Marble cake, it’s my husband’s ultimate favourite. He would eat tons of this and if I was to make it every day he would have it every day for breakfast with coffee without fail and... without a moan. He would be a little bit like ... losing weight for not having it, lol ?.
This marble cake with turmeric and cacao is a wonderful cake, I must admit. It’s moist, it’s sweet but not too sweet, the cacao gives it that extra nutty ‘chocolaty’ touch. It’s just beautiful.
My mum makes a very similar marble cake but it is a dry version of this, we call it ‘chec’ , and I still love her version.
I can vividly recall my lovely twin bro and I smashing a whole loaf in one breath and by the time she’d turn around, the marvellous marble cake was GONE!
She would have the left over crumbs and never have a go at us. She was glad we saved her from having too much. Did she really mean that? I wondered so many times so... I asked her one day. Her answer was “ the last thing I wanted was to make you guys feel bad for having it”. How sweet!! I love her. ?
Mums hey?! So many things mums would not do or say just to avoid upsetting us, the kids ?. Love my mum, always did and always will, she is so special.
What about this recipe?
This marble cake is an adaption of her recipe with a few additional ingredients to give it a ‘healthier’ kick make it more moist. ??
Mum's cake tastes (every time) exactly the same it did 30+ years ago, it’s amazing. I did try to replicate it. It’s not the same. I have tried making it a few times with her exact recipe but it’s not the same no matter how much I try. How funny!
What is different about this marble cake recipe ?
It is a moist cake, I have some lovely and healthy ingredients like turmeric, I have replaced cocoa for cacao and I have added yoghurt which is the secret ingredient to a really nice moist marble cake.
What is the difference between cocoa and cacao?
You may think there is no difference but there is, here is what makes these two different:
Cocoa although might sound and look the same as cacao, there is a big difference between the two. Cocoa powder is, in essence, the ‘raw cacao’ which has been roasted at very high temperatures. This means processing and therefore its nutritional value gets lower and many health benefits get spoiled.
It might come as a surprise but cocoa powder is highly processed, it contains little amounts of cacao so will have very little to no nutritional value. It often contains fats, sugar hydrogenated oils, or even gets artificial favours added.
Cacao, on the other hand, is a lot less processed with a high antioxidant content, it is believed to have the highest level of antioxidants and magnesium from all foods. The power of the antioxidants is well known, healthy heart, healthy-looking skin, cholesterol-lowering superfood, it is super high in flavonoids. Cacao powder is the best to use in smoothies and eat as raw as possible. I do bake with it because I do not buy and I have not bought cocoa powder for many years now so I have none in my pantry cupboard.
Tips
- It is vest to use all ingredients especially the eggs, butter, yoghurt at room temperature;
- Add extra sugar if you want your marble cake to be sweeter
- Add a handful of chocolate chips if you want to add your cake a chocolaty touch;
- Don't forget to grease the pan, or you may find it difficult to get the cake out;
- See my recipe notes to get some tips on the orange and lemon zest;
- Make a chocolate or an orange glaze and glaze your cake as soon as it has cooled.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can I freeze marble cake?
Yes, you may. Allow it to cool completely, when cool, place it in a freezer bag and you may keep it frozen for up to three months. To thaw it out, the best practice is to remove it from the freezer and let it thaw in the fridge overnight. Bake in the oven for 5-7 min at 180 C or 350 F.
How to store marble cake?
It will last easily for 3 days at room temperature stored in an airtight container or a zip lock bag. After 3-4 days will become stale but will still be safe to consume.
More delightful dessert recipes
Did you make this marble cake recipe? Leave a comment and even rate the recipe to tell us what you thought and how it came out for you!
Marble cake with cacao and turmeric
Equipment
- loaf tin
- hand or freestanding mixer
- glass bowls x 2
- spatula
Ingredients
- 230 g flour white all purpose plain flour
- 180 g sugar add a little more if you like it very sweet
- 180 g yogurt full fat yogurt works best
- 100 ml oil
- 3 medium eggs
- 2 tsp turmeric levelled not heaped
- 1 tbsp lemon and orange zest *
- 1/2 medium orange medium the juice
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp soda bicarbonate
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 tbsp cacao powder heaping (sifted)
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven at 190°C or 375°F and prepare the tin (mine is 12cm X 20cm) by greasing it. Use a bit of oil or butter. Spray would do too.
- Add the eggs, the sugar into a bowl and using a hand electric whisker, whisk until fluffy. Drizzle in the oil little by little and whisk until this is all added.
- Add the yogurt and whisk to incorporate this. Don’t over whisk. Add the zest and the salt.
- Mix the baking powder and the soda bicarbonate with the orange juice into a tiny little container like a coffee cup or something small and add to the mixture.
- Swift in the flour and the turmeric powder and using a spatula mix in gently the flour into the cake mix until this gets pretty much incorporated. Don’t worry if you have a lump or two, it’s more important that you are not overly mix the batter.
- Separate the cake mix (batter) by taking approximately 1/3 away into another bowl. Add the cacao powder to this and gently mix the cacao powder into it.
