Delicious Recipe: How To Make Marble Cake With Cake Mix

Marble cake from a box mix is one of the easiest ways to get a visually striking cake without much extra effort. You start with a white cake mix batter, stir cocoa into a portion of it, and swirl the two together in the pan. The oven does the rest. The trick to a good marble pattern is in the swirling. Too little and you get two distinct layers. Too much and the colors blend into a muddy brown. This recipe walks through the technique step by step. Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 1/3 cups (15.25 oz) white cake mix
• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 2/3 cups buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Equipment

Mixing bowl, measuring cups and spoons, whisk, rubber spatula, hand or stand mixer, 9-inch round cake pan, parchment paper, and a wire rack.

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1: Prep the pan. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease your 9-inch cake pan and line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper. Step 2: Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk together the cake mix, salt, and baking powder in a bowl. Set aside. Step 3: Cream the butter and sugar. Beat the butter on medium-high speed until smooth, then gradually add the sugar. Beat for about 2 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl as needed. Step 4: Add the eggs and vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time on low speed, beating after each one. Mix in the vanilla extract, then beat on medium-high until combined. Step 5: Alternate dry and wet ingredients. With the mixer on low speed, add the cake mix and buttermilk in alternating batches, starting and ending with the dry mix. Do not overmix. Stop as soon as the last addition is just incorporated. Step 6: Make the chocolate batter. Scoop out about 3/4 cup of the white batter into a separate bowl. Stir in the cocoa powder until it is evenly mixed. Step 7: Create the marble pattern. Pour the white batter into the prepared pan. Drop spoonfuls of the chocolate batter on top, spacing them out. Take a butter knife and drag it through the batter in a figure-eight or S-shaped pattern, pulling it through 3-4 times. Do not overswirl. A few bold strokes give a better marble effect than many small ones. Step 8: Bake and cool. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then turn it out onto the rack to cool completely before frosting.

Getting the Swirl Right

The marble pattern is the whole point of this cake, so it is worth taking a moment to get it right. Use a knife, not a spatula. A thin butter knife or a skewer creates clean, defined swirls. A wide spatula mixes too much batter at once and muddies the pattern. Go through the full depth of the batter. Push the knife all the way to the bottom of the pan. Surface-only swirling means the marble effect will only show on the top of the cake, not through every slice. Three to four passes is enough. Most people overswirl. Three or four long S-curves through the batter will produce a classic marble pattern. More than that and the two colors start blending together. Do not tap the pan after swirling. Tapping the pan on the counter (which is normally good practice to remove air bubbles) can flatten out the swirl pattern. Skip the tap for marble cakes.

Storage

An unfrosted marble cake can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to two days, or in the fridge for up to five days. Frosted cakes should be stored in the fridge and brought to room temperature for 20-30 minutes before serving. To freeze, wrap the cooled cake layers individually in plastic wrap and then in foil. They will keep in the freezer for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before frosting. Chilling the layers in the freezer for 20 minutes before assembling makes them easier to frost and stack without crumbling. If you do not have buttermilk, stir 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar into 1 2/3 cups of regular milk. Let it sit for 5 minutes before using. This creates a quick substitute that works just as well in this recipe. For frosting, vanilla buttercream is the classic choice. A simple Wilton-style buttercream pairs well without competing with the marble pattern. Chocolate ganache drizzled over the top is another popular option that highlights the chocolate swirl inside.

How to Make a Marble Cake With Two Cake Mixes?

Some people prefer to make a marble cake using two different mixes; a yellow cake mix and a chocolate cake mix. If this is the case, then we have the recipe for you. For your yellow cake mix, you’ll need 1 box of yellow cake mix (Betty Crocker is ideal), 115 grams of soft butter, 150ml of water, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, and 3 eggs. For your chocolate cake mix, you’ll need 1 box of chocolate cake mix (again, Betty Crocker is ideal), 115 grams of soft butter, 250 ml of water, and 3 eggs. You’ll also need a tub of milk chocolate frosting to frost your marble cake.

1. Now all you need to do is preheat your oven to 350F and prepare two cake pans by greasing them with shortening.
2. Grab two large bowls.
3. In the first, add all of the yellow cake ingredients and mix well for around 2-3 minutes.
4. In the second, add all of the chocolate cake ingredients and mix well for around 2-3 minutes.
5. Once both cake batters are ready, alternately pour a small amount of yellow and chocolate batters into your prepared pans and use a knife to create the marble design.
6. Place in the center of your preheated oven and bake for around 40 minutes (or until a skewer comes out clean).
7. Remove from oven and leave to cool before you frost the sides and top of the cake.
8. Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Why is Marble Cake Mix So Hard to Find?

Unfortunately, marble cake just isn’t quite as popular as it once was. And plus, it’s super easy to make your own cake with a marbled design, so it doesn’t really feel necessary anymore. If you’re still looking for a marble-boxed cake mix, Duncan Hines has one available called Signature Fudge Marble Cake Mix and Betty Crocker has one called Chocolate Swirl Cake Mix.

Is Marble Cake Mix Discontinued?

No. It hasn’t been discontinued. The flavor just isn’t as well-loved as it once was. However, Duncan Hines and Betty Crocker both still have marble cake mixes available if you’re desperately in search of one. They’re both affordable, easily accessible in most grocery stores, and absolutely delicious.

What is the Best Frosting For Marble Cake?

The most traditional frosting for marble cake is vanilla bean buttercream. This type of cake goes perfectly with vanilla bean buttercream and chocolate ganache. For the frosting, you’ll need 1 cup of butter, 3 cups of powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream, 1 tablespoon of vanilla bean paste, and a dash of salt.

1. Now all you need to do is add the butter to a stand mixer and beat for around 1-2 minutes.
2. At this point, you can add the powdered sugar and salt, and mix until just combined.
3. Now you can turn the mixer to high and mix until the buttercream is fluffy and smooth.
4. Add the vanilla paste and pour in the whipping cream and beat for a further few minutes.
5. You now have the perfect frosting for a marble cake!

How Do You Decorate a Marble Cake?

I’ve found that just a simple vanilla bean buttercream and chocolate ganache work best with a marble cake. As the inside of the cake is so striking, it’s best to stick to a relatively traditional frosting such as vanilla or chocolate. However, if you’d like to be particularly adventurous, you could make a marbled buttercream to match your marbled cake!

Tips and Tricks for Making Marble Cake

It is best to finish it off with chocolate ganache or chocolate frosting. Moreover, you can substitute buttermilk with a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar whenever buttermilk is unavailable in your local supermarket. Also, make sure to measure all the ingredients precisely. Thus, it is ideal to use a kitchen scale to measure the dry ingredients, especially the all-purpose flour, accurately. In addition to that, it would be best if you spooned it into a cup. Remember to measure and then level it.

Additionally, you can store marble cake in the refrigerator for weeks. Furthermore, you can chill the cake layers in the freezer for around twenty minutes before you begin assembling your marble cake. Doing this makes it easier to frost and stack.

To ensure that the cake layers are fluffy and tender, mix the cake batter till the ingredients are well incorporated. Moreover, keep in mind that your cake pans should have an equal amount of cake batter, especially if you put a spoonful of batter in rounds. For this reason, put a spoonful of vanilla into each cake pan. Afterward, put a spoonful of chocolate into each cake pan. After that, repeat it till you have used up all your cake batter.

Before removing the cake from the cake pan, remember to let the cake cool on a wire rack for about thirty minutes. Hence, it will prevent the bottom of the cake from sticking to the cake pan.