Marble Cupcakes with Chocolate Icing and Coconut

I think the cupcake craze has finally plateaued and things in the dessert world are back to normal 😉 Since the day I started working as a baker and running a dessert company it seemed the only thing (or dessert) the public knew were cupcakes. I’ve been called the cupcake lady or asked ‘how’s the cupcake business going?’ The strange part is cupcakes were never the focus of my business – in fact meringues and pavlovas were, far from the cupcake world. I still love cupcakes just as much as the next dessert loving gal does, but it wouldn’t be my first choice.

Now my Dad, that’s another story. He loves cupcakes and whenever it’s his birthday you can count on a few special requests for his dessert of choice. This year he requested vanilla cupcakes with chocolate icing and coconut on top. He loves the idea of these individual cakes; he cuts them in half and makes his way through as many as possible before someone (myself or my mother) tell him he’s had enough. You see, I think he feels he can get away with eating more because they are smaller and less noticeable than a big cake disappearing. He also loves icing, so I’m not shy on the ratio of cupcake to icing!

Since this recipe makes 2 dozen cupcakes I thought I’d get fancy and split the batter to make one of those dozen cupcakes marble! I personally love the combination of chocolate and vanilla together and just look at how pretty they are! They are fancy and delicious – a perfect combo.

My Dad’s birthday was back in September but I’ve held on to sharing this recipe as I feel this is the perfect time to start making marble cupcakes with chocolate icing and coconut. They have a festive feeling to them as we approach the holidays.. dare I say!! Well, it’s true, I’m seeing Christmas everywhere in the stores my friends! Coconut always reminds me of snow and it’s an easy switch to change the cupcake wrappers to silver or gold which is perfect for the holidays! Holidays or not these cupcakes will be a hit and they come customer satisfaction guaranteed – by my father that is! 😉

Baker Alie Romano making Marble Cupcakes

Marble Cupcakes with Chocolate Icing and Coconut

Print Recipe

Fancy and delicious these marble cupcakes with chocolate icing and coconut are a perfect chocolate and vanilla combo! The recipe makes 2 dozen standard size cupcakes, perfect for a crowd.

Author: Alie Romano
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 40 mins
Yield: 24 1x
Category: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Units Scale

3/4 cup unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups full milk

For the Chocolate Marble

Reserve approx. 1 cup of the vanilla batter
2 Tablespoons full milk
2 Tablespoons sifted cocoa powder

Cupcake Topping

1 cup coconut (sweetened or unsweetened, I used unsweetened)
Chocolate icing, see recipe below

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line 2 cupcake tins with liners and set aside.
In a stand mixer beat butter, add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and continue to beat, add vanilla.
In a separate bowl mix flour, baking powder, and salt together.
Alternate flour mixture with milk to butter mixture, beating on a low speed just until incorporated.
Reserve approx. 1 cup of the batter and set aside. Using an ice-cream scoop, evenly fill the cupcake liners – making 24 cupcakes.
To make your chocolate batter – In a small bowl, take your reserved cup of batter and mix 2 tablespoons of milk and 2 tablespoons sifted cocoa powder together. Evenly distribute chocolate batter on top of each vanilla cupcake. Using a flat butter knife, swirl the chocolate batter into the vanilla batter to create a marble effect. Try not to stir the batter, you want to cut the chocolate into the vanilla.
Bake pans one at a time in the centre of the oven for approx. 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean (don’t overbake).
Make chocolate icing. When cupcakes have cooled ice cupcakes with a generous amount of icing and roll tops of cupcakes into coconut.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 cupcake without icing
Calories: 183
Sugar: 15.6g
Sodium: 81mg
Fat: 8g
Saturated Fat: 5g
Unsaturated Fat: 0
Trans Fat: 0
Carbohydrates: 26.4g
Fiber: 0.8g
Protein: 2.9g
Cholesterol: 40mg

Keywords: Marble Cupcakes, Cupcakes, Coconut, Dessert, Chocolate

Chocolate Buttercream Icing

Print Recipe

This is a classic chocolate buttercream icing for all your desserts. Buttercream lasts in the freezer for a few months, freeze any leftover to use later.

Author: Alie Romano
Prep Time: 8 mins
Total Time: 8 mins
Yield: 4 cups 1x
Category: Dessert
Cuisine: French

Ingredients

Units Scale

1 pound butter, at room temperature
5 cups icing sugar, sifted
2 Tablespoons whipping cream (or milk)
4–5 oz dark chocolate, melted

Instructions

In a mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk butter and icing sugar together. Add whipping cream and slowly add small amounts of melted chocolate until you reach your desired chocolate flavour. Whip until icing is light and fluffy.