Name: Chocolate Marble Pound Cake
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 65 min
Total time: 90 min
Ingredients: 3 cups all purpose flour; 1 Tablespoon baking powder; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 cup unsalted butter; 2 cups sugar; 4 large eggs; 1 cup milk; 2 teaspoons vanilla; 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (melted); ¾ cup bittersweet chocolate; ¾ cup heavy cream

Jump to Recipe

Making things a little sweeter today with this Chocolate Marble Pound Cake because sometimes you just need chocolate and vanilla. Now, you will never have to choose again! This cake is the perfect blend of both, without having too much of either. Soft and fluffy vanilla pound cake, swirled with a rich dark chocolate cake batter that makes this marble cake truly special. Finish this bundt with an easy and silky homemade dark chocolate ganache for a cake that no one can turn down! The best part? It’s actually very simple to make, and so very pretty with almost no effort. Perfect for birthday’s, anniversaries, holiday’s, or just whenever you want chocolate and vanilla. It’s truly the best of both worlds!

chocolate marble pound cake on upside down plate on parchment with a slice in front on a white plate and a slice behind on a white plate with a cake knife, glass of milk, a napkin, two empty glasses, and creamer glass

→ This post is also available as a Web Story: Marble Cake

About The Recipe

When life gives you a lot of time to bake – you bake a lot of bread, but also cakes! Okay, well – that’s at least that’s what we’ve been up to. We have baked everything from sourdough bread to this delicious cake! To be honest though, this cake actually took three extra bakings to make sure it comes out perfectly every time… that, and the fact that I may or may not have over-baked it once, pulled it out about 5 minutes too soon, and not swirled the chocolate enough…Oops!

But, don’t worry! Nothing went to waste. We took some of our excess cake to neighbors and family to ensure that everyone had something delicious to eat…because while some of them weren’t pretty, they still tasted absolutely amazing!

close up of chocolate marble pound cake with slice behind and glass of milk

And, this recipe is definitely thoroughly tested. Not just the three mishaps, but because it;s actually a recipe from my childhood. My mom used to bake it all the time! We would have it in our lunch boxes for school, or she would let us have a slice for breakfast before we would go to practice. If you’ve read our blog before, you know I am a serious chocoholic. I think I was the only kid who liked dark chocolate!

This cake was the perfect combo for my vanilla-loving side and my chocolate-loving side! Seriously, can it get better? Moist, fluffy, delicious vanilla cake swirled with the deepest, darkest chocolate to balance out the sweetness, and baked to utter perfection. There is nothing else like it!

Especially when you add homemade ganache. It was something my mom used to always put on this cake because it held well and, when you have the chance for double the chocolate, who can say no?

close up of bundt cake on parchment with glass of milk, napkin and cake knife

close up of slice of chocolate marble pound cake on n two white plates

The ganache adds rich and silkiness to the cake that makes it truly something special. Of course, this cake is just as good without the ganache. So, no matter what you choose to do, you will always have a delicious chocolate marble pound cake.

It’s the perfect cake for any and every occasion!

Equipment Needed

Mixer
Dull Knife
10 Inch Bundt Pan
Mixing Bowls
Rubber Spatula
Cake Tester
Baking Spray
Cooling Racks

Ingredients

For The Cake:

Salted Butter
Sugar
Eggs
All-Purpose Flour
Baking Powder
Salt
Milk
Vanilla
Chocolate

ingredients for chocolate marble pound cake on a marble counter

For The Ganache:

Dark Chocolate
Heavy Cream

Instructions

First, combine the flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.

flour, baking powder, and salt in a glass bowl

In an electric mixer, cream the butter. Slowly, add the sugar while the mixer is running. Beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes on high speed.

Now, add the eggs one at a time. Make sure to beat well after each addition!

butter, egg, and sugar mixture beaten until light and fluffy

Add the flour mixture from earlier alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour. Remember, scrape the bowl if you need to!

flour added to egg, sugar, and butter mixture

Stir in vanilla.

Go on and melt the chocolate. You can put it in the microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring well. It should take about 2 minutes. Spoon out a third of the cake batter and fold into the melted chocolate.

a bowl of melted chocolate with cake batter

Now, spoon out a half of the vanilla cake batter and spread into the greased bundt pan. Add chocolate batter on top. Spread the remaining vanilla cake over the chocolate layer.

chocolate cake batter added to bundt pan

Using a dull knife or the end of a wooden spoon, swirl the chocolate. Bake at 325 for 60-65 minutes, or until the cake begins to pull away from the pan and tests done. Let cool completely in the pan and turn out onto a cake plate or a wire cooling rack.

Chocolate Marble Pound Cake batter in a bundt pan

To make the ganache, heat milk and chocolate together in a double boiler. Once the chocolate is completely melted and smooth, take off the heat and let cool for about 10 minutes, or until thickened slightly.

Pour slightly cooled ganache over the cake and enjoy!

chocolate marble pound cake with chocolate ganache dripping on parchment paper with glass of milk, napkin, and two empty glasses

Tips To Get The Perfect Swirl

There is nothing more satisfying than cutting into a marble cake and seeing those perfect and beautiful swirls…but, there is also nothing more disappointing than cutting into one and seeing that it didn’t swirl at all. Here are a few tips to make sure you have beautiful swirls every time!

Use something thin. It doesn’t matter if it’s the bottom of a spoon or even a dull knife, This will give you the most amount of control and really allow you to swirl the cake!
Don’t be afraid to pull up! It sounds weird, but it’s true! When you pull whatever you’re using up towards you when swirling, you’re also pulling the chocolate towards what would be the bottom the cake.
Don’t tap the pan on the counter. This will push everything back down and you don’t want all your hard work to go away.
Keep the chocolate batter in the middle of the cake. We recommend using a piping bag to make sure it goes where you want. Just make sure the vanilla batter goes in between the cake pan and the chocolate batter!

How To Store

You can keep this cake covered on a cake plate for about a week at room temperature. You could also store this cake whole or in individual slices in the fridge or freezer! To reheat, just set in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute. The ganache will melt if you reheat it.

But, you could also store this cake and make the ganache at a later date…whatever works best for you!

overhead shot of three slices of marble pound cake on white plates with bundt cake beside and cake knife

Expert Tips

You might need to cover the cake with foil for the last 15 or 20 minutes of baking to prevent over browning!
Make sure all ingredients are room temperature before you start.
This can be baked in 2 loaf pans instead of a bundt.
Do not beat or whisk ganache. Stir or fold gently.
Don’t let the melted chocolate for the cake sit too long before stirring in the cake batter. The longer you let it cool, the higher chance you have of it solidifying. I recommend you melt the chocolate directly after you finish mixing the cake, or a few minutes before.
Let this cake cool completely before turning out!

When you make this Chocolate Marble Pound Cake, leave a comment down below! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #BakersTable.