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Is there anything prettier than a gluten free marble cake? This classic gluten free loaf cake has swirls of chocolate and vanilla sponge. It’s a simple and elegant addition to any gluten free afternoon tea!
Gluten free marble cake is one of those bakes that always looks so impressive with swirls of chocolate and vanilla sponge.
This soft and light marble cake recipe is great with a cuppa or as part of an afternoon tea spread. Serve it up alongside classics like gluten free scones and a Victoria sponge cake.
But the pièce de résistance of this bake really comes when you cut into it.
While it looks unassuming from the outside, a slice of this gluten free cake will reveal a swirly, beautiful centre.
And while it will look like you’ve spent hours slaving over a hot stove, the reality is this cake is very easy to make.
All you need are a few simple baking ingredients, a loaf tin and some basic equipment to make this easy loaf cake recipe.
Gluten Free Marble Cake Ingredients
You only need a few really basic ingredients for this gluten free chocolate and vanilla marble cake. Here I’ll list any ideas for substitutions too.
Don’t forget there is a printable recipe card below with the recipe too.
To make this Gluten Free Marble Cake recipe you will need:
- Caster Sugar – In the US you’ll want to look for Baker’s Sugar for this recipe.
- Butter – I always use unsalted butter for my cakes. But you can use a dairy free replacement like margarine if you prefer.
- Plain Gluten Free Flour – I always use the FREEE Plain Gluten Free Flour as it’s available in most UK supermarkets. Any plain gluten free flour blend should work – in the US you’ll want an All Purpose gluten free flour.
- Baking Powder – Always ensure your baking powder is gluten free as some are not safe. If you prefer to use a self-raising gluten free flour instead of plain, you only need to add 1 tsp of baking powder to the mixture.
- Xanthan Gum – A little goes a long way! This helps to replicate the texture of the gluten. Omit it if you cannot tolerate it (or if your flour mix already contains it) but you may find the cake a little more crumbly in texture if there is none in your flour mix.
- Vanilla Extract – This is used in the vanilla sponge, which keeps it pale sponge colour but adds a lovely vanilla flavour to complement the chocolate. If you prefer you could make a chocolate orange marble cake instead.
- Cocoa Powder – Most cocoa powder should be gluten free but always check for ‘may contain’ warnings.
- Eggs – This recipe uses large UK eggs.
- Milk – I use milk to help loosen the chocolate cake batter a little. If making this recipe dairy free you can replace this with a dairy free milk of choice.
How to Make Gluten Free Marble Cake
Making this gluten free vanilla and chocolate marble cake recipe is so simple – I’ve even included some step-by-step photos below.
- Preheat the oven to 180’C / Fan 160C / Gas Mark 4 and grease and line a 2lb loaf tin. Add the butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric whisk until smooth.
- Add the eggs and beat again until fully combined. Sift in the flour, baking powder and xanthan gum and beat again until fully combined.
3. Take a second mixing bowl and pour half of the mixture in so you have half in each bowl. You can use scales if you want to be precise! To one bowl, sift in the cocoa powder and add the milk. Mix until combined with no lumps. To the other bowl add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.
4. Spoon 2-3 tbsp of one of the cake mixtures in a line in the centre of the cake tin. Then spoon 2-3 tbsp of the second mixture on top of the first line, down the centre. Keep doing this, alternating the mixes, until you have used them all up.
5. Lightly nudge the tin so that the mixture reaches the edges (don’t shake it too much or you’ll ruin the marble effect) and then bake for 50-55 minutes until a skewer in the centre comes out clean.
6. Cool completely on a cooling rack before slicing up and serving. See FAQs below for instructions on storing and freezing this cake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Before we crack on with the recipe here are the answers to some of the questions I get asked a lot about gluten free baking…
Marble cake is usually not gluten free as it is made with wheat flour. However this easy marble cake recipe is 100% gluten free and coeliac-safe, with just a few simple ingredient swaps! So there’s no need to miss out.
I have tried and tested numerous combinations for this cake and I actually get the best dairy free results using Stork Baking Spread instead of butter. It makes the cake much lighter and fluffier and I also think it keeps for longer as well.
You can easily make this gluten free marble cake completely dairy free with a few swaps. Simply use a dairy free milk such as almond, coconut or gluten free oat milk in place of normal milk as well as a vegan butter or margarine.
This recipe uses xanthan gum and it’s important to measure it out correctly because a little goes a long way. If you use too much, the cake batter will become gummy and try to climb up the mixer! Double check if your gluten free flour contains xanthan gum – if it does then you can omit the extra in this recipe. If using gluten free self-raising flour, this is more likely to contain it than gluten free plain flour. You only need 1/4 of a teaspoon in this recipe which is plenty!
I use a ‘zebra marble’ technique in this cake by spooning 2-3 tbsp of one of the cake mixtures in a line in the centre of the cake tin. I then spoon 2-3 tbsp of the second mixture on top of the first line, down the centre, and continue this until the cake batter is all used up.
Alternatively, you can also ‘dollop’ spoonful of cake batter at random and then use a skewer to swirl the batter together. You only want to swirl it a little – too much and you’ll lose the marble effect as the batters meld together.
Either marbling technique works well, I just prefer the lovely pattern of the zebra technique myself. Each cake is always unique!
The most likely answer to this is that you opened the oven door too soon! Opening the door before the cake is cooked properly will make it sink so always make sure you wait the full amount of time before taking a peek. It’s also important not to over-mix the cake batter – when adding the eggs and flour, you only need to mix until the cake batter is combined and there are no lumps of flour left.
Yes, you can freeze this gluten free marble cake! If you want to make this ahead of time, I recommend making the sponge and cooling it completely and slicing. Then wrap in clingfilm before freezing on a flat surface. You can then defrost each slice and eat whenever you have a cake craving.
More gluten free loaf cakes
If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know by tagging me on my Instagram or using #theglutenfreeblogger. You can also share your creations in my Facebook group! And please do leave a 5* review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ to let others know you loved it too! It would mean the world to me and really helps support my website.
Gluten Free Marble Cake
Ingredients
- 225 g caster sugar
- 225 g unsalted butter, (softened)
- 4 large eggs
- 225 g plain gluten free flour
- 2.5 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
- 2 tbsp milk
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180'C / Fan 160C / Gas Mark 4 and grease and line a 2lb loaf tin. Set aside.
- Add the butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric whisk until smooth. Then add the eggs and beat again until fully combined.
- Sift in the flour, baking powder and xanthan gum and beat again until fully combined.
- Take a second mixing bowl and pour half of the mixture in so you have half in each bowl. You can use scales if you want to be precise!
- To one bowl, sift in the cocoa powder and add the milk. Mix until combined with no lumps. To the other bowl add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.
- Spoon 2-3 tbsp of one of the cake mixtures in a line in the centre of the cake tin. Then spoon 2-3 tbsp of the second mixture on top of the first line, down the centre. Keep doing this, alternating the mixes, until you have used them all up – see the blog post above for photos to guide you.
- Lightly nudge the tin so that the mixture reaches the edges (don't shake it too much or you'll ruin the marble effect) and then bake for 50-55 minutes until a skewer in the centre comes out clean. Cool completely on a cooling rack before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
More gluten free cake recipes
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