Layered Chocolate Vanilla Cupcakes

Exams are over and summer is here at long last. I'm back at home after a few well needed days of rest and recuperation. Needless to say, exams at Oxford are like being put through a high speed blender on a roller coaster: not fun.

However, i'm back in the kitchen after a fair few days of slobbing around the house in my pajamas, and ready to return to Oxford on Wednesday for some much needed celebrations with my friends. And of course, I cannot return to many stressed historians without some cake to get them through long hours of revision.

I decided something simple, but undoubtedly yummy, was needed, and Hummingbird (once again) provided the perfect recipe: chocolate and vanilla cupcakes. A yummy infusion of milky chocolate and vanilla sponge, topped with decadent swirled chocolate frosting. Who could say no?

Ingredients:
For the cake:
80g unsalted butter
280g caster sugar
240g plain flour
1 tbsp baking powder
20g cocoa powder
2 large eggs
240ml whole milk
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
For the chocolate frosting:
200g icing sugar
50g cocoa powder
80g unsalted butter
25ml whole milk
For the vanilla frosting:
250g icing sugar
80g unsalted butter
25ml whole milk
1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Method:
Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celcius, and line a cupcake tin with cases.

First make the flavoured sponges. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat together half each of the butter, sugar, flour and baking powder, along with all the cocoa powder, until it resembles breadcrumbs.

Whisk the egg with the milk by hand in a jug, then pour half of this into a second mug and set aside for the vanilla sponges. (As usual, i've been a useless blogger and forgotten to take photos during the baking process!)

Take the first jug of egg/milk mixture, pour three quarters if it into the dry chocolate sponge mixture and mix on a low speed. Add the remaining quarter of the egg mixture from the first jug and continue to mix on a low speed until all the ingredients are well incorporated.

For the vanilla sponge, beat together the remaining butter, sugar, flour and baking powder until it resembles fine bread crumbs. Add three quarters of the milk/egg mixture and beat well. Add the remaining egg/milk mixture and beat on a medium speed until well incorporated.

Divide the chocolate batter between the cupcake cases, filling each by about a third. Top with the same quantity of vanilla batter.

Bake in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until well risen and springy. Let the cupcakes cool in the tin for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the chocolate frosting, whisk the icing sugar with the cocoa powder and butter on a low speed. Pour in the milk, still whisking on a low speed, and beat until soft and fluffy.

Repeat for the vanilla icing, but omit the cocoa powder.

Ice the cupcakes by swirling both the chocolate and vanilla icing onto the cupcakes with a palette knife. Or alternatively, place the icings side by side in a piping bag and pipe swirls onto your cupcakes.

This Marbled Chocolate Cake is very similar and perfect for a chocoholic's birthday cake!