Bilgi Bakes | Chocolate Orange Marble Cake Muffins

It seems like a while since I last shared some of the many fabulous treats which I have been baking and since we are officially into the cosy latter-part of the year, the kitchen will undoubtedly be seeing increased baking traffic, so I am kick starting the myriad of sweet treats and baked delights posts with my Chocolate Orange Marble Cake Muffins. Marble cake is probably one of my favourite kinds of sponge cake to bake, because not only is it two delicious flavours in one cake (in this case, vanilla and chocolate), it also looks fun and we eat with our eyes too, so this is a sure fire winner. I have frosted them with a swirled vanilla and chocolate buttercream and finished off the decoration with some chocolate range slices (of course!) and chocolate stars. Truly, sweet dreams are made of this!...

To bake this cupcakes for yourself, just follow my recipe below (I always change and adapt my recipes depending upon what I think a bake needs to turn out its very best. It’s a science, what can I say!)

200g self-raising flour

2 free-range or organic eggs

Zest of a fresh orange

100g golden caster sugar

100ml of semi-skimmed milk

½ a tspoon of vanilla extract

115g of margarine

2 heaped tablespoons of cocoa powder (I use Bournville as it’s delicious!)

Nutella of a chocolaty centre in each of the cakes

For the buttercream

100g softened butter

60g of icing sugar powder

Vanilla extract

2tbspoons of cocoa powder

1. Begin by mixing the sugar, extract and margarine together and then add one egg at a time, adding a bit of the flour with each addition to prevent any dreaded curdling.

2. Add the orange zest into the mix.

3. Add the remainder of the flour with the milk and mix thoroughly.

4. Now, equally divide the mix into two equal parts, adding the cocoa powder to one half to make the chocolate section of the marble cake.

5. Once you have your two halves, start by spooning a teaspoon of the mix into each cupcake case and add a spoon of Nutella into the middle of each too for extra chocolate goodness! Once filled, bake for 20 minutes at 180 degrees centigrade

6. For the butter cream, mix 100g of butter with 60g of icing sugar and vanilla extract. Add half to the piping bag and with the other half add the coco powder.

7. Once your cupcakes are cooled, pipe the butter cream on and then decorate with the chocolate orange slices, stars and icing sugar sprinkle.

8. They’re ready! Definitely try one immediately, just to check they are good of course!...