The World in Black and White: Marble Cupcakes

Sometimes I can’t decide whether to have a vanilla or chocolate desert. Luckily, I have found the perfect solution for that dilemma: Marble Cupcakes.

Using my basic vanilla recipe, I just keep some of the batter at the end and add in cocoa. These cupcakes are a hit at any party or if you just can’t decide what to have for dessert. The key to make the swirls distinct and not just mixed in, is to dollop a small amount of the cocoa batter and with a clean knife, fold it in the vanilla part. This will take a few tried until you get the hang of it, but it is oh so worth it!

Ingredients:

- 1 ¾ c sugar

- 4 eggs

 - 1 c Milk

- ¾ c oil

- 2 ½ c flour

- 1/3 c cocoa

- 2 ½ tsp baking powder

- 1 tsp vanilla

Preparation:

Pre-heat the oven to 180 °C

Prep the cupcake pan and line with cupcake paper cups. This recipe makes about 20 - 24 cupcakes, depending on how much batter you use in each cup.

Mix the sugar and eggs, and beat until well incorporated and the mixture is light.

In a separate bowl, mix all the dry ingredients EXCEPT the cocoa. We are making a vanilla base with chocolate swirls, so we will keep the cocoa for later.

Mix in the dry vanilla base ingredients into the egg mixture, add in the vanilla, oil and milk, and mix only until well incorporated.

Pour most of the batter into the paper cups, only filling each cup half-way up. Make sure you keep about ¼ of the batter to make the chocolate batter with.

With the rest of the batter, add in the cocoa powder and mix well. If it is too dry, add in 1 Tbsp of milk.

Now we will do the chocolate swirls or marbling. Add in 1/2 Tbsp of the chocolate batter in each vanilla cup. With a flat knife, like a butter knife, fold some of the vanilla batter into the chocolate one. You can fold from bottom to top to make sure the cupcake will me marbled inside as well. Clean off your knife after each cup.

 Do not mix or beat! We don’t want the two batters to mix. It will take a few tries to get the hang of it. That’s the advantage of making cupcakes; you have lots of practice.

Put in the oven for 25- 30 mins. To check if they are ready, insert a toothpick to the center of a cupcake and it should come out clean.

Enjoy!

What is your dessert preference? Chocolate or vanilla?