This marble bundt cake is a classic Italian breakfast cake called Ciambella Marmorizzata. The batter is made with simple ingredients you certainly have at home: flour, sugar, eggs, milk, butter, and baking powder. Half is flavored with vanilla and half with cocoa creating a nice black-and-white effect. We don't need frosting because, in Italy, we dip it in latte, cappuccino, hot chocolate, or tea. A simple cake perfect for eating on the go or packing for lunch.
I am creating a collection of cakes without frosting that Italians would eat for breakfast. This is an Italian recipe I had for breakfast growing up.
I learned to bake it myself when I was eleven years old. I make it on a Sunday and have it for breakfast for the rest of the week.
I would dip it into my milk, alternating vanilla and chocolate. It was like having two breakfasts in one.
That is why my marble cake is not too marble-like. I prefer to have the two half separated. To have a more marble effect, you need to add more swirls.
If you are interested in more cakes, you can bake them on a Sunday, and they will last for the week; you can check out jam crostata, orange cake loaf, and carrot loaf with walnuts, sweet polenta cake
Ingredients
To make this marble cake, you need two different batters, one with vanilla and the other with chocolate. These are the ingredients.
For the vanilla batter:
- Butter at room temperature
- Caster sugar
- Fresh eggs
- Flour
- Milk
- Vanilla extract
- Baking powder
For the chocolate batter:
- Butter at room temperature
- Caster sugar
- Fresh eggs
- Flour
- Milk
- Cocoa
- Baking powder
See recipe card for quantities.
Hint: Instead of making two different batters, I make one batch, then separate them into two to make the two different flavors.
Instructions
Preparing the base
- Sift flour and baking powder together with a fork
- Whip the butter with the sugar with an electric mixture until the butter becomes creamy
- Add the eggs one at a time, making sure the first one is combined before adding the next one
- Gradually add the flour
- and the milk.
- The main dough is ready
- Pour half of the dough into another container
- Keep the other half in the mixer bowl
Making the vanilla batter
- Add the extra flour and the vanilla extract to the mixer bowl
- Mix until combined
- Coat with butter and flour in a round bundt pan
- Pour the vanilla batter into the bundt pan and smooth it out with a spatula
Hint: If you want to have a marble effect, pour only half of the vanilla batter, then the chocolate and the rest of the vanilla at the end
Making the chocolate batter
- Pour the other half batter into the mixer and add the cocoa and the sugar
- Stir until the cocoa, and the sugar are combined
- Pour the chocolate batter over the vanilla
- Spread uniformly with a spatula
Hint: if you used only half of the vanilla batter, you could
Assembling the cake
- Swirl the batters with a knife
- Smooth the top with a spatula
- Bake in a hot oven at 355 F - 180 C for 1 hour and 15 minutes
- Wait 10 minutes for the cake to cool down before removing it from the pan
Hint: the cooking time is linked to the amount of batter. If you make half a cake, the baking time will be less. To check when the cake is cooked, pierce it with a metal skewer. The cake is cooked when the skewer comes out clean
Serving it
- With a knife, make sure the edges are detached from the pan
- Place a cutting board on top
Hint: if you remove the cake from the pan before it cools down for 10 minutes, the cake may break
- Turn it upside down and lift the bundt pan
- Dust the cake with icing sugar and serve
Equipment
To make this cake, make sure you buy the right size of the bundt pan: Bundt pan, 12 Cup - 2.8 lt capacity D 10 in - 25 cm.
Other equipments you may need are:
No other special tools are required.
Storage
This cake will keep for the week and doesn't need to be refrigerated.
It would be best to store it in a large airtight container or a cake plate with a dome.
If you don't have them, cover it with plastic wrap or aluminum foil.
Top tips
- Remove the butter from the fridge for at least one hour before starting. The butter should be at room temperature, and it cannot be melted
- Instead of making two different batters, I make one batch, then separate them into two to make the two different flavors.
- If you want a marble effect, pour only half of the vanilla batter, then the chocolate and the rest of the vanilla at the end.
- The cooking time is linked to the amount of batter. If you make half a cake, the baking time will be less. To check when the cake is cooked, pierce it with a metal skewer. The cake is cooked when the skewer comes out clean.
- Wait 10 minutes to cool down before removing the cake from the pan. If you remove it when it is too hot, the cake may break.
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📋Marble Bundt Cake (Ciambella)
Equipment
Ingredients
For the base dough
- 2 sticks butter at room temperature
- 2 ½ cup caster sugar
- 4 fresh eggs
- 5 cups flour
- 2 cup milk
- 4 tablespoon baking powder 2 packages
For the vanilla
- ⅔ cups flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the chocolate
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- ½ cup caster sugar
Topping
- icing sugar for topping
Instructions
Preparing the base
- Sift flour and baking powder together with a fork5 cups flour, 4 tablespoon baking powder
- Whip the butter with the sugar with an electric mixture until the butter becomes creamy2 sticks butter at room temperature, 2 ½ cup caster sugar
- Add the eggs one at a time, making sure the first one is combined before adding the next one4 fresh eggs
- Gradually add the flour and the milk2 cup milk
- The main dough is ready
- Pour half of the dough into another container
- Keep the other half in the mixer bowl
Making the vanilla batter
- Add the extra flour and the vanilla extract to the mixer bowl⅔ cups flour, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Mix until combined
- Coat with butter and flour in a round bundt pan
- Pour the vanilla batter into the bundt pan and smooth it out with a spatula
Making the chocolate batter
- Pour the other half batter into the mixer and add the cocoa and the sugar1 cup cocoa powder, ½ cup caster sugar
- Stir until the cocoa, and the sugar are combined
- Pour the chocolate batter over the vanilla
- Spread uniformly with a spatula
Assembling the cake
- Swirl the batters with a knife
- Smooth the top with a spatula
- Bake in a hot oven at 355 F - 180 C for 1 hour and 15 minutes
- Wait 10 minutes for the cake to cool down before removing it from the pan
Serving it
- With a knife, make sure the edges are detached from the pan
- Place a cutting board on top
- Turn it upside down and lift the bundt pan
- Dust the cake with icing sugar and serveicing sugar
Video
Notes
- Remove the butter from the fridge for at least one hour before starting. The butter should be at room temperature, and it cannot be melted
- Instead of making two different batters, I make one batch, then separate them into two to make the two different flavors.
- If you want a marble effect, pour only half of the vanilla batter, then the chocolate and the rest of the vanilla at the end.
- The cooking time is linked to the amount of batter. If you make half a cake, the baking time will be less. To check when the cake is cooked, pierce it with a metal skewer. The cake is cooked when the skewer comes out clean.
- Wait 10 minutes to cool down before removing the cake from the pan. If you remove it when it is too hot, the cake may break.
Nutrition
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