Marble cake

Marble cake is one of those cakes every Portuguese family seems to have a version of, and mine is no exception. Moist, fluffy, with those beautiful swirls of chocolate running through an orange-and-coconut batter — it disappears fast in my house.

The secret to a great marble cake is flavoring the plain batter with something that loves chocolate: coconut, vanilla and orange are the classics, and my version uses both orange and coconut. The swirling part is the fun bit — my kids fight over who gets to drag the spatula through the batter.

If your sweet tooth is calling, roll up your sleeves and get baking. And if you have little helpers at home, put them to work — on the condition that they help clean up afterwards, of course. Enjoy!

Marble Cake Recipe

Prep time: 10 minutes · Cook time: 35 minutes · Total: 45 minutes · Servings: 8 · Calories: ~365 per serving

Ingredients

• ⅔ cup softened butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 5 eggs
• Zest of 1 orange
• 1 cup milk
• ½ cup orange juice
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup grated coconut
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 to 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Beat the softened butter with the sugar until fluffy and smooth.
3. Add the egg yolks one by one, mixing between each addition.
4. Fold in the orange zest and grated coconut gently.
5. Add the flour and baking powder and beat until you get a smooth, lump-free batter.
6. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form and fold them gently into the batter.
7. Divide the batter into 2 roughly equal portions.
8. Mix the cocoa powder into one portion, adding a splash of milk so it stays as light as the plain batter (otherwise it will sink in the pan).
9. Pour the batters into the cake pan in alternating layers until both are used up, then swirl with a spatula to create the marble effect.
10. Bake for about 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
11. While the cake is still warm, drizzle with 1 cup of hot milk.
12. Sprinkle with ½ tablespoon sugar and the zest of half an orange, then serve.

Recipe Notes

• There are several ways to keep this marble cake moist and fluffy — some are in the recipe, and the ideas below work well too.
• Instead of hot milk, you can soak the cake with an orange syrup (use a light hand so it does not overpower the flavor).
• Another option is a melted chocolate drizzle: since chocolate is thicker, poke holes in the surface first and let the cake rest a few hours before serving.
• The plain batter is flavored with orange and coconut, which pair beautifully with chocolate — but vanilla extract is a great alternative.
• For a twist, use a yogurt-cake batter for the plain portion (pick a flavor that will not clash with the chocolate).