I love Hostess Cupcakes. The chocolate ones.
Don't tell anyone, but my favorite part is the frosting. I slowly and carefully peel it off .... and save it for last. Last is best, right?
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| Topless Hostess Cupcake |
That's when I noticed the little white dot of filling on top of the now topless cupcake. So THAT'S how the filling got in ~ just like the three little dots of filling on the bottom of Twinkies ...
When ATK (or was it Cook's Country?) re-created this childhood treat of mine, I immediately bookmarked the recipe ... and forgot about it until now.
The cake batter comes together very easily: cocoa, semi sweet chocolate chips and hot water. I chose to omit the espresso powder.
Next, sugar, sour cream, canola oil, eggs and vanilla are whipped together. The chocolate mixture is poured in.
Dry ingredients are added: all purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. That's it!
ATK greases the muffin tins and dusts them with flour. Welcome cupcake liners!
Oh, and a muffin/ice cream scoop comes in very handy (this one holds 1/4 cup) ... I am never sure what "2/3 full" really means!
While they are baking in the oven, I get ready to make the filling.
Water and unflavored gelatin are put into a microwave for 30 seconds. Butter, vanilla and a pinch of salt are added.
After a five minute cool-down, marshmallow fluff or creme* is added...
*You MUST use marshmallow creme. Regular marshmallows have a higher concentration of gelatin. My neighbor made this recipe with regular marshmallows and ended up with a marshmallow inside her cupcake, instead of a creamy marshmallow-y center ...
This is whisked smooth and put into the fridge to set up.
Hmmmm.....marshmallow Jello, anyone??
I used an apple corer to make the hole in the cooled cupcakes. You could use a small serrated knife or a grapefruit knife.
I used my fingertips to carefully remove the hole ...
and piped the marshmallow filling inside.
Only the top was put back on ~ not the entire "core" that was pulled out. I had a pile of crumbs that were left over, which I promptly ate. Mmmmmmmm....this is a very tender cake!
The frosting is simply semi sweet chocolate chips and unsalted butter, melted in the microwave.
Simple, isn't it?
The recipe says to use the remaining 1/3 cup of marshmallow fluff for the squiggle design. I found it to be very runny and added powdered sugar until I got a piping consistency.
This is one of my earlier attempt to pipe with a runny filling. Let's crack it open and see what's inside!
Ooooooh... I'm getting excited ... feeling like a kid again!
Verdict?
This is nothing like the Hostess cupcake that I remember. This cupcake is lighter, more tender, and the ganache is fantastic!!
The filling became runny once I stirred it .... did it not "set" in the fridge long enough? Did I not cook the gelatin long enough?
I checked the date on the marshmallow creme ... it had a "best by" date over two months ago.
That must be it. Marshmallows change in texture and consistency over time, so NEXT time, I'm going to try a fresh batch of marshmallow creme. Or try a different filling recipe from other bloggers listed below. Did you know that you can freeze marshmallows? Yup!
Yes, there is going to be a NEXT time ~ I got great reviews from the neighborhood taste testers!!
Hostess Copycat Cupcakes
(4x6 recipe download) (full page printable recipe)
Other bloggers inspired by this Hostess Cupcake:
My Baking Addiction ~ she used 7 min. frosting for her filling
Heather Drive
17 and Baking ~ makes mini versions of these
Bake at 350 ~ You have to check out her ADORABLE squiggle lines and buttercream filling
The Sensitive Epicure has a GLUTEN free version....gotta check it out!
Sugar Derby made these into Cupcake BALLS!
