A lovely tender crumbed Marble Cake made extra easy and moist with oil!
Why Use Oil in a Cake?
Oil. Marble Cake with Oil. Yes, I know, I know, that just sounds... meh. Stay with me a minute though. Oil is not as sexy sounding as butter, I know this, but there is a method to this madness!
Not only do oil based cakes turn out very moist, they also have the added advantage of the convenience of oil - no softening required. In an extra bonus oil is also a more frugal choice than butter.
More Cakes with Oil
Easy Lemon Cake
What does this Easy Marble Cake taste like?
This cake reminds me of the bakery cakes of my youth. Those cakes were not dense like a pound cake, they were made inexpensively from accessible ingredients, light cakes perfect for tea time to be paired with that perfect cup of Doodhpatti Chai.
This marble cake recipe with oil results in a cake that is nice and soft, with lightly sweet mellow flavours. The flavours of vanilla and chocolate are distinct, yet not overpowering.
I give the option of ganache on frequent request, but I will be honest and say I prefer it as is.
Quick Visuals
Add the sugar, oil and eggs to a bowl and mix for 2 minutes on high speed. Once the eggs are combined then add the vanilla extract.
Now you will mix your dry ingredients and milk in alternating between the two in batches of 2-3. Mix it until just combined, resist the urge to create a super smooth batter! Pull out a cup of the batter and add in sifted cocoa powder and milk to that mix. This will be the chocolatey part of the cake. Layer the batters in the pan and swirl with a skewer to create a marbled effect.
Bake at 350F till a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean, I usually check in at the 55 minute mark. Let it cool for 10 minutes then invert.
How to Make the Ganache
As I have said before I don't feel the cake needs a ganache, but sometimes an occasion calls for it so here's how to make the easiest one.
Warm ¼ cup cream, pour it over ½ cup of chocolate chips or 4 ounces of the chocolate of your choice. Mix well. If the chips/chocolate doesnt melt then you can put in the microwave for 20 seconds at a time and mix until it's all melted.
Drizzle the ganache over the cake and serve.
Note: I usually like more dark chocolate and here I used a semi sweet, but secretly prefer the cake with a milk chocolate ganache (shhh don't tell anyone).
How to Store this Marble Cake
Now this cake is good the day of, but if you wrap it tightly in foil and eat it the next day - my friends, that is just something else! This cake keeps well for up to 3 days at room temperature. You can wrap it well and freeze for up to 3 months.
4 Must Know Cake Tips
- Room temperature eggs are the way to go! Cold eggs won't incorporate as well into the batter.
- Use a light hand to measure your flour, making sure to aerate the flour before lightly filling the cup measure. ( before you ask, yes I will add grams to the measurements soon!)
- Do not overmix your cake batter - I run the electric beater initially but the last bit of dry ingredients I mix in with a spatula. If you over mix flour it activates the gluten in it leading to a tougher cake.
- ALWAYS check on your cake a few minutes before it's "supposed to" be ready - pans and ovens will lead to variation in bake time.
Please note that this Easy Marble Cake with Oil is substantive because of the eggs, but it is not quite a pound cake. If you are looking for one then two of my favourites are my Nutella Pound Cake and Cream Cheese Pound Cake.
Made this recipe? Rate it below! I love hearing from you guys! If you want to share your baked beauty with me then tag me @flourandspiceblog on Instagram. Can't wait to see your Marble Cake!
Easy Marble Cake with Oil
Equipment
- electric beater
- 9*5 Loaf Pan
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cup all purpose flour 210g
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder 7.5g
- ½ tsp salt 3g
- ½ cup neutral oil (such as corn oil) 112g
- 1 ½ cup sugar 300g
- 4 eggs 53g * 4
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract 6g
- ½ cup milk 125g
Chocolate Mix
- 3 tbsp cocoa (sifted) 21 g
- 1 tbsp milk 15g
Ganache (Optional)
- ½ cup chocolate chips (or 4 oz chocolate) 115g
- ¼ cup whipping cream 60g
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350, grease a nonstick loaf tin (9*5)
- Combine the first three ingredients in a bowl, set aside
- Use a mixing bowl to whip the oil, sugar and eggs together on high speed for about two minutes.
- Add the vanilla, beat for 30 seconds to combine.
- Alternately add the flour and milk to the bowl in two batches and mix until just combined. Do the last little bit with a spatula to avoid over mixing.
- Put a cup of the batter into a small bowl, add the 3 tbsp cocoa and 1 tbsp milk and mix until just combined.
- The batter for this cake is thin, so carefully add it to the loaf pan, alternating between dollops of vanilla and chocolate batter
- Use a long skewer or a knife to swirl the batter together
- Bake for an hour or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Wait ten minutes and then remove from the pan.
Ganache (Optional)
- Heat the cream until simmering, pour over the chocolate and mix well. If it doesn't melt the chocolate after a little stirring then microwave for 20 seconds to help the process along.
- Spread the ganache over the cake and serve.
