This marzipan layer cake with dark chocolate buttercream is a delicious four layer cake that combines sweet, nutty, floral, and chocolate flavors. Marzipan sweetness is tempered by a rich, dark chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream. Inspired by a truffle from a local chocolate shop, I created this recipe that has proven to be a reader favorite. Make your own marzipan for ultimate freshness of flavor. It's easy!
Luna, my oldest daughter, came in the door from running some errands with my husband and proudly presented me with a small white cardboard box. Inside it were 8 chocolate truffles nestled in paper from one of our long running local chocolate shops, Chocolate Necessities.
I wrote off all the truffles covered in milk chocolate (my family is not as picky and happily ate the castoffs.) Give me the dark stuff, every time. Among those remaining, there were some good ones: dark chocolate cream, praline crunch, vanilla bean. But the one that rose above all the others – the one I became a bit obsessed with – had a marzipan center covered in dark chocolate. It lingered with me long after I’d eaten it. Sweet, nutty, floral, dense, chocolaty. I started trying to figure out how to recreate it.
Here it is, the chocolate truffle I couldn’t forget, recreated as a marzipan layer cake with dark chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream. It satisfies all those same notes that the truffle hit, now a 4 layer cake that serves at least 12 truffle-hungry eaters. Yes, marzipan can be cloyingly sweet in large amounts, which is why I’ve used it here sparingly. It's paired it with a smooth, dark chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream. Together, they balance each other perfectly.
I've used the same rich chocolate buttercream frosting recipe for this triple chocolate drip cake, too. It's a wonderful cake if you're looking to satisfy an intense chocolate craving.
Homemade Marzipan
When I first set out to make this, I bought a tube of marzipan paste at the store. After belatedly realizing it had cost me $7, I set it aside to return at a later date. I soon discovered how easy it is to make homemade marzipan with just a few simple ingredients. If, like me, your pantry houses almond flour, powdered sugar, rose water, and orange blossom water, marzipan heaven is close at hand. However, if you're not eager to build up your pantry with admittedly esoteric ingredients like rose and orange blossom waters, then you might just go for the tube. I do encourage you to try your hand at making it at least once, though. As you might expect, freshly made marzipan far outweighs the store-bought variety. You may never buy it again.
Marzipan Cake with Dark Chocolate Buttercream
Print Recipe Pin RecipeINGREDIENTS
MARZIPAN CAKE
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- ¾ cup almond flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 7 ounces marzipan
* See link in marzipan instructions for recipe - 1 cup (226g, 8 oz) unsalted butter
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- ½ cup sour cream
DARK CHOCOLATE SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM
- 10 ounces (1 ⅔ cups) dark chocolate, finely chopped - I used 72%
- 5 egg whites
- 1⅓ cups brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1¾ cups (14 ounces) unsalted butter - cut into small cubes and at room temperature
- 2
teaspoons vanilla extract
CHOCOLATE GANACHE DRIP
- ¼ cup cream
- 2 ounces (⅓ cup) dark chocolate, finely chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
MARZIPAN
- I used this recipe to make the marzipan. You will need the full amount (approximately 12 oz) - 7 oz for the cake batter, and the remainder to roll out and add in two 6" circles between the cake layers. If you prefer not to consume raw egg white or wish to make the marzipan vegan, omit the egg white and replace with a few tablespoons of corn syrup to bind the ingredients.
MARZIPAN CAKE
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Grease four 6” cake pans and cut circles of parchment paper to place in the bottom of each pan. Grease the paper.
- In a medium bowl, blend the flour, almond flour, baking powder and salt with a whisk. Make sure that the almond flour does not contain lumps.
- Place the marzipan and granulated sugar into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until well blended.
- Transfer the marzipan mixture to the bowl of a mixer. Add the butter and continue to blend until pale and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl several times.
- Add the eggs one at a time and mix well between each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts.
- Add half of the flour, mixing until just incorporated. Remove bowl from mixer.
- Fold in the sour cream and the remaining flour.
- Pour the cake batter evenly between the four pans. I use my kitchen scale to ensure that the layers are similar in weight.
- Bake until a tester comes out clean when you pierce the center of the cake – 30-35 minutes. Cool in pans for 10 minutes and then flip onto a metal cooling rack and remove the parchment paper.
DARK CHOCOLATE SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM
- Melt dark chocolate in a microwave safe bowl for one minute. Stir, and then continue microwaving and stirring in 20 second intervals until fully melted. Set aside to cool.
- Place the egg whites, cream of tartar and brown sugar into a pot on the stove over medium low heat. Stirring constantly, warm to a temperature of approximately 160 degrees Fahrenheit, or until sugar has dissolved completely.
- Remove pot from stove and strain through a fine metal sieve into the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Beat egg white and sugar mixture on high speed with whisk attachment until glossy, stiff, pillowy meringue peaks form and bowl is cool to the touch - this will most likely take 5 to 10 minutes.
