French – style Sourdough Marble Cake (gâteau marbré au levain) with either active sourdough starter or sourdough discard. An easy and moist chocolate and vanilla marble sweet bread loaf that is deal as a coffee cake, or served with afternoon tea. Perfect as a sweet brunch option, breakfast or dessert too.
Today’s recipe is one of the favorites around the house – properly moist, delicious and equally easy to prepare. Who would prefer the box mixes over this homemade beauty – definitely not me. This recipe is a version of the French beloved marble cake – a butter-rich, moist and dense cake with vanilla and chocolate – that is ideal as a coffee (or tea) dessert – only with sourdough.
Also try: Retro Sponge Cake ‘Half Moon’ (so easy) or my extra easy Greek Orange Olive Oil Bundt Cake.
Behind the Bites
Believe it or not, marble cake didn’t start in France – it actually hails from 19th-century Germany, where it is known as Marmorkuchen. Back then, it was more like a sweet bread, similar to ‘Kugelhopf’, with half the dough darkened with molasses and spices to give that classic marbled effect. Over time, bakers swapped the heavy bread for lighter sponge batters, keeping the marbling trick but making it much more cake-like.
The idea soon spread across Europe, and in France it became the beloved “gâteau marbré,” popping up in cookbooks and home kitchens alike. French versions usually pair a vanilla batter with a chocolate one, gently swirled in a loaf or cake tin to get those pretty streaks. Over the decades, it’s become a staple at French homes – simple, comforting, and perfect with a cup of tea (coffee) in the afternoon.
So while the marble cake didn’t originate in French bakeries, the French certainly made it their own. It’s a lovely little example of how a recipe can travel, evolve, and settle snugly into a new culinary tradition.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Sourdough starter – either active & bubbly or sourdough discard
- Eggs – large
- Flour – all purpose
- Butter – melted
- Sugar – brown or white
- Milk – use whole milk, with no more than 3.5% fat
- Baking powder
- Cacao powder
- Vanilla – liquid or vanilla sugar
- Orange zest – fresh orange zest it best
How to make Sourdough Marble Cake at home?
1st: If using active sourdough, feed your sourdough the night before ( or 4-6 hours before baking the cake). Let it become bubbly and ready to use. In a large bowl combine sourdough (refreshed or discard), vanilla, eggs, melted butter, milk. Whisk to homogenize.
2nd: Then, in a separate bowl combine sugar, flour, baking powder and orange zest. Mix well, then add into the sourdough bowl and again mix to homogenize.
3rd: Separate a few tbsp. of the batter into the bowl where the flour was. Add in the cocoa powder and a tbsp. of milk ( the goal is to avoid the batter liquid enough to mix with the rest).
4th: Pour the “white” batter into a well-greased baking pan (lined with baking paper if needed). Spoon the “chocolate” batter on top, then use a toothpick to gently swirl the two together to create a marble pattern. Bake as directed, let it cool, and enjoy.
Sourdough Marble Cake (gâteau marbré au levain)
Equipment
- 2 mixing bowls
- 1 loaf pan standard
Ingredients
- 150 g sourdough starter, active or discard
- 3 medium eggs
- 120 g butter, melted
- 100 g whole milk
- 180 g flour, all purpose
- 100 g brown sugar
- 2 tbsp. baking powder
- 2 drops vanilla
- 2 tbsp. cacao powder
- 1 tbsp. orange zest, fresh
Instructions
- First, in one bowl combine sourdough (refreshed or discard-see notes), eggs, milk, vanilla and melted butter. Whisk to combine well.
- In a separate bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder and orange zest. Stir to combine well.
- Then, add the dry flour mix to the wet sourdough mix and whisk until fully combined.
- Next, separate a few tbsp. of the batter into the empty bowl. Add in the cacao powder. Stir well to combine.
- Then, pour the white batter into a well-greased loaf pan (lined with baking paper if needed). Spoon the cocoa batter on top, and use a toothpick to gently swirl the two together to create a marbled effect.
- Bake in preheated oven (200C/400F) for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Finally, remove the cake from loaf pan and let cool completely. Slice and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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wow, that’s epic and so easy to make