Instructions

• Preheat the oven and prepare your baking pan according to your cake recipe (loaf pan, tube pan, or bundt pan). Place the light colored cake batter and the dark colored cake batter near the pan.
• Divide each batter into three equal portions so you have three portions of the light batter and three portions of the dark batter. Keep each portion in its own bowl or container.
• Layer 1 — base: Take one portion of the light colored cake batter. Using a large spoon, place dollops of this portion into the pan in a down–up–down pattern. (For a small loaf pan, place three large dollops across the bottom. For a round tube or bundt pan, place dollops around the pan in the same down–up–down sequence as you move around the pan.)
• Still on Layer 1: Take one portion of the dark colored cake batter. Place dollops of this portion into the empty spaces between the light dollops so the base of the pan forms a rough checkerboard of alternating colors.
• Layer 2: Take the second portion of the light colored batter and the second portion of the dark colored batter. Repeat the dollop placement to create a second checkerboard layer on top of the first, alternating colors so each dollop sits over a different color than the dollop beneath it.
• Layer 3: Repeat the process with the remaining portions (third portion of light and third portion of dark) to form a third, top checkerboard layer. You should now have three layers of alternating dollops filling the pan.
• Swirl to marble: Insert a butter knife into the batter and drag it through using rounded vertical zig-zag motions from one side of the pan to the other. Wipe the knife clean, then repeat the same zig-zag motion in the opposite direction. For a loaf pan, make long horizontal swirls; for a tube or bundt pan, make opposing zig-zags all the way around to form a chain-like swirl. Do not over-swirl — a few strokes are enough to create a marbled effect.
• Bake the cake according to your recipe’s baking instructions. Cool, slice, and enjoy the marbled interior.