Video
Notes
- I use dutch cocoa because that's what is commonly available in Canada, but this works with regular too
- reducing the sugar will reduce the moisture in the cake so please check on it a little earlier if you choose to do so!
- this cake doesn't need a ganache, but I often get asked for how to make it so I've included that here as optional
Want to try this recipe? Pin it so you don't lose it!
Ambreen says
This recipe was easy and delicious! Will def make it again - we subbed half the oil with applesauce and taste and texture were still perfect! Thank you Sarah for your amazing recipes 🙂
Joe says
Love this recipe! I make it super often and it's so much better than pre packaged stuff!
Plus, I got a hankering for just a little snack, so I quartered the recipe, put it in a little glass Tupperware, and 45 mins at 350 in the air fryer later, I had a proper single serving cake! Didn't even have to take it out of the pan haha.
PS, cover it with foil or a small oven safe lid, you don't want to the top of your cake to get burnt
Sarah Mir says
Hello Joe! I absolutely loved reading this! How clever! I can't wait to try this air fryer cake hack - just genius!
Linda says
The doubled recipe came out great! Linda
Sarah Mir says
SO SO glad!
Linda says
Baked this cake, I tend to go for oil based cakes. Easier and healthier. It was gone overnight and it’s only me, my husband and son. I barely tasted it so we know where it went! I said I would bake it for a meeting tomorrow. Feeling bad about not leaving one home so I doubled it. Well, I have to say it was double the work as I was already tired. They are in the oven now, already at the top after 30 minutes. I have a sheet pan underneath in case of overflow. Will let you know how they turn out. Linda
Sarah Mir says
thank you so much Linda - really appreciate both the comments!
Batool says
I have tried this countless times and each time it comes out extremely well.
Thank you!
Sarah Mir says
Thrilled to hear it! thanks for the review!
Omara says
Hi thanks for this recipe it’s delicious ! I used 1to1 gluten free flour and whipping cream because I didn’t have any regular milk . As a result my loaf did not have a very “puffy” rounded top, instead it was a little more dense, but still was great! Also had a nice sugar “crisp” along the sides
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
oooh that sugar crispy part is the BEST! so glad you enjoyed it Omara! thank you for taking the time to leave a comment
Jelena says
Amazing recepie. We adore marble cake and I am always experimenting with it. This one turned out very puffy and gorgeously moist. I will substitute my butter recepie with yours. We in particular do not like very sweet cakes so I will use just a bit less sugar next time. Thnaks so much!
Sarah Mir says
Thank you so much for taking the time to share this! Reducing the sugar will make it a little less moist, but since this cake has such a lovely texture I can't imagine it will be a huge difference!
Jean says
Hi. I want to add orange zest to this recipe. How much can I add and where can I add? Also, what temperature and time do I need to adjust?
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Hi jean! I unfortunately have not tried to add orange zest into this recipe, but I imagine the zest of one orange would be plenty and you can put it in with the sugar. Everything else should stay as is!Let me know how it turns out!
Sadia Siddiqui says
Can I use self raising flour and omit baking powder?
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Hi Sadia! I haven’t tested it that way but id assume it’ll work! Do keep me posted!
Doris says
Tried it. Very good recipe. All the family loved it. Thank you for sharing Sarah. Will definitely make it again. Take care and stay safe. 🌹
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Thank you Doris! Makes me so happy to hear that!
Marla says
What kind of milk did you use in this? Buttermilk? Whole milk?
Thanks!
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Hey Marla! Regular Milk (Whole or 2%) works here! Happy Baking!
Navya says
Hi! I don’t have an electric mixer so can I whip the ingredients by hand or will that give me a different texture? Thanks for the recipe I’ve been looking for one that uses oil instead of sugar 🙂
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Hi Navya! If you mix by hand it will take some vigorous mixing for the eggs and sugar to become light and frothy, but if you are up for it then absolutely do it!
Joan says
I baked this cake but all my cocoa mixture sunk to the bottom of the pan, very disappointed. Don’t know why it did that. I have the upper part vanilla and the bottom chocolate. The vanilla part was sweet and the chocolate part was bitter. I think if I had gotten it swirled correctly it would of been better. Can you tell me why this happened? I would like to try it again. Thank you
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
ohmigoodness! that's too bad! the chocolate part shouldn't be bitter per se -perhaps a little more cocoa went in? That would make that batter heavier too. You are absolutely correct that swirling it more would make this less likely to happen
Fran says
Thanks. Will give it another go!!
Fran says
A very pleasant recipe with easy ingredients. Although my batter wasn’t runny, it was easy to spread. It was very good only thing is a bit dry. Don’t know why. Your pics look moist. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Hi fran! Thanks for sharing your feedback! I'd suggest dialing the bake time back by a few minutes and it should be perfect!
Sherry says
Really great recipe. I’ve never had a loaf cake come out so high and beautiful! It’s the perfect texture and taste!!
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
That's great to hear Sherry!!! Thank you for sharing!