Marble loaf cake
Marble loaf cake gives you the best of both worlds – a swirl of vanilla and chocolate loaf cake all in one bake!
Marble loaf cake is a delicious classic bake. It combines both a chocolate and vanilla loaf cake in one scrumptious bake, perfect for any afternoon tea.
Loaf cakes are great bakes that my kids and I love to make, partly because they’re so simple, but also because they’re made with mostly store cupboard ingredients. They’re quick to make, and the marble effect in this is no harder to do than a regular loaf cake. Loaf cakes are also a great simple alternative to more complicated, decorative layer cakes. There’s no fancy decoration or piping which makes them great for kids to try. But that doesn’t mean they’re not still delicious.
How can kids help make a marble loaf cake?
This marble loaf cake is a great, fun bake for kids. It’s really simple, just as easy as a plain vanilla loaf cake, but the marble in it makes it look much fancier!
Loaf cakes are also perfect for kids to make as there are no tricky decorations to master. You can add some chocolate on top, or just leave it as is.
Even though the marble loaf cake is easy to make that doesn’t mean that there aren’t lots of things for kids to get involved in when they bake it. They can measure all the ingredients out and mix it all together. They can also have a go at cracking the eggs (which is a crucial baking skill for anyone to master).
We’ve kept the decoration very simple in this loaf cake meaning your kids can take charge of it, spreading the two melted chocolates with palette knife and swirling them together to make a nice marble swirl.
How long does a marble loaf cake keep?
This marble loaf cake will keep in an air tight container for a few days.
If you want to keep it for longer than that, you can freeze it for up to three months. To freeze it, wait until it has cooled but don’t decorate it. Wrap it well in cling film / glad wrap then put it in a freezer bag. Make sure you defrost it fully at room temperature then add any decoration before you serve it.
What is baking spread / margarine?
Baking spread or baking margarine is just a non-dairy margarine. Stork is a well known example you can find easily in the supermarket in the UK). Baking spreads are perfect for baking as they generally makes cakes and cupcakes lighter and fluffier than if you use butter, which means it’s a great, cheaper alternative. It’s also often suitable for vegans, although you should check the specific label.
What can I use if I don’t have any self raising flour?
Self raising flour is easy to find in any supermarket here in the UK but if you live elsewhere or don’t have any to hand you can swap it for an equal amount of plain or all purpose flour and add 1 ½ tea spoons of baking powder and a pinch of salt.
What size is a 2lb loaf tin?
The dimensions of a 2lb / 900g loaf tin will vary slightly, but are generally about 24 x 14 x 6.5cm (9.5 x 5.5 x 2.5 inches). You can check the size of your tin, even if you don’t have a ruler by filling it with water then pouring the water into a measuring jug. A 2lb tin should hold at least 1.2 litres.
Don’t fill your tin more than about ¾ full or it might overflow when it’s in the oven. If you only have smaller tins, for this recipe you’re best to fill each tin with half the mixture and adjust the baking time down slightly.
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Can I make this in a cake tin rather than a loaf tin?
Yes we’ve baked this in a loaf tin, but you could make it in a 9 inch round cake tin. You’ll need to adjust the timing of the bake down to around half an hour though.
Similar recipes
If you liked this marble loaf cake you might also want to try one of these delicious classic bakes and other great bakes that use the same loaf tin:
Ginger loaf cake
Treacle sponge
Lemon and blueberry loaf
Fruit loaf
Caramel and apple loaf
Vanilla loaf cake
Lemon drizzle cake
Raspberry and white chocolate loaf cake
Madeira cake
Victoria sponge
Vanilla cupcakes
Vanilla loaf cake
Chocolate loaf cake
Useful equipment
You might need the following baking tools/gadgets to make this marble loaf cake
Digital scales
Freestanding mixer
Mixing bowl
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
2 lb loaf tin
Wire rack
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Ingredients
For the marble loaf cake
250g (1 cup cup) caster sugar
250g (1 cup) butter or baking spread
3 eggs
250g (1 3/4 cups) self raising flour *
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
50ml milk
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
For the decoration (optional)
100g milk chocolate
100g white chocolate
Chocolate sprinkles
- If you don’t have self raising flour, swap it for an equal amount of plain/all-purpose flour and add 1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder.
How to make a marble loaf cake
Preheat your oven to 180C / 170C Fan / 340F and grease 2lb loaf tin with butter or a little oil then line it with baking or parchment paper.
If you don’t have any purpose made loaf tin liners, we find the easiest way of lining baking tins with baking paper is to cut a strip to fit the width of the tin then place it in. Repeat this step with a strip going in the other direction. Be sure to leave a bit hanging over the edge as you’ll find it easier to remove the loaf cake from the tin once it’s baked.
