Homemade Hostess® Cupcakes

Happy 4th! As usual, we went to our friend Elizabeth's house for a party. Since E is getting married this year, this was the final party at her place. Her backyard faces a retention pond, which makes it perfect for setting off fireworks.


We brought over nachos, and homemade cupcakes. I had seen these in a recent Food Network Magazine, and they looked fantastic. After reading the reviews on the Food Network website, I made a few adjustments. The two big drawbacks from the reviews were that the cupcakes were dry and burned, and that the filling was too sweet. I reduced the baking time significantly, and made sure not to over mix the batter. This seemed to keep the cakes moist. They felt a little dry when removed from the liners, but tasted fine after assembled.


I substituted the original filling for a twinkie-like filling that I like to use. It was the right texture, and was not too sweet.

A lot of the party guests thought that these were actual Hostess cupcakes, with festive decorations stuck in, and didn't want to try them. Once told they were homemade, people eagerly dug in. One friend murmured, "These are the way the real ones are supposed to taste."



Homemade Hostess® Cupcakes (Lulu's Cupcakes)
adapted from her recipe
as seen on www.foodnetwork.com

Cupcakes:
1 1/4 c all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 c sugar
1 c water
4 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Filling:
1 tsp hot water
1/8 tsp salt
7 oz jar of marshmallow fluff
1/2 c shortening
1/3 c powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Ganache and Icing
3 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 heavy cream
1/4 c (half a stick) plus 1/2 Tbs unsalted butter
1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 Tbs milk
1 c powdered sugar

For the cupcakes:

Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat to 350 degrees. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners.

Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.

Bring sugar and water to a boil in a saucpan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Pour into a large bowl; add chocolate and butter and let sit, stirring occasionally until chocolate is melted and mixture has cooled slightly. Stir in the vanilla. Mix 1 c of chocolate mixture to the beaten eggs, stirring well. Beat the chocolate/egg mixture in to the rest of the chocolate mixture. Mix in the dry ingredients until just combined. Careful not to over-beat.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 17-20 minutes. Cool in pans for about 5 minutes, then carefully transfer cupcakes to a rack and cool completely. Remove cupcakes from liners.

For the filling:

Combine salt and water in a small bowl. Let cool.

With a mixer, combine fluff, shortening, sugar, and vanilla. Beat until fluffly, and mix in salt solution.

For the ganache and topping:

Place the chocolate in a stainless steel bowl. Heat the cream and 1/2 Tbs butter until just boiling, then pour over the chocolate. Let stand for 5 minutes, and whisk until smooth. Add 1 tsp vanilla; let stand until cool but still glossy and liquid.