Gluten Free Marble Cake with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Use this easy one batter recipe to create a delicious gluten free marble cake with pure white vanilla buttercream.
Servings 20 servings
Calories 548kcal
Ingredients
Gluten Free Marble Cake
- 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate chopped
- 7 oz King Arthur gluten free measure for measure flour
- 4 eggs room temperature
- 1/2 cup buttermilk room temperature
- 2 tsps vanilla
- 10 1/2 oz sugar
- 2 tsps baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 16 Tbsps unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces, soft, but still cool
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- 2 cups unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 lbs powdered sugar sifted
- 1 Tbsp clear vanilla extract
- 2- 4 Tbsps cream
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
Gluten Free Marble Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray or brush two 6 inch cake pans and two 4 inch cake pans with oil. Dust the sides of the pans with a bit of gluten free flour and line the bottoms with parchment rounds. Set aside. Weigh the bowl of your stand mixer and write that down for later.
- Melt the chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly while you prepare the batter.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix the dry ingredients on the lowest setting until combined, about 30 seconds.
- With the stand mixer still on the lowest speed, add the butter one piece at a time, waiting a few seconds between additions. Mix until the butter and flour begin to clump together, about 30-40 seconds after the last piece of butter is added.
- Add 1 cup of the egg mixture with the mixer on low and beat for 5- 10 seconds to incorporate. Bump the speed up to medium- high and beat until light and fluffy, about a minute.
- Add the remaining egg mixture in a slow, steady stream down the edge of the bowl. If you hit the paddle, it will make a mess. It should take about 30 seconds to add this remaining mixture.
- Stop the stand mixer to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat again at medium- high speed for about 15 seconds to thoroughly combine.
- Split the cake batter in two with the help of an electric scale. Subtract the weight of the bowl (from step 2) from the weight of the batter in the bowl. Divide that number in half. That is the amount of batter you will remove and place in a second bowl.
- Add the melted and cooled chocolate to one of the bowls. Gently fold the chocolate into the batter until it is combined.
- Place a 6 inch cake pan on your scale. Alternate tablespoon scoops of vanilla and chocolate batter until you have 12 ounces. Wiggle a skewer or small spatula through the batter and gently smooth out the top. Repeat with the remaining 6 inch cake pan. Do the same with the 4 inch pans, but add 6 ounces in each.
- Bake the 6 inch pans for 30- 33 minutes and the 4 inch cake pans for 28- 30 minutes or until the cakes spring back when touched. A skewer should come out clean.
- Cool in the pans for about 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Cakes must cool completely before assembling.
Vanilla Buttercream
- Beat the softened butter for 8- 10 minutes, scraping the bowl of the stand mixer down once or twice. The butter should be very pale and fluffy.
- Add about a third of the sifted powdered sugar and the clear vanilla extract. Beat on low until the sugar is incorporated. Bump the speed up to a medium- low and beat for a minute.
- Scrape down the bowl and add roughly another third of the sifted powdered sugar and beat on low before bumping up the speed. Mix for another minute.
- Scrape down the bowl and add the remaining sifted powdered sugar, a pinch of salt, and a tablespoon of cream. Beat on low before bumping up the speed and beating for a minute. If necessary, add more cream to get a creamy, smooth texture.
Assembling the Cake
- Place a 6 inch layer on your cake board and cover with frosting. Top with the next layer and cover in a crumb coat. Chill until firm, about 20- 30 minutes. Repeat with the 4 inch layers.
- Apply a final coat of frosting, smoothing out the sides. To get a textured look, run your offset spatula up the side of the cake while you spin the turntable. On top, place the tip of the spatula in the center and slowly move towards the edge of the cake as you spin the turntable.
- Place smoothie straw supports in your 6 inch tier (watch the video to see how). Add a smear of fresh frosting and top with the 4 inch tier. If you can see the board or a gap, pipe a small line of frosting around the edge and use your small offset spatula to smooth. Top cake with a gum paste peony.
Notes
- Or bake the batter in three 6 inch cake pans.
- The cake ingredients must all be at room temperature to combine well.
- I like to microwave my buttermilk for about 20 seconds to bring it to the right temperature.