Cupcake a Week: Vanilla & Chocolate Swirl

Vanilla or Chocolate...Chocolate or Vanilla???? I often find myself contemplating which flavor to choose when it comes time to eating cake or ice cream. When I'm at a wedding and there are both chocolate and vanilla slices of cake, I'm that over indulgent guest that eats one piece of cake like all the other guests, but then when no one is watching sneaks back up to the cake table and helps myself to a second piece of cake to try another flavor. I know I am not the only one who has done this right??? Please tell me some of you also raid the cake table for extra servings. This is a rare chance when you get to eat a super moist, delicious, high quality ingredient cake made from scratch from a well known bakery...I mean this is one sugary slice of heaven, or two you just can't resist.

But if you aren't going to be heading to a wedding anytime soon and are craving something both chocolate and vanilla, then this marbled cupcake recipe is just what you need!

And to take it even one step further, not only is the cake a combo of vanilla and chocolate but so is the icing! You get the best of both worlds all in one little cake! I made one batch of vanilla buttercream icing and one batch of chocolate buttercream icing then combined them side by side in a piping bag with the star tip and swirled it on top. Then added some chocolate jimmies.

Just looking at the swirls of vanilla and chocolate icing reminds me of my childhood and going up to the local convenient store on a hot summer night and ordering swirled soft serve ice cream. YUM!

Marble Cupcakes (recipe from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes book)

Makes 16 cupcakes

Ingredients:
- 1 3/4 cups cake flour (not self-rising), sifted
-2 teaspoons baking powder
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1/3 cup milk, room temperature
-1/3 cup heavy cream, room temperature
-1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
-1 cup granulated sugar
-3 large eggs, room temperature
-1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
-1/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
-1/4 cup boiling water

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Combine milk and cream.
• With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and granulated sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of milk mixture, and beating until combined.
• To make chocolate batter, measure out 1 cup batter, and transfer to another bowl. Combine cocoa and the boiling water in a bowl. Stir into reserved 1 cup batter.
• Fill prepared cups with alternating spoonfuls of vanilla and chocolate batter, filling each three-quarters full. Run the tip of a paring knife or wooden skewer through the batter in a figure-eight motion to make swirls. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until tops are golden and cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.

*Martha recommended dusting marble cupcakes with confectioners' sugar, but I decided to top them off with buttercream icing instead....either way they will taste delicious!

• Frost with a combination of vanilla and chocolate buttercream. Place a large star decorating tip into a piping bag and fill one side with vanilla and the other side with chocolate buttercream. Hold bag and swirl icing in clockwise motion on top of cupcakes to create a swirl.

Billy's Vanilla Buttercream (recipe from Martha Stewart's website)

Makes enough for 30 cupcakes
Note: I cut the recipe below in half and still had left over icing.

-1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
-6 to 8 cups confectioners's sugar
-1/2 cup milk
-1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add 6 cups sugar, milk, and vanilla; mix until light and fluffy. If necessary, gradually add remaining 2 cups sugar to reach desired consistency.

Billy's Chocolate Buttercream (recipe from Martha Stewart's website)

Makes enough for 30 cupcakes
Note: I cut the recipe below in half and still had left over icing.

-2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
-12 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
-3 tablespoons milk
-1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
-5 cups confectioners' sugar

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add chocolate until just combined. Add milk, vanilla, and sugar; mix on medium until well combined, being careful not to overmix.

ENJOY!