Zebra Cake (Easy Eastern-European Cake)

Zebra cake is a simple one-layer cake with a fun zebra pattern inside and on top. Made with vanilla and chocolate batters, it creates beautiful black and white zebra stripes. It's perfect for unexpected guests or as a snack cake.

Just like my apple sponge cake "sharlotka", I have known how to make zebra cake since my childhood in Ukraine. 

I love it for its simplicity and the "wow" effect when it comes out of the oven and you slice it. It is also fun and easy for kids to make.

This cake is similar to marble cake and is made with two separate batters - white vanilla and chocolate vanilla. As a result, there will be a zebra pattern on top and inside of the cake once you cut a slice.  

I have always made this cake in Ukraine and I had to test it with American ingredients to ensure the recipe works and comes out perfect. . 

Growing up, we made zebra cake without any frosting and the slice was so perfect with a cup of tea. 

If you want to make it more festive, you can slice it to make two layers, add some chocolate or vanilla buttercream frosting between, and chocolate ganache on top. 

Ingredients description

You can find the ingredients quantities in the recipe card at the end of this post. 

• Flour: I used all-purpose flour. 
• ​Sugar: I used granulated sugar 
• Cocoa powder: unsweetened cacao powder is great for baking. 
• ​Butter: unsalted butter or you can use neutral vegetable oil. 
• ​Eggs: preferably room temperature eggs. 
• ​Sour cream: full fat, room temperature.  
• ​Baking powder: for lighter texture. Vanilla extract: for taste. 
• ​Salt: to balance the sweetness of the cake.

Step-by-step directions

Before you start, preheat oven to 350 degrees f. Line the bottom of the round cake pan with parchment paper. Prepare one large mixing bowl and two medium bowls.

In a large bowl, add eggs, sugar and salt. Beat everything with the electric mixer on high spread for about 4-5 minutes or until the mixture becomes fluffy and doubles in size. Now, add melted butter (or oil), sour cream, vanilla extract, and baking powder. Mix the batter with an electric mixer on low speed until well combined. 

Divide the batter into two equal parts between two smaller bowls. In the first half of the batter add 20 grams of flour, in the second one 20 grams of cocoa powder. Mix both batters. The batters should remain pourable. 

Pour two spoonfuls of chocolate batter into the center of the pan. Next, pour two spoonfuls of vanilla batter directly on top of the chocolate. Alternate spoonfuls spoonfuls of batter, always pouring into the center. As you add more batter, it will naturally spread out, filling the cake pan. To ensure even spreading, gently tap the pan on the counter.

Once all the batter is in the pan, use a knife or toothpick to draw four lines from the center of the cake to the edges, visually dividing it into four sections. Then, draw four more lines from the edges back to the center, creating eight even sections (as shown in the picture below). This step is optional but adds a fun design to the cake.

Bake zebra cake at 350°F for about 40-50 minutes or until the toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clear. 

Recipe tips

• Use room temperature ingredients. 
• Just like with most baking recipes, I recommend using the kitchen scale for precise measurements.
• Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. 
• I used 8-inch pan. You can also use 9 inch one. 
• Let the cake cool down for at least 20 minutes before removing it from the pan. 
• Optionally, you can add frosting or chocolate glaze on top of the cake once it cools down.
• To store: wrap the cake in plastic wrap and store it in the fridge for up to 4 days. 

More easy cake recipes

Looking for more easy cake recipes, try our chocolate and pear cake, chocolate sponge cake, apricot cake, or strawberry pound cake.