Equipment
- kitchen scales
- 26 cm metal ring tin
- mixer and mixing bowl
- sieve
- spatula and fork
- wooden skewer for testing doneness
- cooling rack
Make one egg-and-butter cake batter, sift unsweetened cocoa into half, then alternate the two mixtures in a 26 cm ring tin. A few gentle sweeps with a fork create the marbling. Bake at approximately 170 °C on the reference fan setting for 45–65 minutes, checking the thickest part rather than relying on the clock.
Ingredients
1 marble cake in a 26 cm ring tinCheck off ingredients as you prepare them
1 marble cake in a 26 cm ring tin
- 250 g plain wheat flour
- 150 g softened butter
- 180 g granulated sugar
- 5 ml vanilla extract
- 200 ml milk
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 8 g baking powder
- 30 g unsweetened cocoa powder
- 5 g butter for the tin
- 5 g flour for the tin
Method
- Prepare the tin and oven. Grease a 26 cm metal ring tin with 5 g butter, then dust with 5 g flour. Set the oven to 170 °C fan; follow your oven’s guidance on preheating.
- Measure the dry ingredients. Weigh 250 g plain wheat flour, 8 g baking powder and, separately, 30 g unsweetened cocoa powder. Sift the flour with the baking powder; sift the cocoa separately.
- Make the pale base. Beat 3 room-temperature eggs with 180 g sugar and 5 ml vanilla extract until lighter and creamy. Add 150 g softened butter and mix gently until evenly combined.
- Add flour and milk. Add the sifted flour mixture alternately with 200 ml milk, in batches. Stop mixing once no dry flour remains: the batter should be thick but easy to spread.
- Make the cocoa half. Divide the batter roughly in half. Fold 30 g sifted cocoa into one half. Compare both mixtures; the cocoa batter may be slightly thicker.
- Create the marble pattern. Spoon small portions of pale and dark batter alternately into the prepared tin. Draw just a few broad spirals with a fork; do not blend them into one colour.
- Bake until the centre sets. At 170 °C using the reference fan setting, allow approximately 45–65 minutes. Oven and tin shape affect the time, so start checking towards the beginning of the range.
- Test for doneness. Insert a wooden skewer into the thickest part. It should not come out with liquid raw batter. If it does, continue baking and test again after a few minutes.
- Cool before slicing. Let the cake rest briefly in its tin, then turn it carefully onto a cooling rack. Slice only when the crumb has cooled enough to hold together.
Two checkpoints for a soft, well-marbled cake
Consistency. Both batters should be similarly easy to spread. Sift the cocoa into the dark half and avoid adding unmeasured extra liquid: that would change the ingredient proportions. The guide to why a butter-and-egg mixture curdles helps you recognise problems when combining these ingredients.
Swirls and doneness. A few strokes create distinct light and dark patches; too many merge them. A brown crust does not prove that the middle is baked: check for the absence of wet batter. For a dry cake or a wet band inside, the guide to moisture in cake crumb offers further explanation.
Troubleshooting
| What you see | Likely reason | What to do next |
|---|---|---|
| The swirl has disappeared | The batters were mixed together too thoroughly | Layer them alternately and use fewer strokes with the fork. |
| The dark section is dense | The cocoa batter is thicker or unevenly distributed | Sift the cocoa and spoon the dark mixture into several smaller sections. |
| A wet band remains inside | The centre has not finished setting | Use a skewer in the thickest part and continue baking if batter is still liquid. |
| The cake crumbles dry | It may have baked too long or too much flour was used | Weigh the flour and check the centre earlier next time. |
About oven settings and tin shape
For a 26 cm ring tin, 170 °C fan and 45–65 minutes are a starting point, not a guarantee for every oven. With a different tin shape, check the thickest part of the cake. The guide to oven settings and rack position for baking explains the differences between heating modes and shelf positions.
Frequently asked questions
Answers to common questions
Why do the marble swirls disappear?
Too much mixing blends the batters into one shade. Make only a few broad passes through the layered mixture.
Can I bake it in a loaf tin?
Yes, but the batter depth changes. Do not copy the ring-tin baking time without checking the centre.
Why is the cocoa batter thicker?
Cocoa adds dry particles to that half. Sift it, fold it in evenly and layer the two mixtures in smaller portions.
How do I know the centre is baked?
Test the thickest part with a wooden skewer. A few moist crumbs are different from liquid raw batter, which needs more baking.