If you are German like me, this classic Marmorkuchen recipe was probably one of the first things you‘ve ever baked. It‘s one of those staples you’ll find at every birthday party and get together.
German cakes are usually pretty easy to make and often much lower in sugar than American cakes. Because of this, my tummy never had any issues with them, even on an at times medically restrictive diet. Over the years, I have tried a range of traditional recipes, but this marmorkuchen recipe is one I always end up coming back to. It‘s hands down one of my favorite cakes to make for our family.
Have you ever heard of kaffee und kuchen? It‘s what us Germans call the afternoon sit down, where we get together to have a cup of coffee with a slice of cake. Nowadays often limited to Sunday afternoons, this is my favourite ever ritual and one I have so many childhood memories of. We usually invite friends or family over to have a social half hour in the afternoon. I love how this is still a thing, even with everyone‘s lives being so busy nowadays. And what could beat a slice of great cake, a cup of coffee and good company?
If you know any German immigrants, ask them if they can introduce you to kaffee und kuchen next time you socialise. I promise you won‘t be disappointed.
Tools you may need to make my favourite cake
Mixing bowl to attach to your stand mixer
Electric mixer with paddle attachment
Large bowl to measure your dry ingredients
Bundt pan or loaf tin
Wooden skewer or butter knife to create the marble pattern
Cooling rack
Ingredients for my marmorkuchen recipe
Flour. I‘m using all purpose for this recipe, but cakes are a great way to incorporate a little variety with spelt or whole wheat flour. Just watch your batter when adding heavier flours, you may need some extra liquids to lighten the dough.
Unsalted butter. You won‘t really find salted butter being used in German recipes and this one here is no exception. We‘ll use softened butter for baking, so try and bring yours to room temperature ahead of making this.
Sugar, because every cake needs some.
Eggs. If you like to go the extra mile, you can separate yolks and egg whites. I use the eggs whole.
Vanilla. Whether you use vanilla extract, vanilla sugar or essence doesn‘t matter. Just use whatever you have in the house.
Milk
Baking powder
Cocoa powder. Use a good quality powder to achieve the deep chocolate flavor That makes german marmorkuchen so popular.
Salt
How to make my classic marmorkuchen recipe
The first step of our German marble cake recipe is to make our butter nice and fluffy. For this, we‘ll need soft butter, so if yours isn‘t stored at room temperature, allow it to sit on the counter for a while to soften. If you‘re in a bit of a rush (or simply impatient like me), place the butter in a small saucepan and allow it to soften on the stove on low heat.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Put the bowl aside.
Turn your oven on 180°C / 350°F and allow it to warm up. It‘s important to bake cake in a preheated oven to have it bake evenly.
By now your butter should have softened enough for us to start the cake batter. Attach the paddle attachment to your electric mixer and place the softened butter in the mixer bowl. Turn your butter on low to medium speed and whisk the butter until it is nice and creamy and forms small peaks.
Slowly add a little bit of sugar and an egg. Repeat this process until all sugar and eggs have been mixed into the butter. Your mixture should be very light and creamy.
Add your vanilla and turn your mixer to low speed. This will create the vanilla cake part of our marmor kuchen.
Next, we will incorporate the flour mixture and milk. Swap between adding a little flour and a little milk, until all ingredients have been incorporated Into a smooth batter.
Now it‘s time to start building our bundt cake. Take your bundt tin and rub a little butter all around the inside of it. This will prevent our cake from sticking to the tin once baked. Scoop half of your cake batter into the cake tin and re-attach the bowl with the remaining batter to your mixer.
To make the chocolate part of our cake, add the cocoa powder to the remaining half of the batter. Turning your mixer onto the lowest setting, incorporate the cocoa powder to create delicious chocolate batter. Then scoop the dark dough over the light dough in the bundt tin. Scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure nothing is left behind.
The only thing left is to create the marble effect. Take a wooden skewer or any other stick you have in your kitchen. Stick it into the top of the batter batter and start to swirl it around. You can create a zigzag pattern or draw little circles, it really doesn’t matter. This creates the marbled effect we‘re after.
The last step of our marmorkuchen recipe is to place your cake in the oven for 1 hour. The exact baking time will depend on the thickness of your bundt tin, so make sure to test the cake with a wooden skewer to ensure it‘s fully cooked in the middle.
Allow your cake to cool for a little before flipping it upside down and removing it from the cake tin. Let the cake cool before serving.
If you like your cakes coated and decorated, cover your cake in melted chocolate to make a chocolate marble cake, or mix a little lemon juice, lemon zest and powdered sugar for a zesty touch.
Serve this delicious cake with a cup of coffee or your favourite beverage.
