Swirl Cupcakes (with video!)

We’ve all been there. You’re at a party, you have the option to get a vanilla cupcake or a chocolate cupcake. But you just cant decide. Well, today I will be sharing my recipe for Chocolate Vanilla Swirl Cupcakes, or rather, Swirl Cupcakes! Both the frosting and the dough have chocolate and vanilla, and that makes it such a pretty cupcake! These cupcakes are soft, moist and delicious! My base recipe was from Candace Nelson’s Sprinkles Baking Book, the vanilla cupcake. Then I modified it. A lot. This cupcake only has 12 carbs, and if you need something to compare it to, the original recipe is 90 carbs 😱.

Swirl Cupcakes:

1 1/2 cup almond flour

1/4 cup whole wheat flour (or all-purpose flour)

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2/3 cup milk, plus 2 tbsp, separated

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup unsalted butter (one stick)

1/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup sugar substitute*

4 egg yolks

1/4 cup cocoa powder

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a 12 cup cupcake pan with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, stir together 3/4 cup milk and vanilla.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter and sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low, slowly add the egg and egg yolks one at a time, and beat until creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly add half the flour mixture, then the milk mixture, then the remaining flour mixture, beating until just blended after each addition. Divide the batter in half, leaving half of the mixture in the mixing bowl and the other half in another bowl. Slowly add the cocoa powder and remaining 2 tbsp of milk to the mixer half, and stir until combined.

Pour the chocolate batter about 1/3 of the way into each cupcake liner and then pour the vanilla mixture until about 2/3 of the liner is filled. Using a meat thermometer (or something thicker than a toothpick, like a skewer), slowly stir the batter together, 5-10 circles around, or until you can see that it is swirled enough. It should look almost like a cinnamon roll. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 10 to 18 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool.

For the Frosting:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup cream cheese

a pinch of salt

1/2 cup powdered sugar, to taste

1 tbsp and 2 tbsp milk, separated

1/4 cup cocoa powder

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, cream cheese, and salt on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low, gradually add the confectioners’ sugar, and beat until incorporated. Add one tbsp of the milk and the vanilla, and beat until fully blended, 1 to 2 minutes. Divide batter in half, once again keeping half the mixture in the mixing bowl and adding in the cocoa powder and the remaining two tbsp of cream. Add the vanilla frosting to half of a piping bag, and the chocolate to the other. frost the cooled cupcakes and enjoy!

Swirl Cupcake Nutrition Facts
Serving Size	1 cupcake
Calorie	174
Carbohydrates	12
Sugars	10
Protein	1.4
Cholesterol	36