- Swap out the whisk attachment for the paddle on your stand mixer. On medium speed, begin adding the butter a few squares at a time, beating until fully incorporated. Continue with this process until all butter has been added. If the buttercream seems to curdle or turn soupy, just keep beating! This is common with ingredients of different temperatures and should right itself if you're patient.
- Add vanilla extract and melted chocolate, and beat until completely blended together. Scrape the bowl several times to make sure the chocolate is entirely incorporated into the buttercream.
CAKE ASSEMBLY
- On parchment paper, roll out the remaining marzipan paste that was leftover from making the cake. Using the bottom of a 6" cake pan, trace two circles and gently cut them out. Set aside.
- On your serving platter, place the first layer of marzipan cake. Gently place one 6" marzipan paste circle on top and smooth onto the cake layer below. Spread with a generous portion of chocolate buttercream using an offset spatula or a knife. TIP: If you have a cake turntable or even a lazy Susan, placing the platter on top of it and spinning it as you spread with your spatula will make the application of buttercream much easier. I often use a wet washcloth between the turntable and the platter to make sure the platter doesn't slip as I'm rotating it.
- Place the second layer of marzipan cake on top of the buttercream. Spread with another portion of chocolate buttercream.
- Place the third layer of marzipan cake on top of the buttercream. Gently place the second 6" marzipan paste circle on top and again, smooth onto the cake layer below. Spread with chocolate buttercream.
- Add the final layer of marzipan cake on top. Using your offset spatula or knife, apply a thin coat of buttercream to the sides of the cake. If you have a bench scraper, you can use it now to smooth the sides and remove excess buttercream as you rotate the turntable.
- Add a generous portion of chocolate buttercream to the top of the cake, and smooth it out to meet the sides.
- If you like the look of a thinly frosted, semi-naked cake, you can stop here. Alternatively, you can place the cake in the fridge for approximately 20 minutes to firm up the buttercream crumb coat, and then apply the remaining buttercream to the sides and top for a thicker frosting layer, like I did here.
CHOCOLATE GANACHE DRIP
- To apply the chocolate ganache drip to your frosted cake, chill the cake for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the cream in a microwave safe dish for approximately 30 seconds or until steaming and just beginning to form bubbles around the sides.
- Place the finely chopped chocolate into a small bowl (so that all the chocolate will be submerged) and pour the cream over the top. Gently whisk until completely smooth.
- Let the ganache mixture cool for about 5-10 minutes, and then use a spoon to gently drizzle small amounts of the ganache over the edges of the cake to form drips. Once you have the drips as you like them, spoon additional ganache into the center of the cake and spread just to the edges to fill in. I did a half-drip on this cake, only covering a portion - but this makes enough to go around the entire cake with drips and fill in the top.
Notes
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More Cake
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Susan
Hello. I have not baked the cake yet, wondering if there is a high altitude adjustment? I'm at 8600' in the Rockies. Thanks!
Kathleen Culver
Hi Susan,
Thanks so much for your interest in my recipe!
I don't have experience baking at high altitude, and as such I haven't tested this recipe for that situation.
I would recommend King Arthur's high altitude baking page - they have a lot of great tips.
If you do end up trying it out, please let me know the result!
Best,
Kathleen
Mariela
This cake sounds delicious and I would like to try making it soon. Could you provide the weights for the flours, sugars, and egg whites, as you did for the butter? It would be super helpful since measurement methods (e.g. dip and sweep, packed vs. unpacked brown sugar) and egg sizes vary. Thanks!
Kathleen Culver
Hi Mariela,
Yes, indeed the methods do vary greatly. As you'll see, I have moved to providing weights for all of my newer recipes.
I haven't retested this specific cake with weights yet, so I'd be hesitant to give you a guess based on standard conversions in case there are any differences.
It's on my list of recipes to update!
Thanks so much,
Kathleen
Megan M.
Hi! May be a silly question! But if I adjust the serving size to 24- would I need four 8” pans or would three work?
Looooove this recipe and I really enjoy the story you took me on! Soooo excited to make this!
Kathleen Culver
Hi Megan!
No silly questions at all - thanks so much for asking!
If you're aiming to make a double recipe using 8" diameter cake pans (rather than 6" as written here), you'd need 4 8" pans. An 8" pan holds about twice the batter of a 6" pan.
If you were simply baking the recipe as written, you'd use two 8" pans.
Since you want to double the amount, you'll need 4.
Rather than simply doubling the ingredients, however, I recommend you mix the batter and bake the cakes in two separate batches.
Unless you have a really big mixer, adding that volume of ingredients all at once can often lead to overmixing and a dense cake.
(That will also be helpful if you only have a few 8" pans on hand).
I always refer to Stella Parks' article on scaling recipes for cake - lots of super helpful tips.
https://www.seriouseats.com/how-to-resize-cake-recipes-to-fit-any-pan
Hope you enjoy!
