Chocolate and Vanilla Marble Loaf Cake (Full recipe in description)

Sometimes, a recipe isn’t just a recipe. It’s a love letter to a past experience. This one starts in Napa, California, where I found myself amidst the rolling vineyards and the pure euphoria of attending the Cherry Bombe Wine Country Jubilee. Somewhere between the inspiring panel discussions, wine tasting, and the baker's breakfast, inspiration struck. Enter one of my favorite sweet treats Chocolate and Vanilla Marble Loaf Cake: a dessert that’s decadent, a touch wholesome, and unapologetically indulgent.
Printable recipe here: thismessisours...
Marble Loaf Cake
Prep time: 25 mins
Cook time: 65 mins
Yields: 8 slices
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla bean paste
⅓ cup prune puree, recipe follows
2/3 cup + 2 tablespoons whole milk, divided and at room temperature
3 tablespoons dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
Ganache Topping
1 (4-ounce) quality semi-sweet chocolate bar, finely chopped or chocolate morsels
3 tablespoons heavy cream
3 tablespoons prune juice
Preheat the oven to 350°F and generously grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
Make the cake batter:
Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.
Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the oil and beat until combined. The mixture will still be quite creamy. Add the eggs and beat on high speed for 1 minute and then beat in the sour cream and vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. The mixture will be lumpy-that’s ok. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Turn the mixer to low speed, and as the mixer runs, slowly pour in 2/3 cup milk. Beat on low speed just until all of the ingredients are combined. Do not over-mix. You may need to whisk it all by hand to make sure there are no large lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be slightly thick.
You’ll have around 3-3.5 cups of batter. Transfer a little less than half to another bowl. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of milk, cocoa powder, prune puree, and the espresso powder.
Layer and swirl the batters:
Spread a thin layer of the plain vanilla batter in the bottom of your prepared loaf pan. Now, you will layer spoonfuls of each batter on top-cover the bottom vanilla layer with a few spoonfuls of the chocolate batter, then a few spoonfuls of the vanilla batter, then more chocolate batter, then more vanilla batter, and so on until all of the cake batter is used. Gently shake the pan to level out the layers.
Bake for about 65-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. That time is a guideline-all ovens differ, so keep an eye on the cake after 50 minutes. If the cake is browning too quickly on top, loosely tent it with aluminum foil as it bakes.
Cool the cake in the pan and set it on a wire rack for 30 minutes before removing it from the pan. The cake will slightly sink as it cools. Feel free to continue cooling the cake directly on a wire rack, or you can top it and slice it while it’s still slightly warm after 30 minutes of cooling inside the pan.
As the cake cools, make the ganache topping:
Place the chocolate, cream, and prune juice in a double boiler or a medium heat-safe bowl set over a medium saucepan of simmering water. Do not let the bottom of the bowl touch the water. Stir frequently until the chocolate has melted and the ganache is smooth. Remove from heat and set aside at room temperature for 20-30 minutes or until slightly thickened.
Drizzle or spread topping on the loaf cake. Topping sets into a fudge-like consistency after several hours.
How to make Prune Puree:
Soak 16 ounces of pitted California prunes in boiling water to cover for 15 minutes.
Blend the prunes and the water together until smooth and silky. You can make the puree as thick, or as thin, as you like depending on the recipe you are making it for.
For this particular recipe, I started with 1 cup of boiling water and then added additional boiling water, a tablespoon or two at a time, up to about 1 1/2 cups water.
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