Homemade Hostess Cupcakes

I made these cupcakes a while back and they've been sitting in the queue waiting to be shared. I decided it was time because they are so luscious, they need to be shared! Hostess was in the news a few months ago and everyone was stocking up on their products in fear that they would soon be completely unavailable. If you are one of those people that loves the cream filled Hostess cupcake with their chocolate glaze and signature swirl on top, then have no fear! You can create these cupcakes even if every store in the world runs out.

Homemade Hostess Cupcakes

for the cupcake

1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons cake flour

1 cup cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 eggs at room temperature, separated

1 cup vegetable oil (I used canola oil)

1 1/2 cups plus 6 tablespoons sugar, divided

6 tablespoons water

for the filling

2 cups marshmallow creme

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup powdered sugar

pinch salt

1/2 teaspoon cream or milk

for the chocolate glaze

5 ounces (about 1 cup) chopped bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate (chocolate chips work too)

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream

make the cupcakes...

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line two cupcake or muffin pans with 24 cupcake papers.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, oil, 1 1/2 cups of the sugar, and water until smooth. Whisk the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until just blended.

In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to whip the egg whites until foamy. Continue beating and gradually add the 6 tablespoons of sugar until stiff, glossy peaks form. Add about a quarter of the egg whites to the bowl with the chocolate batter and fold it in to lighten the chocolate. Carefully fold in the remaining egg whites into the chocolate mixture until the batter is smooth and not white streaks remain.

Divide the batter among the prepared cupcake liners (fill each one about 3/4 full). Bake about 18 minutes. Cool cupcakes on a wire rack.

make the filling...

Combine the marshmallow creme and butter in a medium bowl and use an electric mixer to beat until smooth. Mix in the powdered sugar and salt, whipping until the mixture is light and fluffy. Transfer all but about 1/3 cup of the mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a medium tip.  Blend in the cream to the reserved filling. This is what you'll use to create the swirl on top of each cupcake. Transfer this mixture to another pastry bag fitted with a small round tip (or you can use a ziplock bag and snip a small corner off right before you are ready to pipe on the swirl). Chill until ready to use.

     

To fill the cupcakes, insert the medium tip into the center of the cupcake and squeeze a small amount of filling into the cupcake. Stop squeezing and pull the tip out of the cupcake. If you don't have a tip, you could cut a small amount of cake from the middle of each cupcake and add the filling with a small spoon.

make the chocolate glaze...

Place the chocolate in a small bowl. Bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and whisk until smooth. Let the chocolate glaze cool slightly (about 5 minutes). Working one at a time, dip the top of each cupcake into the chocolate glaze. Then turn it upright and set on a wire rack or plate until the glaze is set. When the glaze is set, use the second portion of the filling in the pastry bag with the small tip to pipe a swirl across the top of the cupcakes.

    

Enjoy!!

recipe slightly adapted from www.annies-eats.com