Most marble cakes are a vanilla batter with a chocolate one dragged through it, so half of every slice is plain. The Marble Chocolate Cake is not built that way. The crumb is double chocolate the whole way through, and the marbling sits in the finish, a pattern across the surface that tells you what is underneath rather than promising a vanilla half that never arrives.
What you are actually cutting into
A moist double chocolate cake with a deep cocoa flavour, finished with the marble design and nothing else. There is no soft frosting on the outside, no filling in the centre to slump and no fruit to weep. It comes in two formats: a 20cm loaf at $35, which serves eight, or a 25cm bundt at $55, which serves sixteen. The bundt is the one that reads as a centrepiece on a table; the loaf is the one that slices quickly at the end of a long evening.
Why we call these travel cakes
The marble belongs to a range of nine tea cakes and loaves we describe as travel cakes, and the description is literal rather than romantic. They are sturdy. They have no delicate finish that needs protecting, they hold at room temperature, and they look the same on your table as they did on our bench. If you are hosting fifteen to fifty people somewhere without a kitchen, that is the whole argument: no fridge to negotiate, no plating, no assembly on site, nothing that has to be rescued while your guests watch.
Working out how many you need
Count heads first, then work backwards. Two 25cm bundts cover thirty-two people. One bundt and two loaves also covers thirty-two, but gives you three flavours instead of two, which is what makes a dessert table look considered rather than bulk-bought. Chocolate wants something bright beside it, so the marble sits well next to the Jaffa Orange Chocolate with its dark ganache, or the Anthill Coconut, a coconut sponge shot through with chocolate sprinkles. The Brazilian Carrot is golden rather than spiced and carries a brigadeiro drizzle. The Peanut Butter Cake contains peanuts, so leave it off the table if a guest avoids nuts, and note that we never claim anything here is nut free.
For height and variety between the cakes, a tray from the mini cake range gives you six or twelve, one serving each. Trays of petit fours hold fifteen pieces and need seven days rather than two. The dessert catering boxes page sets out the other formats, and if you want a tall centrepiece as well, the layer cakes start at a 15cm that serves twelve to fifteen.
Settle the argument over a slice, with someone
A loaf is the cheapest planning tool in this business, and a cake slice from the cabinet is cheaper still. Come in with whoever you are hosting alongside, order two different slices and a coffee each, and swap halves. Ten minutes of that settles the flavour question better than an hour of scrolling photographs, and it means both of you own the decision when the table goes out.
Carrying it, keeping it, cutting it
Carry the box from the bottom and keep the car cool. Travel cakes want room temperature, away from sun and heat, so there is no fridge to find on the day and nothing to bring back up to temperature. When you serve, dip the knife in hot water and dry it between cuts, and portion a bundt deliberately into sixteen rather than eyeballing it, or the far end of the table ends up with the offcuts.
Ordering and visiting
Travel cakes need two days' notice, and the checkout date picker only offers dates the kitchen can meet for what is in your cart. Pickup is from our patisserie inside The Welder on Welles Street in the central city, and it is collection only, events included. We are open 10am to 6pm Tuesday to Friday and 10am to 3pm Saturday. The frequently asked questions page covers storage, transport and changes.
