The Hostess with the Mostest

When I first started entertaining the idea of this "cupcake of the week" project, I came across a recipe for a mock-Hostess cupcake. I knew I would eventually make these, mainly for my kids amusement. I mean, seriously, are there any parents who's kids do not ask for these when they walk by them in a store? Heck, even I find myself eyeballing them!

Well, I finally worked them into my schedule and the reaction was worth the many steps required to prepare them! The kids think I'm the best mom/baker EVER and those taste testers lucky enough to get one indicated that they were "better than Hostess" Woo hoo! These were winners!

Chocolate Cupcake with Cream filling

Inspired by Babble.com

For the cupcake:

1 1/2 c sugar

2 c all purpose flour

3/4 c Dutch processed cocoa (E. Guittard Cocoa Rouge I purchased at Sur La Table)

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 c oil

3/4 c buttermilk

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 c medium roast coffee (I used Starbucks Pike's Place blend), warm

For the filling:

4 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 c confectioners' sugar

2 tsp vanilla

8 oz marshmallow creme

For the ganache:

3/4 c whipping cream

7 oz semisweet chocolate

For the icing:

4 oz unsalted butter

1 1/2 c confectioners' sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1-2 tsp water

Preheat oven to 325, and line your muffin pans with cupcake liners. 

In your mixer bowl, combine sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix together for about 30 seconds, on low, to get everything blended. In a large liquid measuring cup, combine eggs, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla. Whisk together, to incorporate, then slowly pour into your mixer, against the inner wall. Bring mixer to medium speed, and mix for about 2 minutes, until everything is completely incorporated. Batter will look like brownie batter, very thick. Remove bowl from mixer, the add your coffee. Whisk in, by hand, until absorbed into batter.

Scoop batter into cupcake liners, filling about 3/4 full. Bake at 325 for 22 minutes. Remove from oven, and cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove cupcakes to a wire rack, and allow to cool completely. 

While cupcakes cool, prepare your filling. In your mixer bowl, combine all of your filling ingredients, and whip until fluffy, which will be about 2 minutes. Scoop into piping bag, and fill each cupcake, using a long filling tip.

Once cupcakes are filled, prepare your ganache. Place cream in a small saucepan, over medium heat. Meanwhile, coarsely chop up chocolate, and place in a heat resistant bowl. When cream comes to a boil, pour over chocolate, and begin whisking, until chocolate has completely melted. Once this happens, stop whisking. Dip cupcakes, upside-down, into ganache, making sure to coat each top evenly. Allow excess to drip off, then return to wire rack, to allow ganache to set.

Prepare frosting while cupcakes set up. Whip together all of the icing ingredients with 1 tsp water. Add more water, until desired consistency is reached. You want icing to be semi-thin, so it is easily pipe-able. Using a #3 tip, pipe squiggles on tops of cupcakes. 

Once cupcakes are set up, dig in! You'll be your kids hero when they open up their lunch boxes the next day!