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Vanilla Chocolate Marble Cake

One tender vanilla batter split and swirled with chocolate for a striking, gluten-free bundt cake that's easier to make than it looks — sour cream keeps it moist for days.

Prep20 min
Cook50 min
Total1 hr 30 min
Serves1 bundt cake (14 slices)
DifficultyIntermediate
The gluten-free part
Uses 1-to-1 gluten-free all-purpose flour blend (with xanthan gum included) — Marble cake needs a batter sturdy enough to hold a swirl pattern without collapsing into itself, and a 1-to-1 blend with xanthan gum gives this vanilla base the structure to do that. Dust the greased bundt pan with a gluten-free flour or cocoa powder rather than a wheat-based flour, which is a common hidden source of cross-contact in home baking.

This is one base vanilla batter, split in two, with cocoa powder and a little extra liquid folded into half to make the chocolate portion. Layering and swirling the two together in a bundt pan gives you the classic marbled look without needing to make two separate cakes from scratch.

Ingredients

340 ggluten-free 1-to-1 all-purpose flour blend
2 tspbaking powder
0.5 tspfine sea salt
227 g (1 cup)unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
300 ggranulated sugar
4large eggs
2 tspvanilla extract
180 mlwhole milk
2 tbspsour cream or plain Greek yogurt
45 gunsweetened cocoa powder
3 tbspwarm water

Instructions

1

Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease a 10-cup bundt pan thoroughly, making sure to coat every groove, then dust with a little gluten-free flour or cocoa powder, tapping out the excess.

2

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

3

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each, then beat in the vanilla and sour cream.

4

With the mixer on low, alternate adding the dry ingredients and the milk to the butter mixture in three additions, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.

5

Scoop off one-third to one-half of the batter into a separate bowl — more chocolate batter gives a bolder, more visible marble effect when sliced. In a small bowl, whisk the cocoa powder with the warm water to form a smooth paste, then fold it into the smaller portion of batter until evenly combined.

6

Spoon dollops of the vanilla batter into the prepared bundt pan, then dollop the chocolate batter over and between the vanilla dollops. Repeat until both batters are used.

7

Run a butter knife through the batter in a gentle zigzag or figure-eight motion to create a marbled swirl — don't overdo it, or the two batters will blend into one color.

8

Bake for 45–50 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.

9

Let the cake cool in the pan for 10–15 minutes — not longer, or condensation can make the cake stick to the pan — then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

Tips & notes

Grease the bundt pan generously and thoroughly, including every groove — gluten-free cakes can stick more readily than wheat cakes, and a stuck cake is the most common way this recipe goes wrong.
A few swirls of the knife go a long way; too much swirling blends the colors together and loses the marbled effect.
Serve plain with a dusting of powdered sugar, or drizzle with a simple chocolate glaze once fully cooled.

Storage & freezing

Store covered at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerate for up to a week. Freezes well whole or sliced for up to 2 months — thaw at room temperature before serving.

Always check that every ingredient and appliance is certified or verified gluten-free before cooking for someone with celiac disease. This recipe is general information, not medical or dietary advice.
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