Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and position a rack in the center, or just below the center if using a Pullman loaf pan.
Make the Cake batter
- Whisk together the flour, salt, sugar, baking soda, and baking powder in a large bowl.
- Add the eggs, butter, vanilla extract, and cream cheese, then beat for 2 minutes using a paddle attachment or hand mixer, starting slowly and increasing speed until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Transfer slightly less than half of the batter to a medium bowl, then sift the cocoa powder and add the milk (or optional espresso/cold brew) to the remaining batter in the mixer bowl.
- Beat on high speed to combine, scrape the sides of the bowl, and mix briefly once more.
Bake the Cake
- Lightly grease a loaf pan and line it with a parchment paper sling that covers the bottom and two long sides.
- Use a 1/4 cup scoop to drop portions of the vanilla batter into the bottom of the pan.
- Space the vanilla scoops evenly to cover half the bottom, leaving gaps for the chocolate batter.
- Scoop the chocolate batter into the gaps between the vanilla portions.
- Repeat the layering process for the remaining batter, alternating colors so chocolate is stacked on top of vanilla and vice versa.
- Smooth the top of the batter with a rubber spatula once all of it has been added to the pan.
- Bake for 30 minutes, rotate the pan 180 degrees, and bake for another 25 to 30 minutes; extend the total bake time to over an hour if using a Pullman loaf pan.
- Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center; it should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no wet batter.
- Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then use the parchment sling to lift it onto a wire rack to cool completely before preparing the ganache.
- Cool the loaf to room temperature, then wrap it in plastic or place it in a zip-top bag to store at room temperature overnight.
Chocolate Ganache
- Finely chop the chocolate and place the shards into a heat-safe bowl.
- Heat the heavy cream in a saucepan until it just reaches a boil, or microwave it in 30-second intervals, stirring carefully to prevent bubbling over.
- Pour the hot cream immediately over the chopped chocolate.
- Let the mixture stand for 1 minute, then whisk until it forms a smooth glaze.
- Let the ganache rest for about 10 minutes, whisking occasionally until it thickens slightly.
- Pour the ganache over the cooled loaf cake to coat the top.
- Allow the cake to sit for 20 minutes to let the ganache set before slicing and serving.
Nutrition
Notes
Tips for making a Classic Marble Loaf Cake
- Make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature – this will help get a smooth and fluffy cake batter.
- Check your loaf pan size! This makes a huge difference when it comes to the shape and bake of your cake. I recommend making this loaf cake in this 1 lb loaf pan. If you want to make it in a pullman pan, note that you’ll need to increase everything in the recipe by 1/3 but don’t increase the baking soda or baking powder.
- To make sure the loaf cake comes out of the pan easily and cleanly, you need to line the loaf plan. To properly line the loaf pan, lightly grease the pan and then place a parchment paper sling (a rectangle of parchment paper that is long enough to go down one side of the pan, across the bottom, and back up the other side, it should also be narrow enough as to not go up the two short sides) into the pan. The parchment paper will stick to the grease and the cake will not stick to the parchment paper.
- If the cake starts to get too dark, lay a piece of foil over the top to keep it from browning further.
- Let the cake cool for 10-15 minutes before using the parchment paper to lift it out. Then allow it to cool fully on a wire rack.
- This cake tastes best the next day. So I recommend wrapping it up with plastic wrap or in an airtight ziptop bag once it has cooled and then store it at room temperature over night. The next day you can drizzle the top with the chocolate ganache and leave it to sit for 20 minutes to let the ganache set a little before slicing.