Last Friday, I went to the Party for Pink at my gym. We shook, shimmied, and twisted for a sweat-drenched hour of Sh’bam/Zumba. Everyone was adorned in our best and brightest pink gear in honor of breast cancer awareness. All of us dancing ladies (and a few men) burned up the dance floor for a great cause.
I wanted to donate some baked goods to be raffled at the Party for Pink, so I pondered all the possible girly goodies. I wound up baking two batches of Sparkling Strawberry Sugar Cookies (recipe coming in the near future) and a dozen Pink Marbled Cupcakes with Fluffy Pink Buttercream, each ornamented with a pink breast cancer frosting ribbon.
These pretty pink cupcakes scream “girl power!” Swirls of bright pink contrast the bright white base. They’re fluffy, light, and tender with a delicious flavor, good enough to eat even without frosting. However, you won’t want to pass up the Fluffy Pink Buttercream which is light, luscious, and kissed with a touch of almond extract. I must ask you though to try and restrain from spoon-feeding yourself the entire bowl of fluffy frosting before a single spoonful reaches the cupcakes.
…Not that I tried to do that or anything.
These cupcakes aren’t just pretty; their little pink ribbons remind us of an ongoing battle with a malicious disease, and the unbelievably strong women who endure the fight. Show your support with a treat that’s backed with woman power.
Gorgeous and scrumptious, these Pink Marbled Cupcakes are beautiful inside and out.
A Few Tips Before You Get Cooking:
- I’ve made this recipe with whole milk and with 1%, and it does make a difference. You should definitely use whole milk.
- Believe it or not, having the eggs and milk at room temperature is important to the texture of the finished cake. Speaking as someone with little patience, I know that’s not always doable. Just try to plan ahead so your ingredients are ready when you are.
- At least 50% of what makes a cake moist is NOT over-baking.
- Adapt this marbling technique for any kind/color of cake.
Pink Marbled Cupcakes
Yield – 1 dozen cupcakes
Ingredients:
For the cake
Adapted from Sweetapolita
- 5 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup whole milk, at room temperature
- 1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract
- 2 3/4 cups cake flour, sifted
- 1 3/4 cups sugar
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into cubes
- red food dye
For the Fluffy Pink Buttercream
By the Smart Cookie Cook
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), at room temperature
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tbsp. heavy cream
- 1/8 tsp. almond extract
- 2 tsp. vanilla extrac
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- red food dye
- Pink writing gel or extra frosting – I recommend Wilton Ready-to-Use Icing Tubes, which allow you to attach tips
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cupcake tin with liners.
2. In a medium bowl, combine and stir the egg whites, 1/4 cup of milk, and the vanilla. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the dry ingredients together on low speed for 30 seconds.
4. Add the butter and remaining 1/2 cup of milk, and mix on low speed until just moistened. Increase to medium speed and mix for 1 1/2 minutes.
5. Scrape the sides of the bowl and begin to add the egg mixture in 3 separate batches; beat on medium speed for 20 seconds after each addition. Divide batter in half. Add a generous amount of red food dye to one half of the batter and mix until well-combined. You want a nice bright pink so it stands out.
6. Put a spoonful of white batter into each cupcake tin. Top with a spoonful of pink, but do not mix the two layers together. continue layering until tins are about 2/3 full, or a bit fuller. 
Use a knife to gently marble. Do not overmix; you don’t want to blend the colors, just swirl them.
7. Bake 15-25 minutes or until puffed and a toothpick inserted in the center-most cupcake comes out with a bit of crumb. Be careful to not overbake, or they will be dry. Let cool on racks for 10 minutes before using a knife to loosen the cupcakes and remove. Sit on wire racks to cool completely.
8. Make the frosting: In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat the butter on medium speed for 30 seconds to soften. Add the sugar one cup at a time, beating on medium-high speed until well-combined and scraping down bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla, almond extract, a generous amount of food dye, and cream. Beat on high until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add more food dye if necessary, but do not overbeat.
9. Frost the cooled cupcakes. Draw on ribbons with the writing gel. Or, fill a ziplock bag with pink frosting, working the frosting down to one corner. Snip off that corner and pipe ribbons on.
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