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.
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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.
hi! I'm making this again for my son's birthday. We're going for a weekend trip. so I am planning to make this on friday.. Will it still be all good on sunday evening?
I'd frost it on the day.
And is it ok to add some food coloring on the icing? Thanks barry! Need your help! 🙂
I never have but I'd use paste and not liquid coloring if I were to attempt it.
Best cake ever! Couple changes I made: My husband doesn't like coffee so I took a cup of water and put a tablespoon of raspberry jam in it. I'm also going to try it with orange marmalade.I. Also to make sour milk take regular milk and add a couple tablespoons of vinegar to make a total of the amount required. Lemon juice can also be used in place of the vinegar!!!
Great. A lot of people sub for the coffee but it isn't a dominant taste at all. Glad you enjoyed it.
I rarely use buttermilk, it's expensive for the wee bit required, i often use sour cream or more often use KEFIR. Kefir is always in my home. It is a great probiotic and has many other uses that buttermilk doesn't always have a use for...
I tried this recipe and it is yummy; no wonder kids love it. My daughter and husband loves it too. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
So glad that you enjoyed it. It's been made many many times here.
Hi
Just wanted to say this recipe has been my staple chocolate cake recipe for years now. Thank you. The Corn Syrup issue is resolved by substituting if with Liquid Glucose. In many countries you cannot get corn syrup of the right strength to make this, and liquid glucose does exactly the same thing. Should be available from the chemist. Pharmacy. Drug store.
That's good advice. I thought corn syrup was widely available.
I don't have a candy thermometer so approximately how long to boil the syrup mixture before checking it in ice water? Thanks!
Test it after 5 minutes.
Bah! Totally butchered the icing! Lol 🙁 Forgot my candy thermometer broke, so had to test in ice water which I've never done before. Broke one of my fav glasses. 🙁 When I poured it in the whipped egg whites (which never truly peaked, but they were soft flowing, yet stiff), it started fluffing up, then turned brownish and like melted. You could see the crystallized sugar syrup...I could taste where it was going w the marshmallow flavor, but it was grainy & I think I was also tasting cooked egg white. Lol! Major flop on my behalf. Will try again when I get a new candy thermometer. Was I supposed to let the sugar syrup cool first? If so, how long? Thanks!
If at first you don't succeed... 😉 No, you are not supposed to let the syrup cool. And make sure you get those soft peaks first. Better luck next time.
I'm sitting here laughing so hard rereading my comment & looking back at that! Ha!!
Thanks so much for your response, I definitely appreciate it, and I will try this again (and master it! 😉 )!!
We call this icing 7 minute frosting.
Not sure why, i followed the recipe for the icing and it was very liquidy..
Sounds like your syrup didn't hit the proper temperature.
Oh my, this cake looks to die for! I am trying it this weekend!!!
Hi, This sounds like a very nice icing. Just wondering, if it cools can it be piped on a cake, or will it still be too soft?
No too soft I'm afraid
I making this cake now, the batter was very very thin when I finished and poured.. I hope it turns out!
It is normally a thin batter.
I have made this cake several times. I have NEVER made such a moist delicious cake. This has got to be the best chocolate cake recipe ever. It has such a rich chocolate flavour. The cake has a substantial bite to it without being heavy.
The best part....it is so delicious that you would never say it can be whipped up in less than a couple of hours from start to nicely iced!
Is this the same as seven minute frosting?
Much the same but I think an easier method.
Question... when I've made recipes like this frosting, if there are any leftovers, the frosting shrinks and really deflates in a couple of hours. Any idea how to stabilize it?
This is my all time favorite, but I wish it would last longer on the cake? Do you have this problem, or am I doing something wrong? Thanks!
I've never had this happen with this recipe. It always says stable for days. Do you use a candy thermometer to get the sugar at the right temperature?