Marble Cupcakes!

Chocolate & vanilla marble cupcakes with chocolate buttercream frosting! Heavenly little treats for all the cake lovers out there! 

Classic marble bakes

Chocolate & vanilla marble cupcakes with chocolate buttercream frosting! Heavenly little treats for all the cake lovers out there. These cupcakes are classic, comforting, and just a little indulgent, perfect for when you want a slice of happiness in cupcake form.

There’s something ridiculously satisfying about marble cake, isn’t there? That moment when you slice or bite into it and see the two flavours all swirled together… pure perfection. But marble cake in cupcake form? Even better. I feel slightly less guilty eating one (or two…), and honestly, cupcakes are my forever weakness.

I went for classic flavours, chocolate and vanilla because they’re timeless, comforting, and always a crowd-pleaser. but you can mix and match flavours to your heart’s content. Lemon & blueberry, berry & pistachio, white chocolate & raspberry… absolutely go wild.

Marble magic

The beauty of marbled cupcakes is that they look far more impressive than the effort that goes into them. In reality, they’re just as easy as normal cupcakes, you’re simply swirling two mixtures together instead of one. It’s satisfying to see each one turn out unique and pretty, and honestly, that’s part of the fun.

To create the marble effect, I spoon small blobs of each mixture into the cupcake cases until they’re evenly divided, then give them a gentle swirl to make those lovely wavy patterns. If you prefer a more dramatic marble, scoop larger portions and swirl with a cake skewer. For delicate, elegant streaks, alternate tiny spoonfuls of each batter. Every method works, and no two cupcakes ever look the sam, I love that about marbling.

Marbling is one of those simple tricks that instantly makes your bake look pro-level, even if you’re just starting out. It’s forgiving, fun, and honestly, a little addictive once you see how pretty it looks in every cupcake.

Alternatives

Once you have mastered the marble effect it can be utilised in many different bakes, I often double the amount of mixture and create a layer cake by doubling the cupcake ingredients and splitting between two deeper 8″ tins, and baking till springy to touch and baked through, then double the filling as well, and slather all over!

Marbling isn’t just for cupcakes and layer cakes—it works beautifully in loaf cakes, traybakes, and even bundt cakes. The method is the same: alternate spoonfuls of batter and swirl. It adds a fun, eye-catching element to any bake while letting the flavours do all the talking. Honestly, once you start marbling, you’ll want to marble everything and I fully support that!

Frosting

For the topping, I stayed with a silky chocolate buttercream because I wanted the cupcake to have that rich, indulgent finish. But you can absolutely swirl your buttercream like the mixture, half chocolate, half vanilla, if you want the decoration to match the marble inside. It looks stunning, especially with a big piping swirrrrrl from a 2D closed star tip.

If you try the two-tone frosting, the easiest method is to put each flavour into a small piping bag, snip the ends, and then pop both into a larger piping bag with your chosen nozzle. When you squeeze, the colours pipe out together in a gorgeous, natural swirl. It’s zero stress, maximum impact, and makes your cupcakes look professionally finished without the fuss.

Cupcake joy

Marble cupcakes are one of those bakes that look like you’ve put far more effort in than you actually have. They’re fun, simple, and endlessly customisable, which makes them a hit with kids and adults alike. My taste testers didn’t hang around long with these, no surprises there.

The best part? You can enjoy them as they are, or experiment with flavours, frosting, or even turn them into a layer cake. They bring joy, nostalgia, and a little bit of indulgence into every bite. Honestly, that’s exactly why I love making them.

Tips & tricks

• I buy my cupcake cases HERE.
• I used my favourite 2D closed start piping tip
• You can easily make a two-tone frosting if you wished to make it even more marble, as I have written above in the blurb, but I went for all chocolate as I was craving chocolate frosting and it didn’t disappoint.
• You can bake these delicious cupcakes into a layer cake by doubling the cupcake ingredients and splitting between two deeper 8″ tins, and baking till springy to touch and baked through (see my other cakes for details on time.) – then double the filling as well, and slather all over.
• These delicious beings will last in a container for 3 days.

Marble Cupcakes!

Chocolate & vanilla marble cupcakes with chocolate buttercream frosting! Heavenly little treats for all the cake lovers out there! 

Print Pin Rate

Category: Cake

Type: Cupcakes

Keyword: Chocolate, Marble, Vanilla

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Decorating/cooling time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 2 hours hours

Servings: 12 Cupcakes

Author: Jane's Patisserie

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes

• 175 g unsalted butter/baking spread
• 175 g caster sugar
• 3 Large eggs
• 175 g self raising flour
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 25 g cocoa powder
• 2-4 tbsp whole milk

Decoration

• 150 g unsalted butter (not baking spread)
• 300 g icing sugar
• 50 g cocoa powder
• 2-3 tbsp boiling water (only if needed)
• sprinkles/drizzles

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 180ºc/160ºc fan and line a 12 hole cupcake tray with large cupcake cases/muffin cases
• Cream together the butter and caster sugar with an electric beater till smooth – add in the eggs and flour and beat again for about about 20-30 seconds on a medium speed until combined.
• Split the mixture between two bowls and add the vanilla to one half, and the cocoa powder to the other and beat each again until smooth. Once combined it might still be a little stiff, so loosen with the whole milk, about 2 tbsps each!
• Spoon small spoonfuls randomly into your cases to create a marble effect until they’re about 2/3 full and bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes or until cooked through! Leave to cool on a wire rack.
• Once the cakes are cool, decorate! Beat the butter for a couple of minutes until really smooth and light – add in the icing sugar, one half at a time and beat in-between each addition. Add in the cocoa powder and beat together till smooth and fluffy (takes about 3-4 minutes).
• Once finished, pipe your buttercream onto the cupcakes using your favourite tip.
• Decorate how you fancy with some sprinkles, or a chocolate drizzle!

Notes

• I buy my cupcake cases HERE.
• I used my favourite 2D closed start piping tip
• You can easily make a two-tone frosting if you wished to make it even more marble, as I have written above in the blurb, but I went for all chocolate as I was craving chocolate frosting and it didn’t disappoint.
• You can bake these delicious cupcakes into a layer cake by doubling the cupcake ingredients and splitting between two deeper 8″ tins, and baking till springy to touch and baked through (see my other cakes for details on time.) – then double the filling as well, and slather all over.
• These delicious beings will last in a container for 3 days.