Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, allowing the parchment to hang over on opposite sides.

Step 2

Make the vanilla batter: Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl.

Step 3

In a stand mixer (or using a handheld electric mixer and a large bowl), beat together the vegetable oil, applesauce, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and almond extract at medium speed until pale yellow, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in half of the orange juice on low speed, followed by half of the flour mixture, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Then beat in the remaining orange juice, followed by the remaining flour, beating on low until combined.

Step 4

Make the chocolate batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted chocolate, cocoa powder, sugar, and boiling water until smooth and glossy. Add a little less than half of the vanilla batter to the chocolate mixture and gently fold until smooth.

Step 5

Spoon the 2 batters into the prepared loaf pan in layers, alternating big (about 1/4 cup) spoonfuls of the vanilla and chocolate batters to simulate a checkerboard pattern. The batter will spread, which is okay. When all of the batter is spooned into the loaf pan, use a knife or wooden skewer to run through the batters in a swirling motion, creating the marbling effect.

Step 6

Bake until a skewer inserted into the center just comes out clean, about 1 hour. If the top of the cake is browning too quickly, loosely drape a piece of foil over the top. Remove from the oven and use the overhanging parchment to gently remove the cake from the loaf pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool.