Description
Easy Easter Marble Cupcakes with vanilla and chocolate swirls, topped with vanilla buttercream. Moist, beautiful, and perfect for spring celebrations!
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup sour cream or plain yogurt
- ½ cup milk
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1–2 tablespoons hot water
- Optional: 2–3 tablespoons rainbow sprinkles or confetti sugar
For the Vanilla Buttercream Frosting:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3–4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 2–3 tablespoons milk or cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- Optional: additional rainbow sprinkles for decorating
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line your muffin tin with cupcake liners.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Give it a good whisk to make sure everything is evenly distributed.
In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together until light, fluffy, and pale in color—this should take about 2–3 minutes. Don’t rush this step!
Beat in the eggs one at a time, making sure each one is fully incorporated before adding the next. Then add that beautiful vanilla extract and mix until everything is combined and smells absolutely heavenly.
Mix in the sour cream (or yogurt) and milk until the batter is smooth and creamy. The batter might look a little weird at this stage—that’s totally normal!
Here’s where you need to be gentle! Gradually add your dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until JUST combined. You should still see a few tiny flour streaks—that’s perfect.
Scoop about half of the batter into your second medium bowl. Use a measuring cup or just eyeball it
To the second bowl, add the cocoa powder and hot water. The hot water activates the cocoa and brings out all those deep, chocolatey flavors. Stir gently until the batter is smooth and evenly chocolate-colored with no streaks.
Now for the fun part! Fill each cupcake liner about two-thirds full by alternating small spoonfuls of vanilla and chocolate batter. I like to do vanilla first, then chocolate, then vanilla again—but honestly, there’s no wrong way to do this! Once filled, take a toothpick or skewer and gently swirl through the batter in a figure-eight or circular motion.
Pop those beauties in the oven and bake for 16–20 minutes. You’ll know they’re done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. The tops should spring back when lightly touched.
This is the hardest part—waiting! Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then carefully transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
In a large bowl, beat that room temperature butter until it’s creamy and smooth—about 1–2 minutes.
Gradually add the sifted powdered sugar, about one cup at a time. Start on low speed so you don’t create a sugar cloud in your kitchen (been there!), then increase to medium-high speed once it’s incorporated.
Add 2 tablespoons of milk or cream and that vanilla extract. Beat on high speed until the frosting is light, fluffy, and smooth—about 2–3 minutes.
Here’s where you customize! If your frosting is too thick, add another tablespoon of milk. If it’s too thin, add more powdered sugar, ¼ cup at a time. You want it spreadable but able to hold its shape.
Add just a tiny pinch of salt to balance out all that sweetness. Beat for another 30 seconds and you’re done!
Once your cupcakes are completely cool, it’s time to make them beautiful! You can spread the frosting with a knife for a rustic look, but I love using a piping bag with a large star tip for that bakery-style swirl.
Fill your piping bag about halfway, twist the top, and pipe in a circular motion from the outside in, finishing with a little peak in the center.
Notes
Don’t overfill the liners! I know it’s tempting to make them huge, but filling them more than two-thirds full leads to mushroom-top cupcakes that are gorgeous but impossible to frost nicely. Stick to two-thirds full and you’ll get perfect domed tops.
The marble swirl is forgiving. Some of my best-looking cupcakes came from quick, random swirls. Don’t overthink it! Just a couple of gentle swooshes with your toothpick and you’re golden.
Use a cookie scoop to divide the batter evenly between vanilla and chocolate portions, and another scoop to fill the liners. This ensures all your cupcakes are the same size and bake evenly.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American