This fun and visual recipe combine vanilla and chocolate batter in the pan to create zebra stripes, reveal the swirls of beautiful batter when you cut into it. It looks kind of complicated, but they're easier to make than you think, try this easy, moist and beautiful zebra cake recipe!
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Zebra-Patterned Marble Cake
I’ve made marble cakes quite often, but when I first saw this style of marble cake, I was amazed by how beautiful it looked.
At first, I thought it would be just like a regular marble cake, using the same batter and changing only the method of layering it in the pan. However, it turns out the batter for this cake is much thinner, almost liquid-like. Traditional marble cake batter is thicker and more doughy, so achieving such a clean zebra pattern would be impossible with that kind of consistency.
I decided to create a separate recipe, testing different methods, but none of them tasted quite right… Although the cakes looked beautiful, many of the recipes that called for adding a lot of oil or milk to soften the batter ended up with a flavor that felt lacking.
I had already shared a recipe for breakfast muffins, which work well for individual servings with butter or jam. While those are perfect for a lighter breakfast, when it comes to cake, I want it to be delicious on its own!
After further tweaking the recipe, I finally reached the ideal texture and flavor—though my daughter now says, “Are you making that cake again?” (At this point, no one in my family is even surprised when I cut into a cake!)
For this recipe, I used very little milk (just enough to adjust the batter’s consistency), added plenty of melted butter, and increased the yogurt slightly to keep the batter soft. The result is a super moist and delicious cake.
How to Make the Zebra Pattern
In the photo, I used two spoonfuls of each vanilla and cocoa batter, layering them alternately. The amount of batter you add alternately will affect the zebra pattern. If you layer smaller amounts of batter multiple times, you’ll get thin striped zebra lines. If you add larger amounts of batter, the lines will be thicker, creating a bolder (and more authentic-looking?) zebra pattern. Feel free to experiment and adjust according to your preference!
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Zebra Cake
- Total Time: 1 hours
- Yield: 8 peoples 1x
Description
This fun and visual recipe combine vanilla and chocolate batter in the pan to create zebra stripes, reveal the swirls of beautiful batter when you cut into it.
Ingredients
- 250 g unsalted butter
- 175 g granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 200 g yoghurt
- milk, (if necessary)
For the Vanilla Batter
- 150 g all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp baking powder
For the Chocolate Batter
- 100 g all-purpose flour
- 20 g cocoa powder
- ½ tsp baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 175°C | 350°F. Grease a 20cm (8 inch) round cake pan with butter. Melt butter in a saucepan or in the microwave. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix butter with sugar until just combined.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
- Add the yoghurt and mix well.
- Divide the batter into two bowls.
For the Vanilla Batter
- Add the ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, 150g sifted flour and ½ teaspoon baking powder, mix until incorporated.
For the Chocolate Batter
- Add 100g sifted flour, 20g cocoa powder and ½ teaspoon baking powder, mix until incorporated.
- (The batter will be smooth, velvety, and slightly thick. If the batter is too thick, you can add the milk. Or if the batter is too liquid, you can add the flour.)
- Drop a large spoonful of 1 batter in the center of the pan. Top with a spoonful of the other batter. Repeat this steps until all batter has been used.
- Bake in 350°F (175°C) for 40 minutes, until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Inactive Time: 0 hours
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Cakes
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 grams
- Calories: 492
- Sugar: 24
- Sodium: 125
- Fat: 29
- Saturated Fat: 17
- Unsaturated Fat: 10
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 51
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 9
- Cholesterol: 141
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