Marble Cupcakes

These chocolate and vanilla marble cupcakes are made using one base batter and are frosted with matching marble buttercream.

Let’s Make These Marble Cupcakes Together!

Let’s walk through each step of this cupcake recipe to make sure it turns out as amazing as possible.

Step 1: Make the Base Cupcake Batter

First, we work on the cupcake batter! Preheat your oven to 350°F/175°C and line 2 muffin pans with a total of 16 cupcake liners (I usually do 8 liners per pan). Set aside.

Then add the wet ingredients into a large bowl and whisk until they’re combined. It’s important that the butter is melted and liquid, but not hot!

It should be liquid enough to easily mix into the other wet ingredients, but not so hot that it scrambles the egg whites.

The last step is to sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until they’re combined and the batter is smooth.

If you don’t have a sifter, whisk the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl, then add them in.

Step 2: Make the Chocolate Cupcake Batter

Then it’s time to transform some of our batter into chocolate cupcake batter! We also need to add a little more flour to the vanilla cupcake batter.

Pour half of the cupcake batter in a separate, medium-sized bowl (about 420g of batter). Add an additional 1/3 cup of flour to one of the bowls and add 1/4 cup of baking cocoa powder to the other bowl.

Whisk both bowls until the dry ingredients are just combined.

Alternate scoops of vanilla and chocolate batter into the lined baking pans, filling each cupcake liner about 2/3 full. Swirl the batter together with a toothpick or butter knife.

Step 3: Bake the Marble Cupcakes

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.

Rotate the pan halfway through to help the cupcakes bake more evenly.

Let the cupcakes cool for 10 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

If you’re in a rush, place the entire pan in the freezer for 30 minutes to accelerate the cooling process.

Step 3: Make the Marbled Buttercream

While the cupcakes bake and cool, make the marbled frosting.

If the frosting seems too thick, add in additional cream (1 Tablespoon at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add in more powdered sugar (1/4 cup at a time).

Once the frosting is made, stir it by hand with a rubber spatula to get the frosting SUPER smooth.

Then scoop half of the frosting into a separate bowl and add in the melted and cooled dark chocolate, cocoa powder, and additional heavy cream. Mix until the ingredients are fully combined.

Fit a large piping bag with your frosting tip (I used a Wilton 1M) and use an offset spatula to spread the vanilla buttercream on one side of a large piping bag.

Spread the chocolate buttercream on the other side of the piping bag. This will give our frosting a gorgeous, marbled look.

Step 4: Frost the Cupcakes

The final step is to pipe large swirls onto the fully cooled cupcakes.

If you don’t have any frosting tips, you can also use a Freezer Ziplock bag and trim the corner to have a 2 cm opening.

No matter how you decorate them, they’re going to be incredibly moist and delicious!

Substitutions and Swaps – Marble Cupcakes

Now that we’ve covered how to make these cupcakes, let’s talk about the ingredients.

This recipe uses quite a few ingredients, and I know you might not have them all on hand.

Or if you have food allergies or restrictions, I’ve got you covered. Below are some swaps and substitutions that you can make.

• Unsalted Butter – If you only have salted butter on hand, you can use it in place of the unsalted butter. Just be sure to omit the salt that this cupcake recipe calls for.
• Sour Cream – Plain yogurt, whole milk, or alternative milk can also be used in place of the sour cream if needed.
• Egg Whites – I like to use egg whites from a carton to make this recipe to avoid wasting egg yolks. However, you can also use 3 large egg whites or 1 large, whole egg plus 1 egg white.
• All-Purpose Flour – This recipe turns out best with AP flour, but you can use a gluten-free flour blend if needed.
• Granulated Sugar – I do not recommend reducing the amount of sugar or changing the type of sugar, as it will change the texture of these cupcakes.
• Cocoa Powder – I like to use the Ghirardelli or Hershey’s brand of unsweetened baking cocoa, but you can use any brand of unsweetened cocoa powder. You can also use Dutch-processed, dark, or black cocoa powder.

Substitutions and Swaps – Marbled Buttercream Frosting

• Unsalted Butter – If you only have salted butter on hand, you can use it in place of the unsalted butter. Just be sure to omit the salt that this frosting recipe calls for.
• Heavy Cream – Whipping cream, coconut cream, or alternative milk (soy, almond, oat, coconut) will work fine in this frosting recipe if that’s what you have on hand.
• Dark Chocolate Chips – You can use chocolate chips, baking chocolate, or good-quality chocolate bars to melt and add into the frosting. I like to use dark chocolate, but you can also use milk or semi-sweet chocolate if you have a strong preference.
• Cocoa Powder – I like to use the Ghirardelli or Hershey’s brand of unsweetened baking cocoa, but you can use any brand of unsweetened cocoa powder. You can also use Dutch-processed, dark, or black cocoa powder.

How Many Cupcakes Does This Recipe Make?

This recipe makes 16 standard-sized cupcakes. It can be doubled or halved as needed.

This recipe can also be used to make mini marble cupcakes! It makes about 50 mini cupcakes, which only need to bake for 11-13 minutes.

If you want to make a marble cake, I recommend using my marble layer cake recipe.

Tips for Making the Best Marble Cupcakes

• Ingredients at room temperature mix together better. Set out any cold ingredients ahead of time.
• Properly measure the flour (spoon into the cup measure, then level) or use a kitchen scale to measure your dry ingredients.
• Mix the cupcake batter just until the ingredients are incorporated once you’ve added the flour. This will ensure your cupcakes are tender and fluffy.
• Use a large cookie scoop to easily fill your cupcake liners. It also makes sure your cupcakes end up being the same height and bake evenly.
• Seal off the top of the piping bag with a rubber band to prevent any frosting from coming out of the top of the bag and make the piping bag easier to use.

Making This Cupcake Recipe in Advance

You can make these cupcakes in advance! Frosted cupcakes can sit at room temperature for a day or be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container.

They can also last up to a month in the freezer. If you plan to freeze them, I suggest waiting to frost them until they’re thawed.

You can also make the frosting ahead of time or save any leftovers. This buttercream frosting will last in the fridge for up to a month.

Be sure to give the frosting a good stir once it thaws to get the consistency nice and smooth again.

You can also store buttercream in piping bags in the fridge. I find buttercream keeps its consistency well in piping bags and doesn’t require any mixing after it’s thawed.

Let Me Know What You Think!

If you make this marble cupcake recipe, I’d love to hear what you think of it! Please leave a rating below.

Don’t forget to tag me @chelsweets and #chelsweets so that I can see your delicious creations on social media.

Other Recipes You Might Like: