High-Altitude Marble Cake

This week I’ve got the recipe for a super fluffy, soft marble layer cake with a silky milk chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream that I think fits right in at any birthday or event. Why choose between chocolate and vanilla?

Making this cake takes a little time and effort, but I love making a tall, impressive looking layer cake that turns dessert into something really special. Let’s get to it!

How to Make High-Altitude Marble Cake

We’re starting off with the cake batter- this uses mostly simple ingredients with a few additions to make it really special. We’re using cake flour for a soft, pillowy texture here, and adding in some mayo to bring extra moisture and richness to the cake.

Start by beating together the sugar, butter, and oil until everything is looking fluffy and well combined. Then add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition of another egg. Then add in the mayo and the vanilla extract and mix until everything is well combined.

From there, add in the flour mixture and the milk in alternating additions, mixing well between each addition, until you have a smooth, silky cake batter. Pour about 1/3 of the batter into a medium bowl and stir in your cocoa powder mixture until you have a chocolate batter.

Then add in both batters to your two cake pans. You want to scoop dollops of each cake batter all around so you can easily create a swirled pattern by running a knife through the mixture. Then it’s off to the oven to bake until the cakes are lightly browned and cooked all the way through.

After slicing off the top of each layer and cutting them each in half to create four layers, I like to add a milk soak to each layer. This will not make the cake soggy, but instead helps it to retain moisture and keep from drying out.

From there we’re filling and frosting our layers with a silky Swiss meringue buttercream. I think one of the best tips I have for making a layer cake is to use a frosting that is quite stable, and make sure you have plenty of it- this recipe covers both of those criteria.

This frosting includes some melted milk chocolate, which gives it just a light chocolate flavor that fits in perfectly with the marble cake. Add some sprinkles on top and slice to serve!

Tips & Tricks for High-Altitude Marble Cake

Here are some tips to help you along the way!

• Do I have to use mayo in the cake? I think the mayo makes a big difference in the texture of the cake, but it will not make the flavor odd. I recommend using it here, but you can swap in sour cream if you prefer.
• Do I have to use cake flour? I recommend cake flour in this recipe and that is how I have developed the recipe, so I can’t recommend any swaps here. It has a large impact on the texture and how the cake bakes!
• Why does the cake use butter and oil? This cake uses both because butter contributes to a better tasting cake, but oil creates a softer texture. I found the combination works well here!
• How do I know when the cakes are finished baking? The cakes should be lightly golden brown and a cake tester should come out mostly clean, with just a few crumbs clinging to it.
• My frosting looks broken- can I fix this? Yes, Swiss meringue buttercream goes through several stages during mixing, and it may look broken at a point after you add the butter. Just keep mixing until everything comes together- it can sometimes take 10 minutes of whipping before your mixture is smooth!
• Be sure your chocolate is melted but not hot- you want it to still be liquid at this stage, but not hot or it will melt the frosting.
• What if my frosting is full of bubbles? The frosting should smooth out when you switch to the paddle attachment, and you can mix it on low speed for an additional few minutes if needed to help smooth it out.
• Do I have to trim the cake layers? I find that it is significantly easier to stack and frost a layer cake if you are working with even cake layers. Take your time and use a sharp knife to create a fairly level surface here, and use the frosting to correct as needed.
• I’m at about 5,00 ft. above sea level and I find that most folks who live between about 3,000-7,000 ft. above sea level do not need to make any adjustments to my recipes.

Enjoy!

Print

High-Altitude Marble Cake

Servings 12 slices

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cup softened butter
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 2 cups sugar
• 6 eggs
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 4 cups cake flour
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup milk

For the soak:

• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the frosting:

• 6 oz. milk chocolate
• 8 egg whites
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 cups softened butter
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract or paste

Instructions

For the cake:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and line two 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper. Lightly spray the pans with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the boiling water and cocoa powder until a smooth, thick paste is formed. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat together the butter, oil, and sugar until fluffy. Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing between each addition. Beat in the mayonnaise and vanilla.

4. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix in about half of the dry mixture, and then add mix in the milk. Finish by stirring in the remaining flour mixture until well combined- the mixture will be thick but should be smooth.

5. Pour about 1/3 of the batter into a medium bowl- it does not have to be exact. Beat in the cocoa powder-water mixture to the 1/3 batter until completely combined.
6. Scoop the two batters into your pans in alternating additions throughout each pan, dividing the batters roughly in half between the two cake pans. Then, use a butter knife to swirl the batters together.
7. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool the cakes for about 20 minutes in the pan before turning out and wrapping tightly in plastic wrap to finish cooling.

For the soak:

1. When the cakes have cooled, unwrap a layer and carefully slice off the top dome of the cake to create a flat layer. You want to use a sharp knife and just take your time here, turning the cake as you go to create an even surface. Repeat this process with the second cake layer.
2. Then, carefully slice each cake layer in half to create 4 total layers of cake.
3. In a small bowl, stir together the milk and vanilla extract until combined. Use a pastry brush to generously brush and dab the milk mixture onto each layer of cake on the cut sides.

For the frosting:

1. In a small microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring between each, until the chocolate is completely melted. Set this aside to cool while you continue.
2. In a large heat-proof bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, whisk together the egg whites and sugar. Place the bowl over a small pot of boiling water and cook the mixture this way for about 10 minutes, whisking occasionally, until the sugar is completely dissolved.
3. Transfer the mixer onto your stand mixer and use the whisk attachment to whip the egg white mixture until you have stiff peaks and it has completely cooled. For me this takes about 10 minutes of whipping on medium to high speed.
4. With the mixer running on medium speed, slowly add in the softened butter 1-2 tablespoons at a time, letting the butter mix into the egg whites between each addition, until you have added all of the butter. Increase the speed to medium-high and whip until the mixture becomes thick and fluffy.
5. Switch to a paddle attachment and pour in the melted but cooled chocolate- it should still be melted at this stage, but you want to make sure it’s not hot. Add in the vanilla extract and salt and mix on low speed for 1-2 minutes, or until everything is combined and you have a silky smooth frosting.
6. Frost and fill your cake as desired- you should have plenty of frosting to fill a 4 layer cake and coat the outside in a generous amount of frosting. Slice and enjoy!

Nicole Hampton

Hello and welcome! My name is Nicole, and Dough-eyed is a food blog for people who want to bake for their family and friends in high-altitude areas. Think of me as a friendly voice there with you in the kitchen, here to give you confidence when you’re baking, and to help you with the struggles of baking at high-altitude. Come back every week for new recipes, tips, and advice on high-altitude baking!