- Place the 2/3 cake mix into the prepared tin and pour the cacao mix into a middle line over the turmeric cake mix. With a chopstick or a wooden spoon handle make some swirl movements to give the cake the marble effect. Not too many as you want the marble patterns rather than mixing this and homogenising the two batters.
- Place the marble cake into the preheated oven (make sure it’s in the middle of your oven) and bake for 40 minutes. Do the skewer test and if this comes out clean and the cake has slightly shrunk, it’s ready.
- Take out of the oven, allow to cool for 5 min. Take it out of the tin completely and allow it to cool on a cooling rack.
- It’s ready to serve about 30-40 min later. Enjoy with a chocolate drizzle or a schoop of icecream if you wish.
Notes
If they are unwaxed I just use them but not the skin. I use a lot of lemon and orange zest in my baking, in my porridge in the morning it gives such a lovely taste and flavour is amazing not to say that sometimes I use to cook with it too. It really depends on the dish but a hint of orange flavour in a duck dish... it’s amazing. I have a jar with lemon zest only, one with a mix of orange and lemon and one with lime only. I also have a cubed orange peel candied in the same way. All need to be kept in the fridge. They do last forever. It’s always good to have these.
Ashley Marie Lecker says
Marble cake is a favorite and this recipe is great. I love turmeric and the yogurt in this cake! It is rich tasting and full of flavor!
Ramona says
Thank you Ashley. It is a truly delicious cake indeed. I hope you’ll try it soon ?
Gloria says
Wow the turmeric really adds wonderful colour to this cake. I would eat this for breakfast. I love basic and simple recipes that are so delicious.
Ramona says
That's so true, thank you so much dear Gloria 😉
Choclette says
Ooh, love your use of turmeric in the cake. I love a good marble cake. It's the first one I ever made for my mother's birthday - many many years ago! She would have loved your healthier version as do I. Although I have to confess I only use cacao in raw recipes.
Ramona says
Thank you Choclette, I am sure your mummy would love this recipe so maybe it'd be worth trying it for her. I only buy cacao and I totally agree, it is a bit of a pitty cooking it 😉
Letitia says
I would love to try and bake this delicious looking marble cake, I don’t see the measurements for the cacao powder though. Thank you 🙂
Ramona says
Hi Letitia,
Many thanks for flagging that up - it has clearly been overlooked but I have now added the measurements for the cacao powder, I hope you will enjoy it as much as we do.
Mascot says
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Lana says
I used coconut yoghurt and gluten-free flour for dairy-free, Gluten-free cake and it worked great! So delicious! Thank you!
Ramona says
Thank you so much dear Lana for your kind feedback. I am so glad you liked the recipe and it came out all nice. It is an easy recipe that has never failed for me 😉
Ben says
That looks crazy good! I love marble cake, so I can't wait to try this. The turmeric sounds interesting.
Ramona says
Thank you so much dear Ben, I do hope you will give this marble cake with turmeric a try 😉
Amy Liu Dong says
Marble cake is one of my favorite and this is such a great recipe.
I can't wait to make this for everyone. Thank you!
Kushigalu says
What a creative cake recipe is this. The flavors are just amazing and something new to try
Ramona says
Thank you so much - a delicious marble cake recipe I have to say- my husband wants it often 😉
Paula Montenegro says
How clever to add turmeric to a marble cake! The colors are fantastic and it looks delicious, just the type of thing we love to bake on weekends.
Ramona says
Thank you so much dear Paula, I love adding turmeric for colour and goodness really. It is a win win.
Anna says
What a beautiful marble cake! Love that light and airy texture, and turmeric adds such a beautiful colour! Wish I could have a big slice with my cuppa now!
Ramona says
Thank you so much sweet Anna, I am sending you some now, virtually 😉
Jenny says
First of all this cake looks incredible. Second, I love that you are using turmeric, had no idea I could use it in baking. Third, I so appreciate your detailed instructions. I don't bake often and am a little timid when I make cakes. Your lovely recipe is making it easier for me. Thank you!
Ramona says
Thank you so much dear Jenny. I love the colour turmeric gives to everything and it is super healthy too so why not? I am so happy you found my instructions helpful, I do hope you will be making the recipe soon 😉
Sam says
Yum, this marble cake looks amazing! I've never had marble cake with turmeric before, how interesting! Pinning to try later.
Ramona says
Thank you Sam 😉
Natalie says
Just the other day I remembered how I used to make marble cake for my family and they loved it. But I haven't made one in a while. So glad that I ran into your recipe now. I will definitely save it and make it over the weekend.
LaKita says
This marble cake looks so simple and delicious. Love that you used cacao and turmeric as ingredients in the recipe. Cannot wait to give it a try soon!
Heidy says
This marble cake with turmeric and cacao was shockingly good! I loved the flavor and so did the family. I am saving this recipe!
Ramona says
Thank you dear Heidy, I am sure you will love it 😉
Jacqueline Debono says
I have never made a marble cake but this one I want to try. Love the addition of citrus and turmeric! Perfect teatime treat!