery taste of yellow cake.
  • 4 Eggs – this is one more than the box usually calls for.
  • 1 cup Milk – in place of the water. If your cake mix calls for less water, reduce the milk to match.
  • â…” cup Melted Butter – I use butter instead of oil any time I make a boxed cake mix. It makes the cake richer and more moist. Measure the solid butter, then melt it in the microwave or on the stovetop. Again if your box calls for less than 2/3 cup of oil, reduce the butter to match.
  • High-quality Cocoa Powder – This is added to only about a third of the cake batter to give you the chocolate swirl.

How To Make Marble Cake

See the recipe card below for full, detailed instructions

Make the yellow cake batter. Use the swaps listed in the ingredients and beat the batter with an electric mixer for 2 minutes to make it light and fluffy.

Mix in the cocoa. Scoop about a third of the yellow cake batter into a bowl and stir in the cocoa powder.

yellow cake batter with cocoa powder

Layer and swirl the batters together. Pour half of the remaining yellow cake batter into a greased 10-inch bundt pan. To get the marbled effect, use a small spoon to drop scoops of the chocolate batter on top, then pour the rest of the yellow batter over that. Gently give it a few swirls with a knife. Don’t swirl too much or the batters will become muddled and you’ll lose that beautiful marbled effect.

steps for layering cake batter in bundt pan

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

baked cake in a bundt pan

Cool. Let the cake cool in the bundt pan for 10-15 minutes. Place a wire baking rack on top of the pan, then hold the rack and pan together and slowly turn it over so the cake falls onto the rack. Cool completely, then dust with powdered sugar (optional) before slicing and serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is it called a Marble Cake?

The yellow and chocolate cake batters are swirled together, but not completely mixed, giving the cake a marbled effect.

Can I make this into cupcakes?

You can! Just follow the directions in the recipe, and instead of pouring the batter into a bundt pan, fill cupcake cups about halfway with yellow cake batter. Drop teaspoons of chocolate batter on top and swirl a few times with a toothpick. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Frost with your favorite chocolate frosting.

Can I make this into a sheet cake?

A sheet cake is just as easy as a bundt cake. Grease a 13×9-inch baking pan and follow the same directions as the bundt cake. Bake at 350 degrees for 28-32 minutes. Frost with your favorite chocolate frosting.

Storage Tips

The Best Way to Store Leftovers

  • How to store leftover cake: Keep the cake tightly wrapped on a platter, or in an airtight container. It should stay fresh and moist for about 3 days. Do not refrigerate or it will dry out.
  • How to freeze leftover cake: Wrap the whole cake or individual slices tightly with 2 layers of plastic wrap, then place in a freezer bag or container. Freeze for up to 6 months.
2 slices of marble cake on a plate

Recipe Tips

  • Bake from scratch – If you want to bake the cake from scratch, feel free to use your favorite yellow cake recipe.
  • Topping – Instead of powdered sugar, you can add a glaze or a chocolate ganache on top.
  • Room Temp Ingredients – Especially in baking, it’s important to use room temperature ingredients. This will help everything come together easily and will improve the texture of your batter.

More Cake Recipes You’ll Love

Recipe

Easy Marble Cake

4.71 from 31 votes
Easy Marble Cake with swirls of chocolate and buttery yellow cake batter. It's a beautiful, delicious dessert made with very little effort.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 12 slices

Ingredients
  

  • 15 ounce Box of yyellow cake mix
  • 4 Eggs
  • 1 cup Milk
  • 2/3 cup Butter melted
  • 2 tablespoons Cocoa powder
  • Powdered sugar optional
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Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 10-inch bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray.
  • In a large bowl and with an electric mixer, beat cake mix, eggs, milk and butter for 2 minutes at medium speed, scraping the sides and bottom a couple of times so everything is incorporated.
  • Scoop out about ¾ cup of the batter into another bowl. Stir in the cocoa powder.
  • Pour about â…” of the yellow cake batter into the budt pan. Drop spoonfuls of the chocolate mixture evenly on top of the yellow. Pour the remaining yellow cake batter evenly on top. Take a knife and make a few swirls into the batter. *Note – take care not to scrape the metal pan with the knife or it will scratch.
  • Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  • Cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Transfer to a serving platter and dust with powdered sugar, then slice and serve.

Notes

  • How to store leftover cake: Keep the cake tightly wrapped on a platter, or in an airtight container. It should stay fresh and moist for about 3 days. Do not refrigerate or it will dry out.
  • How to freeze leftover cake: Wrap the whole cake or individual slices tightly with 2 layers of plastic wrap, then place in a freezer bag or container. Freeze for up to 6 months.

Nutrition

Calories: 284kcalCarbohydrates: 37gProtein: 4gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 84mgSodium: 433mgPotassium: 83mgFiber: 1gSugar: 20gVitamin A: 427IUCalcium: 126mgIron: 1mg

Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.

Kristin Maxwell

Kristin Maxwell is the creator and main recipe developer, writer, and photographer of Yellow Bliss Road. A self-taught cook and self-appointed foodie, she specializes in easy, flavorful and approachable recipes for any home cook.

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Comments

  1. Shelly says:

    Can I use this recipe in a 9×13 pan?

    1. Kristin Maxwell says:

      Yes, you can.

  2. Hanmah says:

    Hi can I make this is a 6 inch cake pan

    1. Kristin Maxwell says:

      Yes, but you’d need to use at least 3 pans and divide evenly among them.

  3. Tamara says:

    Can I use chocolate syrup in place of cocoa power?

    1. Kristin Maxwell says:

      No, that wouldn’t be an equal substitute. Chocolate syrup has a lot of sugar and would add additional liquid. Is there a reason you don’t want to add the powder?