Black and White Cake
Black and White Cake. An all time kid favourite among our family and friends. A easy one-bowl chocolate cake covered in plenty of fluffy marshmallow frosting is sure to please kids of all ages.
Originally published on March 27, 2008
2019 UPDATE
After almost 12 years on Rock Recipes and many dozens of cake recipes later, one of our earliest recipes, this Black and White Cake still remains in the top 5 cake recipes ever.
Take a look at the link at the bottom of the page to see all of our top 25 most baked cakes of the last decade.
It's still a kid favourite at our house, even though those kids have now grown into hungry teenagers. This recipe also makes outstanding cupcakes for any celebration but are always particularly popular at school parties.
I generally bake this cake in round 8 inch pans or 9 inch Aluminum Cake Pans but the recipe can also be made as a sheet cake in a 9 x 13 baking pan
Depending on whether you use glass or not, the 9x13 size could take a few minutes longer. Just let the toothpick test be the final judge.
Get creative with your cake!
There is probably no counting the number of Black and White Cakes I have made over the years.
Most often these days, as was the case yesterday, my kids like to make them on their own with a little help from dear old dad in preparing the frosting.
This particular one was prepared for dessert at dinner last night by my daughter Olivia, 10 and her cousin Taylor, 11.
The Dice Cake version shown was an idea from the 8 year old mind of my son Noah who let me help him make it a few weeks back as a treat for the staff at his school for Teacher Appreciation Week.
As you can imagine, a chocolate scratch cake with a marshmallow type frosting is a BIG kid favourite.
It has been made for countless kid parties where even crumbs are hard to come by afterward. More than a few adults I know love it as much as the kids. When it comes to standard recipes at our house, this one is unquestionably in the top 10.
Consider yourself a cake lover?
We've put together a collection of the 25 Most Baked Cakes of the last 12 years on Rock Recipes. You are sure to find several to love.
Like this Black and White Cake recipe?
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Black and White Cake
Black and White Cake is an all time kid favorite among our family and friends. A easy one-bowl chocolate cake covered in plenty of fluffy marshmallow frosting is sure to please kids of all ages.
Ingredients
For the chocolate cake
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ¾ cup cocoa
- 2 teaspoon . baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup soured milk
- 1 cup brewed black coffee, (or prepare a single cup of instant coffee)
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the marshmallow frosting
- 4 egg whites
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tarter
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups sugar
- ½ cup corn syrup
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
To make the cake batter
- Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat with electric mixer for 2 minutes.
- Pour into 2 greased and floured 8 or 9 inch cake pans.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
To prepare the Marshmallow Frosting
- In a small saucepan combine sugar, corn syrup and water.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F on a candy thermometer or when a teaspoonful of the mixture dropped into ice water forms a soft ball that holds its shape when cool.
- Whip the egg whites, cream of tartar and vanilla extract to soft peaks in a large bowl.
- With the mixer on medium high speed, slowly begin to pour the sugar syrup down the side of the egg white bowl in a thin continuous stream.
- Continue to whip the frosting until it forms stiff peaks.
- Frost your cake immediately with this frosting while it is still slightly warm as it is easier to spread smoothly than if allowed to cool completely.
Notes
October 2017 update: I've updated the recipe with this note because so many people ask about the coffee in this recipe. The recipe calls for a cup of brewed coffee, meaning prepared as you would drink it. It does NOT mean a cup of ground coffee or a cup of instant coffee granules either; although I always smile when someone asks because my late friend Anne did that once, bless her soul. Let's just say her husband wasn't impressed!
A little coffee accentuates the flavour of chocolate but if you like, you can just substitute and additional cup of milk for the coffee. It's not a problem.
Recommended Products
Rock Recipes a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Our product recommendations are almost exclusively for those we currently use or have used in the past.
Nutrition Information
Yield
16Serving Size
gAmount Per Serving Calories 336Saturated Fat 6gCholesterol 21mgSodium 187mgCarbohydrates 64gFiber 1gSugar 49gProtein 4g
The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only. Exact accuracy is not guaranteed. For recipes where all ingredients may not be used entirely, such as those with coatings on meats, or with sauces or dressings for example, calorie & nutritional values per serving will likely be somewhat lower than indicated.
Cupcake pans vary in size so about 15-20 minutes. The toothpick test is always the best test for done-ness.
Barry, you mentioned you keep the cake covered for a couple of days; is that out of the refrigerator or in?
I serve baked goods at an outdoor Green Market; I think this is considered a meringue frosting, which isn't allowed. oh, well, I'll have to enjoy it at home!
We had a late night sweets craving last night and your Black and White Cake was the one we chose to make and indulge in at 9 p.m. It was amazing and having grown up in Maine it reminded me of the wonderful Whoopie Pies my Mama use to make...we renamed it Whoopie Pie Cake for old times sake 🙂 Thanks for sharing!!
Question: with coffee in it does it have a coffee taste? I would love to try it but don't like anything that remotely has a coffee taste.
No it does not taste strongly of coffee. You can substitute more milk if you prefer.
Can we keep cake with this frosting in the refrigerator? Do you think the icing will be okay even if it's refrigerated?
Yes I refrigerate it all the time.
I would like to make this cake for Christmas, I do not want to wait for the last minute, I was thinking about freezing it, so should I make it on a monday, and refrigerate till wednesday, then leave out at room temperature. Will it still taste fresh
Making Monday for Wednesday sounds fine to me. Not really necessary to freeze. This cake stays fresh for several days but if you ever choose to freeze it, I would never freeze that frosting. Better to frost it when it thaws. Merry Christmas, Barry.
Thanks for such a speedy reply Barry, Well I have the cake in the oven now, decided to make it today for tomorrow, so can I assume that I can leave it out over night for Christmas day. I am using a domed cake platter so it will be covered. I do not like cold cake to store in the fridge, thanks again
OMG! This is so easy to make and not to mention very very YUMMY! that frosting is TO DIE FOR! I made it yesterday for my son's first birthday and everyone liked it! Thank you for this awesome recipe! Definitely a keeper! 🙂
I'm making your white velvet cake and the Marshmellow icing. I need to make it a day before we eat it. Will the icing be ok? Will it be soggy? Suggestions? Thanks so much. I'm excited!!
Should be fine a day ion advance. This icing does not make the cake soggy at all.
Thank you so much!! You are awesome to reply so quickly!! I'm excited to find your recipes!
This is one of the best recipes ever, I can just tell, it is my icing recipe also, just made it last week, you can also add marshmellow cream to it when done,