Marble Bundt Cake

Marble Bundt Cake - Ultra moist vanilla and chocolate cake swirled together and topped with a smooth chocolate ganache! The best of both worlds if you ask me!

Not only is this cake absolutely gorgeous, it is incredibly DELICIOUS and so easy to make!

Marble Bundt Cake Ingredients

Chocolate Swirl

• Cocoa Powder - Use dutch process cocoa powder for more intense chocolate flavor.
• Espresso Powder - This is optional, but highly recommended as brings out the flavor of the chocolate.
• Hot Water - How water will be used to "bloom" the cocoa powder. Alternatively, if you do not have espresso powder, you can also use hot black coffee in place of the hot water.
• Semi-Sweet Chocolate - This cake isn't very sweet, so I wouldn't go too dark. I find that semi-sweet is the perfect balance.

Vanilla Cake Batter

• All-Purpose Flour - Use a good quality flour, such as King Arthur.
• Baking Powder and Baking Soda -  These leveners that are essential to help the cake rise and creates a light and fluffy texture.
• Salt - Just a little to balance out the sugar and flavors.
• Unsalted Butter - The key to fluffy cake is to use room temperature butter.
• Oil - Use any neutral oil such as, avocado, canola, or grapeseed.
• White Sugar -  Do not use less sugar than what is called for in this recipe. The cake isn’t very sweet. Using less will result in a dry cake.
• Eggs -  Make sure your eggs are at room temperature. You can quickly bring your eggs to temp by submerging them in hot tap water for 15 minutes.
• Vanilla Extract or Vanilla Paste - Use a good quality vanilla for best results.
• Cake Batter Extract - This is my secret ingredient. The cake batter extract adds a rich buttery taste. I used McCormick brand. If you are unable to find this extract, use 2 ½ teaspoons of vanilla extract or paste.
• Sour Cream - Use room temperature, full fat sour cream for best results. The sour cream gives the cake structure, it also makes it extremely moist. You can also substitute for plain Greek yogurt.
• Buttermilk - Will create a tender cake, thanks to the acid in your buttermilk. The acid will break down the gluten in the flour. Your buttermilk should also be at room temperature.

Chocolate Ganache

• Chocolate - I used bittersweet chocolate, but you can use semi-sweet or milk chocolate.
• Heavy Cream - Makes the ganache smooth and creamy.

Marble Bundt Cake Instructions

Step 1 - Make the chocolate swirl - In a small bowl, add cocoa powder and espresso powder, followed by boiling hot water. Whisk until dissolved. Immediately add your chocolate chips or finely chopped chocolate and stir until combined. Set aside.

Step 2 - Make your vanilla cake batter - Start by adjusting an oven rack to the center and preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). In a medium sized bowl, combine your flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and set aside. Then in a measuring cup or small bowl preferably with a spout, combine buttermilk and sour cream and set aside.

Step 3 - With a hand-held or your stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whisk on medium/high your room temperature butter, oil and sugar until light and fluffy. About 3 minutes.

Step 4 - Add the eggs one at a time and mix well after each addition, about 45 seconds each. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.

Step 5 - Add you vanilla and cake batter extract and mix until combined.

Step 6 - On low, alternate between mixing your dry ingredients and buttermilk/sour cream mixture just until combined. Start by adding a third of the dry ingredients, then half of the buttermilk/sour cream, followed by another third of the dry, the rest of the wet and finally, the rest of the dry (dry, wet, dry, wet, dry). Remember to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl after each addition. Careful not to overmix.

Step 7 - Remove 1 cup of your vanilla batter and add it to your chocolate swirl mixture. Gently mix just until combined.

Step 8 - In a generously greased (I use Baker's Joy spray) 10 to 12 Cup Bundt pan, add half of your vanilla batter, followed by all of your chocolate batter and the rest of the vanilla batter. With a skewer or knife, swirl the batter together (I swirled it about 8 times). Try not to over swirl as the marbling can become muddled. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a inserted toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Allow to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes and then insert onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 8 - Make your chocolate ganache - When you're ready to serve, make your ganache. Add finely chopped chocolate into a bowl. Heat your cream in a saucepan or microwave to about 200ºF (93ºC), which is right below the boiling point. Pour hot cream over your chocolate, making sure to submerge it. Cover with a tea towel and let stand, untouched for 5 minutes. Slowly mix your ganache with a spatula to ensure a smooth ganache. Mixing it too quickly can create air bubbles and make the texture grainy.

Step 9 - Pour your ganache over your cake and serve right away. Enjoy!!

Expert Tips

• Use a kitchen scale to weigh all your ingredients. It's the best and most accurate way to bake. You can read more about this below.

• If you are not using a kitchen scale, measure your flour correctly. Fluff and aerate your flour first, then spoon into your measuring cup and finally level off with the back of a butter knife. Do not pack it in as it will add too much flour.

• Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature – This includes the butter, eggs, sour cream and buttermilk. Quickly bring your butter to temp, by cutting into small cubes and microwave in 5 to 10 second intervals, making sure to not melt your butter. To quickly bring eggs to room temp, submerge them in a bowl of hot tap water for 15 minutes. To quickly bring your sour cream and buttermilk to temp, microwave them in 10 second intervals.

• Do not overmix your batter – Be careful not to overmix when adding your flour and buttermilk/sour cream mixture. Overworking the batter can result in a dry and crumbly cake.

• Follow the recipe exactly – I know it can be tempting to alter a recipe, but doing so can change the final outcome. For instance, 1 ½ cups of sugar may seem like a lot, but it’s the perfect amount of sweetness and sugar is needed to keep the cake soft.

• Do not overbake – Overbaking will dry out your cake. It will take between 40 to 45 minutes to bake. You’ll know when it’s done when an inserted toothpick comes out with very few crumbs or when the internal temperature reaches 200ºF (93ºC)

• If your chocolate ganache is too thick, add 1 to 2 more tablespoons of HOT heavy cream and mix until combined.

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If you have made this recipe, or any of my other recipes, I would love to know how it turned out for you! Please consider leaving a star rating and review below and tag me on Instagram @shortstackkitchen. Thank you so much!

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