Two-Tone Treats

Ok, you caught me. I love everything about cupcakes. I love their ability to be individualized. I love their versatility – they can be served at anything from a child’s birthday party to a posh event. I love the many flavors, colors, textures, and decorations that can be used to make artistic culinary creations out of them. Cupcakes have truly been fascinating us for hundreds of years. The first mention of them occurred in a 1796 cookbook by Amelia Simms, who said that her cake recipe “should be baked in a small cup.” Since that time, cupcakes have exploded into a high-demand item at bakeries everywhere, and exist in almost any conceivable variety. It’s not hard to understand why these bite-sized treats tantalize our palettes.

Marble cake has been a favorite of mine since I was young. Each year on my birthday, my mother offered to prepare any kind of cake that I wanted, and I always suggested marble. I guess I figured out at a young age what is still true today: two colors = twice the fun. The recipe that follows is simple and rewarding. You can garnish these cupcakes with a dusting of powdered sugar, or opt to decorate them with a more substantial frosting.

MARBLE CUPCAKES
1 ¾ cups cake flour, sifted
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup milk, room temperature (I use whole milk)
1/3 cup heavy cream, room temperature
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup cocoa powder
¼ cup boiling water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake or muffin tin with paper liners. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Whisk and set aside. Combine the milk and heavy cream in a small bowl. Next, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar, alternating with the milk and cream mixture. You should use three additions of flour and two additions of milk. Take one cup of the finished “vanilla” batter and place it in a separate bowl. Combine the cocoa and boiling water, and add this mixture to the separated batter. Fill the cupcake liners with batter – first and spoonful of vanilla, then chocolate, etc. until the liners are about 2/3 full. Use a wooden skewer or tip of a knife to make decorative figure eights in the batter. Bake cupcakes for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar for decoration.

These wonderful marbled cakes are bound to impress. Bon appétit!