Chocolate Marble Cake
This chocolate marble cake, called mamorkuchen in German, is tender and sweet with ribbons of chocolate swirling through the batter and a light almond scent.
Serves8
Prep40 minutes
Cook1 hour
Dual-toned cakes, originally made with molasses and spices instead of chocolate, have German roots, and went on to become a staple of the American Jewish bakery. This chocolate marble cake, called mamorkuchen in German, is tender and sweet with ribbons of chocolate swirling through the batter and a light almond scent.
The best way to marble the chocolate and vanilla batters is to spoon both of them into the loaf pan in layers, simulating a checkerboard pattern. Once all the batter is in the pan, you’ll use a knife or wooden skewer to run through them in a swirling motion, creating a marbling effect.
We find this loaf cake to be a perfect dessert if you’re entertaining guests, because it tastes best the day after it’s made, when the flavors have had a chance to mingle and deepen.
Chocolate Marble Cake
This chocolate marble cake, called mamorkuchen in German, is tender and sweet with ribbons of chocolate swirling through the batter and a light almond scent.
Prep time 40 minutes
Cook time 1 hour
Serves 8
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
For the vanilla batter:
- 2 1/2 cups
all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons
baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon
kosher salt
- 1/2 cup
vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup
unsweetened applesauce
- 1 1/2 cups
granulated sugar
- 3
large eggs
- 2 teaspoons
vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon
almond extract
- 1/2 cup
orange juice
For the chocolate batter:
- 2 ounces
unsweetened (or very dark) baking chocolate, melted
- 1/4 cup
unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup
granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup
boiling water
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, allowing the parchment to hang over on opposite sides.
Make the vanilla batter: Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl.
In a stand mixer (or using a handheld electric mixer and a large bowl), beat together the vegetable oil, applesauce, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and almond extract at medium speed until pale yellow, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in half of the orange juice on low speed, followed by half of the flour mixture, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Then beat in the remaining orange juice, followed by the remaining flour, beating on low until combined.
Make the chocolate batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted chocolate, cocoa powder, sugar, and boiling water until smooth and glossy. Add a little less than half of the vanilla batter to the chocolate mixture and gently fold until smooth.
Spoon the 2 batters into the prepared loaf pan in layers, alternating big (about 1/4 cup) spoonfuls of the vanilla and chocolate batters to simulate a checkerboard pattern. The batter will spread, which is okay. When all of the batter is spooned into the loaf pan, use a knife or wooden skewer to run through the batters in a swirling motion, creating the marbling effect.
Bake until a skewer inserted into the center just comes out clean, about 1 hour. If the top of the cake is browning too quickly, loosely drape a piece of foil over the top. Remove from the oven and use the overhanging parchment to gently remove the cake from the loaf pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Recipe Notes
Adapted from The Jewish Cookbook by Leah Koenig with permission from Phaidon, 2019.
Get the book: The Jewish Cookbook by Leah Koenig