CoffeeChoc Marble Cupcakes with Mocha Marshmallow Topping

Unlike my previous attempt at marble cake, see here, this actually worked! The coffee and chocolate cake mixtures that I used are a bit of an experiment, and in the end, complimented the marshmallow topping beautifully, but if you have a favourite of each, go ahead and use it! As a variation, you could also fill the cupcakes with the marshmallow topping, and then ice them with a coffee (or, if you prefer, chocolate) icing. You can see examples of both variations below. To me, these actually tasted better the day after I made them, but that may just have been because of a sugar overload from too much tasting, er, um, I mean testing, as I made them. In the recipe below, 1 cup = 250 mls. I used a 250 ml. cup and just filled it to half, or a quarter (etc) as the recipe required. Using one cup saves on washing up, and using a mug I already own saves on buying measuring cups specially.

To make these cupcakes, you will need:

Coffee Cake Mixture:

2 eggs, separated

1/3 cup margarine or butter (I used margarine when I made this)

1 1/3 cups white sugar

1 tablespoon instant coffee powder

1/3 cup boiling water

1 3/4 cups self-raising flour

Pinch of salt

Chocolate Cake Mixture:

2 eggs, separated

1/3 cup margarine or butter (I used marg.)

3/4 cup white sugar

1 1/3 cup self-raising flour

3 dessertspoons cocoa powder

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup milk

Marshmallow Topping:

3 cups marshmallows (I used a mixture of pink and white ones)

3 dessertspoons margarine or butter (I used marg.)

3 dessertspoons cocoa powder

2 dessertspoons instant coffee

1/4 cup boiling water

2 1/2 cups icing sugar

To Make the Coffee Cake Mixture:

1. Beat the egg whites until stiff and put aside.

2. Cream together margarine/butter and white sugar. Add egg yolks to margarine/sugar mixture a little at a time, thoroughly mixing them in before adding the next bit.

3. Dissolve the instant coffee in the boiling water and mix into the margarine/sugar/egg yolk mixture.

4. Sift and fold the self-raising flour and salt into the margarine/sugar/egg yolk/coffee mixture.

5. Fold the egg whites into the mixture and put it aside whilst you make the chocolate cake.

To Make the Chocolate Cake Mixture:

1. Beat the egg whites until stiff and put aside.

2. Cream margarine and sugar together, then add and thoroughly mix in egg yolks, a little at a time.

3. Sift and fold in the flour, cocoa powder and salt.

4. Fold in the egg white.

To Make and Bake Cupcakes:

1. Line a cupcake tin with cupcake liners.

2. Drop about a teaspoon of each mixture into each cupcake liner and swirl together with the tip of a knife or the top end of a fork.

3. Bake in a pre-heated oven on about gas mark 5 1/2 for 20-25 minutes.

To Make Marshmallow Topping:

1. Dissolve the instant coffee powder into the boiling water.

2. Melt together the marshmallows, margarine, cocoa powder and coffee in a double boiler, or, as I did (see the photos above) in a heatproof bowl over boiling water, stirring occasionally.

3. When about half of the marshmallows have melted, add the milk.

4. When everything has melted together, remove it from the heat and thoroughly mix in the icing sugar. Put aside to cool.

To Finish:

There are two ways to finish these cupcakes. You can either simply top with the marshmallow topping, and perhaps sprinkle icing sugar or cocoa powder onto them in a decorative pattern… …or you can fill them with the marshmallow topping, and then ice them with regular coffee or chocolate icing, and perhaps top them with a chocolate button or magic star.