Recipe

Vanilla and Chocolate Marbled Cake for Coffee with Milk

Name: Vanilla and Chocolate Marbled Cake for Coffee with Milk
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 155 min
Ingredients: 200 g unsalted butter, soft (¾ cup + 2 tablespoons); 200 g white sugar (1 cup); 4 large eggs, at room temperature; 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract; 250 g wheat flour (2 cups); 2 teaspoons (8 g) baking powder; ¼ teaspoon salt; 120 ml milk (½ cup), at room temperature; 20 g unsweetened pure cocoa powder (3 tablespoons); 45 ml hot milk (3 tablespoons); 1-2 tablespoons (15-30 ml) additional milk (optional); 1 teaspoon butter and 1 teaspoon wheat flour for greasing, or parchment paper

Homemade loaf cake with vanilla and chocolate swirls, tender crumb and creamed butter. Ideal for breakfast or afternoon snack with coffee with milk.

CiberCubaNovember 7, 2026

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Preparation25 min
Cooking1 h
Total time2 h 35 min
Servings1 loaf cake (10 slices)
DifficultyMedium

Few things accompany coffee with milk better than a slice of homemade cake, the kind that is cut thick and holds up well to soaking in the cup. This marbled version is a homemade adaptation designed just for that: a creamed butter and sugar batter divided into two, one part left as vanilla and the other tinted with pure cocoa.

The result is a rectangular loaf cake with a tender crumb and well-defined swirls, without filling or topping. It yields about 10 slices, enough for several breakfasts or for the whole family's afternoon snack.

Method

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 175 °C (350 °F) with the rack in the center. Grease the 23 x 13 cm pan with the teaspoon of butter and dust it with flour, shaking off the excess, or line it with parchment paper leaving it to overhang on the long sides.
In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a cup, put the cocoa and pour the 45 ml of hot milk over it. Stir with a small spoon until you get a smooth paste, without lumps, and let it cool to lukewarm.

The batter

In a large bowl, beat the soft butter with the sugar at medium speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until the mixture is pale, creamy and fluffy. Scrape the sides with a spatula halfway through beating.
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Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each one until fully incorporated before adding the next. Incorporate the vanilla. If the mixture looks curdled, add 1 tablespoon of the measured flour and continue beating.
Lower the beater to minimum speed. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the 120 ml of milk in two parts: start and end with the dry ingredients. Beat only until no traces of flour remain and finish combining with the spatula, without overbeating.
Divide the batter into two equal parts (if you have a scale, about 500 g in each bowl). In one of them, add the cocoa paste and mix it with the spatula using folding movements until the color is uniform.
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Compare the consistency of the two batters by lifting a little with the spatula: they should fall equally thick. If the chocolate one is firmer, add the additional milk one tablespoon at a time until they are equal.

Marbling and baking

With two large spoons, distribute spoonfuls of vanilla batter and chocolate batter alternating them in the bottom of the pan, like a checkerboard. Make a second layer placing vanilla over chocolate and chocolate over vanilla until both batters are finished.
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Insert a wooden skewer or a thin knife to the bottom and pass it 3 or 4 times in a zigzag along the length of the pan, without stirring more. Smooth the surface slightly and tap the pan against the table a couple of times to eliminate large bubbles.
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Bake for 55 to 65 minutes. If after 40 minutes the surface is very golden, cover it loosely with aluminum foil. It is ready when the surface is golden, the central crack looks dry, the edges pull away from the pan and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean or with some dry crumbs (if you have a thermometer, the center reads 96-99 °C / 205-210 °F).
Remove the pan and let it rest 10 minutes on a rack. Unmold carefully and let the cake cool completely on the rack, at least 1 hour, before cutting it.
Cut with a serrated knife into 10 slices of about 2 cm, with gentle back-and-forth movements, and serve them with coffee with milk.
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Tips and variations

Ingredients at room temperature. Take the butter, eggs, and milk out of the refrigerator between 30 and 60 minutes in advance. The butter should yield when pressed with a finger, but not be melted or shiny; if it is cold or melted, the creaming will not trap air and the cake will be dense.

If the mixture curdles when adding the eggs (it looks grainy), add 1 tablespoon of the measured flour and continue beating: it recovers immediately.

Well-differentiated swirls. The key is that both batters have the same consistency and not to overdo it with the skewer: 3 or 4 passes are enough. If you stir more, the marbling blurs and everything ends up light brown.

About the cocoa. Use unsweetened pure cocoa powder, natural or alkalized; alkalized gives darker swirls. Do not substitute it with sweetened chocolate powder, which changes the sweetness and texture.

Ovens that heat too much. If after 40 minutes the surface is already very golden, cover it loosely with aluminum foil and finish baking.

Storage. Well wrapped in plastic wrap or in an airtight container, it lasts 3 days at room temperature and up to 5 in the refrigerator (take it out a while before so the crumb regains softness). You can also freeze the slices separated by paper for up to 2 months and thaw them at room temperature or give them a touch in the toaster.