Kathleen
Kate
Hi Kathleen,
This cake is exactly what my 6 years old wishes for his birthday cake. Would it be possible to add metrics to the recipe? Thanks.
Kathleen Culver
Hi Kate,
That's wonderful - your 6 your old is amazing!
This is one of my older recipes before I started baking everything in metrics.
I do plan to work my way through to update old recipes so that they all have both metric and volume measurements - just a matter of time.
I'm afraid I can't convert it yet, but I'll certainly put it on my list.
In the meantime, there are some great online calculators that can help you convert.
Happy birthday to your son!
Kathleen
Marion Larsen
When do you add the cream of tartar? I added it when while beating the eggs and brown sugar in the mixer. I also cut the sugar All around by a third.
The Floured Table
Hi Marion,
Thanks for your note - I've updated the post to reflect that the cream of tartar should be added to the egg whites and brown sugar as they are warming on the stove. I hope it still turned out all right for you.
Thanks so much for letting me know.
Kathleen
Giselle
Lovely recipe and delicious cake. The cream of tartar is missing from the buttercream instructions. I might have screwed up the frosting because I sprinkled it in with the melted chocolate.
The Floured Table
Hi Giselle,
Thank you so much for bringing that to my attention. I've updated the post.
It should be added to the egg whites and brown sugar before warming on the stove.
I hope that it still turned out ok for you!
Kathleen
Hannah
Hello Kathleen - excited to make this cake, but have a question:
1C Butter does not equal 16 oz, which does not equal 2 "sticks"
1C Butter = 8 oz = 2 - 4oz. "sticks"
Can you confirm that it is 1C of butter required, and not 16 oz. (1lb = 4 - 4oz. "sticks") that should be used here?
Thank you!!! Making for my sister's birthday and can't wait to taste it.
The Floured Table
Hi Hannah,
Thanks so much for visiting!
You are absolutely correct - the error is mine. Yes, 1 cup is the amount of butter required.
I'm updating the recipe right now to reflect the correction.
Thank you for letting me know!
I hope that your sister's birthday is extra special, even with all that's going on in the world.
Kathleen
Helen
Hi! I don't see a link for the marzipan recipe...can you help? Thank you! So excited to make this for my birthday tomorrow. :)))
The Floured Table
Hi Helen,
Happy birthday! Hope you have a wonderful day.
The marzipan recipe I use is linked in the very beginning of the recipe instructions - you'll see it right after the ingredient list.
Enjoy!
Kathleen
Jeannie
I’m a pastry chef and I have to say that this Swiss chocolate buttercream is divine!!! I have adapted multiple ways- orange, hazelnut, peppermint, Mexican chocolate, mocha, almond- ..... thakyyou for this little gem of a cake ? jeannie
The Floured Table
Jeannie,
I'm so happy to hear that - and now I'm thinking I need to try some of those adaptations as well.
They sound delicious. I appreciate you taking the time to share.
Kathleen
katie fitzgerald
Hi Kathleen, this cake looks wonderful! I am wondering if there is an easy way to make the cake chocolate while still using the marzipan in the batter? Or would it make more sense to make a regular chocolate cake and just add the rolled marzipan layer? Thanks!
Katie
The Floured Table
Hi Katie,
I haven't tried making this recipe into a chocolate cake. Adding cocoa powder would certainly shift the ratios, so I'd be hesitant to suggest anything without testing it first. I test my recipes carefully so that I have a high level of confidence that you'll have success! You could definitely make a chocolate cake and try adding some almond extract and rose water to the batter to get a bit closer to the marzipan flavor. The flavor wouldn't come through as strongly, but I think that might work.
Let me know if you give it a try!
Thanks,
Kathleen
Ruxandra
We have done this cake several times now. It takes a while but it worth every penny! It has become our favorite cake for birthdays and anniversaries!
Thank you very much for this cake recipe!
The Floured Table
Ruxandra,
This makes me SO, SO happy to hear! I'm thrilled that you've taken the time to make it and have adopted it as a special family recipe. I hope it brings extra comfort during these challenging times.
Very best,
Kathleen
N.J.
Hello Kathleen, thank you so much for this cake recipe! I cant wait to make it and then eat it!
Im just wondering what cream did you use for the chocolate ganache? More specifically was it unsweetened or sweetened?
The Floured Table
Hello!
I apologize for the late reply.
For the ganache, I used heavy cream, which comes unsweetened.
Happy baking!
Kathleen
Alice
Hi Kathleen, thank you for sharing this recipe...it looks amazing and I look forward to tackling it one day! Could you please kindly tell me where you obtained came plate from? Cheers!
The Floured Table
Hi Alice!
Thanks so much.
The cake plate is from H & M.
They have some lovely minimal houseware items, including dishes.
Kathleen