Other recipes to try
Love a good German recipe? Try one of these recipes next:
Whole Wheat Rye Sourdough Loaf
Frequently asked questions about a marmorkuchen recipe
What does marble cake taste like?
Marble cake has the best of both worlds – chocolate cake and vanilla cake. Both are mixed together to turn into a pretty cake that tastes absolutely delicious. Vanilla and chocolate combines create a swirl of flavors can be enjoyed separately and together, making the marmorkuchen recipe an ideal addition to any kids party preparation.
Why is my marble cake so dry?
Marble cake is naturally on the drier end of the cake spectrum. This is simply because it consists of only batter and isn‘t usually glazed or filled with anything. Saying this, there are a few things you can do to keep moisture levels fairly high. For one, make sure you‘re using enough eggs. This will help your batter stay nice and creamy. The same goes for butter and milk. Your cake batter should fall from a spatula quite easily yet slowly without dropping in full. Think of the way honey slowly but heavily drops off a spoon. Your batter should do something similar. If it sticks together like bread dough, you will need to add a bit more liquid.
Why did my marble cake sink?
If your marble cake sinks half way through the baking process, you might be facing one of the following two problems:
Your oven is not hot enough. This is probably the most common issue people face. If your oven isn‘t hot enough, your cake won‘t have the right environment to rise. Always preheat your oven and ensure it‘s hot enough before placing your cake in it to bake.
Your batter is too moist. While too little moisture can make your cake dry, too much of it can ruin your cake‘s structure, causing it to sink rather than rise. I like to add my wet ingredients of my marmorkuchen recipe in stages to give me more control over my batter. If it starts to feel to wet, don‘t add any more wet ingredients.
Marmorkuchen recipe - the classic German marble cake
This classic Marmorkuchen recipe is one of those staples you’ll find at every birthday party and get together.
Ingredients
- 250g Butter
- 250g Sugar
- 5 Eggs
- 250ml Milk
- 500g Flour
- 1 Tsp Baking Powder
- 1 Tsp Vanilla Essence
- 3 Tbsp Cocoa Powder
- 1 Pinch of Salt
Instructions
- The first step of our German marble cake recipe is to make our butter nice and fluffy. For this, we‘ll need soft butter, so if yours isn‘t stored at room temperature, allow it to sit on the counter for a while to soften. If you‘re in a bit of a rush (or simply impatient like me), place the butter in a small saucepan and allow it to soften on the stove on low heat.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Put the bowl aside.
- Turn your oven on 180°C / 350°F and allow it to warm up. It‘s important to bake cake in a preheated oven to have it bake evenly.
- By now your butter should have softened enough for us to start the cake batter. Attach the paddle attachment to your electric mixer and place the softened butter in the mixer bowl. Turn your butter on low to medium speed and whisk the butter until it is nice and creamy and forms small peaks.
- Slowly add a little bit of sugar and an egg. Repeat this process until all sugar and eggs have been mixed into the butter. Your mixture should be very light and creamy.
- Add your vanilla and turn your mixer to low speed. This will create the vanilla cake part of our marmor kuchen.
- Next, we will incorporate the flour mixture and milk. Swap between adding a little flour and a little milk, until all ingredients have been incorporated Into a smooth batter.
- Now it‘s time to start building our bundt cake. Take your bundt tin and rub a little butter all around the inside of it. This will prevent our cake from sticking to the tin once baked. Scoop half of your cake batter into the cake tin and re-attach the bowl with the remaining batter to your mixer.
- To make the chocolate part of our cake, add the cocoa powder to the remaining half of the batter. Turning your mixer onto the lowest setting, incorporate the cocoa powder to create delicious chocolate batter. Then scoop the dark dough over the light dough in the bundt tin. Scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure nothing is left behind.
- The only thing left is to create the marble effect. Take a wooden skewer or any other stick you have in your kitchen. Stick it into the top of the batter batter and start to swirl it around. You can create a zigzag pattern or draw little circles, it really doesn’t matter. This creates the marbled effect we‘re after.
- The last step of our marmorkuchen recipe is to place your cake in the oven for 1 hour. The exact baking time will depend on the thickness of your bundt tin, so make sure to test the cake with a wooden skewer to ensure it‘s fully cooked in the middle.
- Allow your cake to cool for a little before flipping it upside down and removing it from the cake tin. Let the cake cool before serving.
- Serve this delicious cake with a cup of coffee or your favourite beverage.
Notes
If you like your cakes coated and decorated, cover your cake in melted chocolate to make a chocolate marble cake, or mix a little lemon juice, lemon zest and powdered sugar for a zesty touch.
Your cake batter should fall from a spatula quite easily yet slowly without dropping in full. Think of the way honey slowly but heavily drops off a spoon. Your batter should do something similar. If it sticks together like bread dough, you will need to add a bit more liquid.
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