Marble Cupcakes with Old Fashioned Fudge Icing

 

Ingredients

225g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt, plus pinch for the egg whites

180g unsalted butter, room temperature

200g sugar

2 egg separated

80ml milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp cocoa powder

For old fashioned fudge frosting

300g sugar

180ml milk

2 tbsp cocoa powder

Pinch of salt

1 tbsp unsalted butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Set aside

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add egg yolks and beat to blend.

Alternatively add dry ingredients and milk, beating well after each addition.

Divide batter into two separate bowls.

Mix vanilla into one of the batters and cocoa into the other.

Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until they form stiff peaks.

Divide in half and gently fold into each of the batters.

Spoon batter into cupcake papers, filling cups about 2/3 full, 1 heaped tsp at a time, alternating batters.

They will appear not to mixed but will ‘marble’ when cooked.

Bake for 25 minutes or until a tester inserted into the centre comes out clean

Remove from oven and leave to cool.

To make the frosting mix sugar, milk, cocoa and salt in a medium saucepan. Cook slowly over a medium heat until mixture comes to the boil.

Continue cooking until mixture forms a soft ball when dropped into a glass of water. This make take 15 minutes.

Remove mixture from heat.

Add butter and vanilla and blend well.

Put pan in cold water and beat until mixture is of spreading consistency.

This could also take 15 minutes.

Spread on cup cakes immediately.

Keep a mug of hot water next to you while icing. The frosting may become hard before you have finished icing but if you dip your knife in the hot water between cupcakes, the hot metal makes the frosting malleable again

 By Gail Wagman from Cupcakes Galore.