Don’t skip the greasing step as it will help stick the baking paper to your tin when you add the batter.
Cream the butter and sugar together
Get your kids to measure out the butter and sugar. If you’re using butter as opposed to baking spread/margarine make sure it is soft enough to mix in. Cut it into a few pieces and pop it in the microwave to soften it if you need to. Baking spread is already soft so if you’re using that you can just add it straight in.
Cream the butter and sugar together with the k-paddle of your free-standing mixer, a hand held mixer or even wooden spoons. Beat it until they look light and fluffy.
Add the eggs and vanilla
Start, by adding the vanilla. If your kids are young, you might need to hold the teaspoon steady while they pour in the vanilla or vice versa.
Then get your kids to crack the eggs into a small bowl and before adding them into your mixing bowl one at a time, mixing them in in-between each addition.
Add the flour and milk
Get your kids to measure out the flour then add that into your mixing bowl. Stir it in until you have a nice smooth batter.
Add the milk, and stir it through to thin the batter slightly.
Make the two different batters
Split the batter into two different bowls. You can do it by eye or use your scales. It’ll be roughly 450g per half.
Add the cocoa powder to one half of the batter then stir it through so it is well combined and you have one vanilla batter and a chocolaty batter.
Make the marble loaf
Get your kids to spoon each batter into your prepared loaf tin. Rather than adding them all at once add dollops of each into the tin in different parts. Once you’ve added all the batter, you can use a skewer to swirl it through to create even more of a marble effect.
Bake the marble loaf
Bake the marble loaf cake for 50-60 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when it has risen nicely and the vanilla parts of it have turned a nice golden brown colour (it’s harder to tell from the chocolate parts).
To double check it’s ready you can insert a skewer or something else sharp into the middle of the loaf and if it comes out clean it’s ready. If there’s batter still sticking to it pop the cake back into the the oven for a few more minutes.
If you find your loaf is browning too quickly on top before the middle is ready cover it with some foil for the last part of the bake.
Remove your loaf cake from the oven and leave it to cool in the tin for a few minutes before taking it out the tin and popping it on to a wire rack to cool completely.
Decorate the marble loaf cake
You can leave the marble loaf as it is, but if you like you can add a little bit of decoration.
Start by measuring both chocolates out, breaking them into pieces and adding them to separate heatproof bowl.
Heat them each in a double boiler (a bowl set over a pan of simmering water).
Once each chocolate has melted you can pipe them over the top, or do like we did and add one over the top and spread it out with a spatula or the back of a spoon. Then before it sets add the other and swirl them through.
Leave the chocolate to set.
Serve and enjoy.
Marble loaf cake
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat your oven to 180C / 170C Fan / 340F and grease 2lb loaf tin with butter or a little oil then line it with baking or parchment paper.
- Measure out the butter and sugar and cream them together with the k-paddle of your free-standing mixer, a hand held mixer or even wooden spoons. Beat it until it looks light and fluffy.
- Start, by adding the vanilla.Then crack the eggs into a small bowl and before adding them into your mixing bowl one at a time, mixing them in in-between each addition.
- Measure out the flour then add that into your mixing bowl. Stir it in until you have a nice smooth batter.Add the milk, and stir it through to thin the batter slightly.
- Split the batter into two different bowls. You can do it by eye or use your scales if you want to be more precise. It'll be roughly 450g per half.
- Add the cocoa powder to one half of the batter then stir it through so it is well combined and you have one vanilla batter and a chocolatey batter.
- Spoon each batter into your prepared loaf tin. Rather than adding them all at once add dollops of each into the tin in different parts. Once you've added all the batter, you can use a skewer to swirl it through to create even more of a marble effect.
- Bake the marble loaf cake for 50-60 minutes. You'll know it's ready when it has risen nicely and the vanilla parts of it have turned a nice golden brown colour (it's harder to tell from the chocolate parts).To double check it's ready you can insert a skewer or something else sharp into the middle of the loaf and if it comes out clean it's ready. If there's batter still sticking to it pop the cake back into the the oven for a few more minutes.If you find your loaf is browning too quickly on top before the middle is ready cover it with some foil for the last part of the bake.
- Remove your loaf cake from the oven and leave it to cool in the tin for a few minutes before taking it out the tin and popping it on to a wire rack to cool completely.
- You can leave the marble loaf as it is, but if you like you can add a little bit of decoration.Start by measuring both chocolates out, breaking them into pieces and adding them to separate heatproof bowl.Heat them each in a double boiler (a bowl set over a pan of simmering water).
- Once each chocolate has melted you can pipe them over the top, or do like we did and add one over the top and spread it out with a spatula or the back of a spoon. Then before it sets add the other and swirl them through by running a skewer in one direction a few times. Leave the chocolate to set.
Notes
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