Marble Cake

1/19/2026

Baking cakes is what I do but making people feel valued and loved by receiving a homemade dessert is why I do what I do.💛 For me, focusing on why I bake has always been more important to me than what I bake. I feel like the same can be said for any job. Keeping in mind a specific goal that you're working towards makes doing any job easier. The tricky part for me is keeping my greater purpose in mind after 12 straight hours of piping royal icing onto sugar cookies.😅

Anytime there are people in my life who are celebrating a special event, recovering from an illness or surgery, grieving or just going through a rough patch - my instinct is to make them something to eat. If I can make someone else feel a little more special and their day even just a little bit better by baking them a special treat - I consider that a successful day.

This past Christmas, I made this cake for several different families. More than half of the recipients of my Marble Cake sent me a thank you text with an additional request for a second Marble cake.😂 I took that as a huge compliment and happily baked more marble cake.

Marble Cake
Vanilla batter
9 Tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup milk, room temperature
2 1/4 cups flour

Chocolate batter
6 Tablespoons dutch-process cocoa
2 1/3 Tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon espresso powder

Topping
coarse sparkling sugar, optional