Vegan Marble Cake
A moist vegan marble cake made with oil instead of butter and completely eggless: This cake shows how simple vegan baking can be. It stays fresh for several days, is fluffy inside and tender on the outside, and is perfect for birthdays, afternoon coffee, or holidays like Mother’s Day. Whether baked in a bundt pan or a classic loaf tin, this eggless marble cake impresses every time.
Marble Cake Eggless – Does It Work?
Yes, it works very well. I have brought this fluffy vegan marble cake to many occasions without anyone knowing it was vegan. The feedback was always enthusiastic. That was the goal: honest, unbiased opinions without prejudice.
The typical reaction was: “Mmmh, a marble cake!” — no comments about missing butter or eggs. Just a wonderfully moist vegan cake.
Vegan baking really works — without any compromises. This is also proven by recipes like vegan lemon blueberry cake, vegan apple cinnamon rolls, or “Vanillekipferl” (Austrian vanilla crescent cookies): no one notices that these cakes and cookies are free from animal ingredients. The results convince both in taste and texture.
What Makes This Marble Cake So Fluffy?
To get this result, I pulled out all the vegan baking tricks that make a cake light and fluffy:
- Baking powder and apple cider vinegar provide volume
- Sparkling water adds extra airiness
- Starch replaces part of the flour and makes the batter tender
- Powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar creates a finer crumb
- Oil instead of butter keeps the cake especially moist
Of course, the classic ingredients are also in the batter:
- Plain flour
- Plant-based milk
- Cocoa powder
- Vanilla
For the baking pan, I use oil and breadcrumbs to make sure the cake releases easily.
And no, I don’t sift the flour (out of laziness). You can, if you want — maybe it will make the cake even fluffier.
Preparation
Good news: as much as the result impresses, the preparation of this moist vegan marble cake is very easy:
- Mix dry ingredients together.
- Stir in wet ingredients.
- Divide the batter (2/3 and 1/3), then add cocoa powder and a splash of plant milk to the smaller portion.
- Grease the pan and dust with breadcrumbs.
- Alternate spoonfuls of light and dark batter in the pan.
- Bake the marble cake at 170°C (338°F) for about 50 minutes with top and bottom heat.
After baking, let the cake cool briefly, then remove it from the pan and dust with powdered sugar.
The marble cake stays moist for about three days when stored airtight or well covered at room temperature (I usually cover the plate with a plastic bag).
Vegan Marble Cake: Questions, Tips & Variations
Which plant oil is best for marble cake?
Neutral oils like sunflower or rapeseed oil work best. They don’t affect the flavor and ensure an even, moist texture.
Can I bake the cake in a loaf tin instead?
Yes, that works well. The classic marbling effect is just as easy to achieve.
However, baking time might increase by about 5–10 minutes because the batter is higher and heat distribution is less even.
Start checking with a toothpick at minute 50: if it comes out clean, the cake is done. If the surface browns too quickly, cover loosely with foil.
Why use powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar?
Powdered sugar dissolves faster in the batter and creates a finer, more even crumb. Especially in eggless, butter-free batters, this helps achieve a tender texture — perfect for fluffy vegan cakes.
How can I give the cake a special twist?
Try adding some grated (organic!) orange zest to the light batter or a splash of espresso to the dark batter for a richer flavor. A teaspoon of rum or a pinch of cinnamon also works well, giving the cake a more grown-up flavor without being too strong for kids.
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Moist Vegan Marble Cake – Easy Eggless Marble Cake Recipe with Oil
Equipment
- cake tester *) (I also like to use mine when I cook potatoes, to check if they are done)
Ingredients
- 260 g flour all-purpose
- 90 g starch potato starch, alternatively corn starch
- 250 g powdered sugar
- 1 package baking powder In Austria 1 package = 15-16 grams = a bit more than a tbsp
- 1/2 tsp ground vanilla bean powder *)
- 1 pinch salt
- 250 ml vegan milk 250 ml milk = 250 g milk
- 1 tbsp vinegar e.g. apple cider vinegar
- 150 ml oil 150 ml oil = 130 g oil
- 50 ml sparkling water
- 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp vegan milk
- 1 tsp oil or a small piece of vegan butter
- 1 tbsp bread crumbs approx., for the baking tin. Alternatively use flour
- 1,5 tbsp powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170 degrees top/bottom heat.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients – flour, starch, powdered sugar, baking powder, vanilla and salt – and mix well.
- Then add the liquid ingredients: add the milk, vinegar and oil and mix just until the ingredients are combined. Finally, briefly stir in the sparkling water.
- Grease a bundt cake tin and sprinkle with some breadcrumbs or flour to prevent the cake from sticking.
- Now pour in about 2/3 of the batter, which is about 700 grams.
- Stir the cocoa powder and the tablespoon of vegan milk into the remaining 1/3 and pour it into the tin as well.
- To prevent air bubbles from forming or escaping, tap the tin briefly on the work surface.
- Bake the cake for about 50 minutes on the second rack from the bottom.
- Check with a cake tester or similar, like a thin wooden stick: Insert into the cake – if no batter sticks to it, the cake is baked.
- Switch off the oven, open the door and leave the cake to cool in the tin for approx. 10 minutes. Then turn the marble cake out onto a large, flat plate and leave to cool.
- Dust with powdered sugar before serving. You could sprinkle the powdered sugar through a fine sieve.
Video
Notes
- My bundt cake pan has a diameter of approx. 20.5 cm (8 inches). For a bundt cake tin with a diameter of 24 cm (9.5 inches), you’ll need about 1.5 times the amount. Simply enter 1.5 in the servings field to get the correct ingredient quantities.
- In the video I first add light-coloured batter, then dark, then light again. I tried the recipe afterwards with just adding everything at once (all light, then all dark on top) and it works just as good.
- Store the cooled marble cake at room temperature in an airtight cake box, well covered with plastic wrap or in a bag, to keep it moist and prevent it from drying out.