Old Fashioned Marble Pound Cake Recipe

A slice of marble pound cake on a plate with a fork.

Old Fashioned Marble Pound Cake Recipe

Moist and not too sweet, this old fashioned marble pound cake recipe is just as good as you remember it. Vanilla cake is brightened with orange while the chocolate swirls are deepend with bourbon -- just a touch.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Amercian Heritage

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 10

Servings

Calories 337kcal

Author Marye Audet-White

Equipment

Ingredients

Nonstick baking spray
½ cup Graham cracker crumbs
2 cups All-purpose flour
11/2 teaspoons Baking powder
½ teaspoon Baking soda
½ teaspoon Kosher salt
½ cup Butter room temperature
1 ¼ cups Sugar
4 Eggs room temperature
1 ½ teaspoons Vanilla
1 ½ teaspoons Orange zest
¾ cup Sour cream
4 ounces Melted bittersweet chocolate
1 tablespoon dark cocoa powder I used extra dark
2 tablespoons Bourbon

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325F.
Grease the pan and dust with graham cracker crumbs, shaking out the excess.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt -- set aside.
Beat the butter and sugar on medium speed about 5 minutes, until very light and fluffy.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating 1 minute after each addition.
Stir in the vanilla and sour cream.
Fold in the flour mixture.
Remove 1 ½ cups of the batter to a smaller bowl.
Mix in the melted chocolate, cocoa, and bourbon until the color is consistent with no light streaks.
Add the orange zest to the remaining vanilla batter, mixing in well.
Spoon the batter in the pan, alternating chocolate and vanilla.
Swirl a knife through the batter.
Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Let cool in the pan for 20s minute.
Loosen the cake from the pan and turn out to finish cooling.

Video

Notes

Add the batter in dollops to the pan, alternating the batters until it's all used up then swirl a knife through carefully. If you get too crazy with the knife you won't have pretty swirls it will all just be muddy looking. But if you are careful you'll get beautiful, sharp swirls of chocolate and vanilla cake when you cut into it. That's what makes marble pound cake so amazing. :)

I like to make about half my batter chocolate. You can use more or less chocolate if you like.
Be sure to allow it to cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes before turning out to cool all the way.
You can leave the orange out if you want to.
I like just a dusting on powdered (confectioner's ) sugar because it shows off the cake design but if you want to add a glaze you can.

Nutrition