Marble Cake with Whipped Chocolate Buttercream
INGREDIENTS
MARBLE CAKE
- 2 cups (200g) Cake Flour
- 2 tsp. Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp. Salt
- 1 cup (226g) Unsalted Butter room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups (300g) Granulated Sugar
- 8 Egg Yolks room temperature
- 3/4 cup (184g) Whole Milk room temperature
- 2 tsp. McCormick® Vanilla Extract
- 2 tbsp. Unsalted Butter melted
- 1/4 cup (30g) Unsweetened Cocoa Powder good quality
WHIPPED CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM
- 1 1/2 cup (340g) Unsalted Butter at room temperature
- 4 cups (500g) Confectioners Sugar
- 3/4 cup (94g) Cocoa Powder
- 4 tbsp. heavy whipping cream
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- pinch table salt
INSTRUCTIONS
MARBLE CAKE
- Heat oven to 350°F. Prepare two 8-inch round cake pans by buttering (or spraying) and then adding a piece of parchment to the bottom of the pan.
- Sift together cake flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with whisk attachment cream together butter and sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy, at least 3 minutes.
- Lower speed to medium and add in egg yolks, one at a time, whisking after each addition.
- With the mixer on low, add in milk and vanilla and fully incorporate. (usually about 1 minute)
- Remove bowl from mixer and fold flour mixture into butter mixture. Mix until just combined.
- In a small bowl add the melted butter and cocoa and mix until combined.
- Add 3/4 cup of the yellow cake batter into the cocoa/butter mixture and fold together.
- Now add 3/4 cup of yellow cake batter to each cake pan and smooth out.
- Divide the chocolate batter evenly between the two pans by dropping spoonfuls in a circle over the yellow batter.
- Divide the remaining yellow cake batter between the pans and smooth out as much as possible without mixing.
- Take a clean table knife and make a swirling pattern throughout the cake to gently achieve the marble effect.
- Bake for 20-30* minutes or until an inserted toothpick is removed clean.
- Start checking the cake at 20 minutes. In the winter I can get away with a 22 minute bake time but in the summer it increases to 28 minutes. Just keep a close eye on it.
- Cool for about 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack.
WHIPPED CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM
- In a bowl of an electric stand mixer, fitted with whisk attachment whisk butter and sugar on medium-high speed until very pale and fluffy or about five minutes.
- Be sure to stop at least once and scrape the bowl.
- With the mixer off, add in cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt.
- Turn mixer on low and blend for about 30 seconds.
- One tablespoon at a time, add in heavy cream.
- Once all cream has been added and the mixture is mostly combined, turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Now turn the mixer onto medium-high to high and whisk for 3-5 minutes or until mixture is lighter and fluffier. The frosting will be shiny and seem to have many large air bubbles throughout and this is exactly what we are going for. (You can smooth those out on the cake if so desired.)
