When it comes to cupcakes, I have always been obsessed with marbled cupcakes. Even as a young kid, marbled cake was something of my dreams come true. These marbled choc vanilla cupcakes are capturing the imagination of the two tone cake, but are much healthier with low sugar!
I've lowered the sugar in these, and Master 5 thinks they are amazing! Miss 7 thinks they are too sweet- so there is no pleasing everyone. personally I think they are just right and this afternoon with my coffee they were positively perfect.
I'm having so many oven troubles right now, these rose dramatically towards the back of the oven and it made them really irregular in shape- something that makes them look a little less cute! Icing them would have meant cutting the tops off and trying to fix their shape, so I'm glad I didn't want to ice them.
Of course, these could be even healthier if we removed all the sugar, but would they still be a treat? There are other healthier options on the blog if the magic of the marbling isn't enough for you, these chocolate madelines are really low in sugar as are these chocolate bliss balls.
There is something so pretty about marbling, and it's such a good way to add some fun to these low sugar cupcakes. Marbled choc vanilla cupcakes are going to be a freezer essential for me, as it can be quite difficult to find things to please Master 5.
To achieve the perfect marbling, you need to make sure that you have separate areas of the flavours in the muffin hole. Then mix them with a skewer, being careful to swirl rather than mix.
Marbled choc vanilla cupcakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups self raising flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tsps vanilla paste
- ¼ cup sugar of your choice
- 150 grams butter melted
- ⅓ cup water
- ⅓ cup cocoa
- ⅓ cup water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius (355f).
- Mix the flour, eggs, milk, butter, vanilla and sugar together.
- Split the batter into 2 separate bowls.
- Add ⅓ cup water to one batter.
- Add ⅓ cup water and ⅓ cup cocoa to the other.
- Drop a tablespoon of vanilla batter into each cupcake hole.
- Drop a tablespoon of chocolate batter in each hole.
- Scrape up any extra vanilla and divide amongst the holes and repeat with the chocolate.
- Using a skewer, make swirls in the top of the cupcakes.
- Bake at 180 degrees for 15-18 minutes.
- Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove to cooling rack.
Cathy says
I added some choc chips to sweeten them up a bit. My girls demolished them.
Kelly says
We made this today, into a full size cake for a birthday. It was great! Took about 30 minutes. It did crack on top so I'd probably lower the temp to 165-170 and cook it a bit longer next time.
And I found I needed to add more flour to the vanilla half. After adding the water it was a bit runny.
I also made a low sugar choc cream cheese frosting for the top.
Thanks for this recipe, I'll definitely make it again.
Beth says
Just made these. They taste of nothing. Didn’t rise that much, even with self raising flour. Look pretty with the marble affect but disappointed overall.
Kylie says
Thanks for your review, these aren't overly sweet as that is what we are used too. If you want them to have a sweeter flavour, you can add more sweetener to taste. We have made these lots of times without any rising issues, in fact they are a bake stall regular for us.
Laura D says
These look amazing! Do they last well frozen?
Kylie says
Yes they do! I grab them and stick them in the lunchbox still frozen in the morning.
B says
Looks wonderful, can’t wait to make them! Would vanilla extract (liquid) sub for vanilla paste? I’ve never seen vanilla in paste form here in NY...
Kylie says
Yes it will work no problems!
Chloe says
I have just made these with my boys.
Lots of fun to make, but they didn’t rise at all. I was thinking when making them that the ingredients didn’t include a rising agent.
Is it supposed to be Self Raising Flour instead of Plain, or should there be some baking powder maybe?
Kylie says
Aargh! Because mine over-rose I changed the recipe, and forgot to put that it was self raising flour! Thanks.
ThermoKitchen says
I used to love marbled cakes as a kid!! I haven’t even thought of making them in years!!!! Thanks for the inspiration.
Julie
Smita says
Looks simply delicious!
Marcellina says
Oh these look wonderful and great texture even with less sugar. Then again I love anything marbled! My favourite cake as kid!
Kylie says
It's kind of magical! It was my favourite as a kid too!
Sylvie says
I love that they seem so light! Cupcakes tend to be a bit dense but these one look absolutely delicious and fluffy. I"m not the biggest fan of cupcake frosting so this recipe is perfect; what else do you need but a chocolate swirl, right!?
Kylie says
Exactly! I find frosting can be a bit sickly sweet!