Valentines Day Marbled Cupcakes

Valentine’s Day may be a Hallmark-created, consumerism driven holiday, but this sugar addict loves it anyways. I’m a sucker for all things pink and sweet. Cookies, candy, chocolate, cute little cards cut in the shape of a heart? I’m there.

But one of my favourite Valentines treats? Cupcakes.

I love snacks doused in frosting and sprinkles – they’re just so pretty with all their sugary deliciousness piled on top. But lets not forget that the inside of the cupcake can be just as festive as the outside. I mean, what’s Valentines Day without a little pink food colouring?

So for all those addicted to icing and fluffy cakes, here’s a fun way to jazz up your Valentine’s Day treat: marbling.

MARBLED CUPCAKES

Ingredients:

• Cupcake Mix (Boxed or Homemade)
• Food Colouring
• Icing

Directions:

1. Make your basic cupcake mix. (I’m lazy and only ever make cupcakes out of a box. For these cupcakes, I used Betty Crocker’s French Vanilla Cake Mix.)
2. Separate your batter evenly into two (or more) bowls. Add a couple drops of food dye to one bowl, leaving the other plain.
3. Place baking cups in cupcake tray and drop one spoonful of plain batter into each cupcake cup.
4. Add a spoonful of dyed batter to each cup.
5. Add final layer of plain batter to each cupcake. (Each cup should only be 2/3 full of batter.)
6. Using a toothpick, or the end of a knife, gently swirl each cupcake. Don’t over mix.
7. Bake as per recipe and let cool before icing.

These cupcakes are sure to be a hit! Frost them all or leave a few plain ones to show off the special marbling effect. (And don’t forget – the great part about marbled cupcakes is that you can use them for any occasion! Check out these blue ones I made for a baby shower a few weeks back.)

I usually pipe my cupcakes using Ziploc bags (because they’re cheaper than piping bags) although this time I caved and bought some piping supplies. Add some swirled icing to these marbled cupcakes by placing two (or more) colours of icing in the same bag.

Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching so don’t forget to whip up some of these marbled cupcakes for a loved one! Or just eat them all yourself. That’s good too. 😉