That Real Mom Life

One of the top tier nostalgic treats made with real and simple ingredients!

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This one is a big one in my book. I loved hostess cakes growing up even though we didn’t often have them. Making these from scratch involves a bit of effort as there are multiple steps here but it’s so worth it!

These are my special occasion cupcakes. Special birthdays or events when I need to pull out the big guns to impress some kiddos. The fluffy marshmallow filling balances the rich chocolate from the soft cake and ganache perfectly, making these cupcakes irresistible!

I use my super moist and rich chocolate cake recipe for the cupcake base, a fluffy marshmallowy filling, and a simple rich chocolate ganache for the top.

The filling is key here!

I use my homemade marshmallow fluff in the filling and cannot stress the difference it makes from using store bought. Making the fluff from scratch is an extra step that’s worth the end result. Homemade fluff is worlds apart from the store bought one, not to mention the fact that there’s only a few ingredients in it when made at home.

I’ve linked my Marshmallow Fluff recipe in the ingredients section below if you want to make it. I add a bit of butter and powdered sugar to the fluff to create a super creamy filling but honestly if you make the fluff from scratch, using that alone as the filling is JUST as delicious!

Let’s talk ingredients.

You’ll need all the basic chocolate cake ingredients for this as well as some chocolate chips, heavy cream, and marshmallow fluff. See my Marshmallow Fluff Recipe here! There are a few things that I specifically choose to help bring these over the edge.

Buttermilk.
I use buttermilk in most of my cake recipes when I need that extra moist and tender crumb. It helps balance the flavors in bringing a tanginess to offset the bitterness of cocoa and sweetness of the sugar.

Avocado Oil.
I tend to stay away from seed oils where I can but we do use good quality avocado oil when we need to create something lighter. You can use coconut oil or even butter here but it WILL affect the final texture of the cake. Oil is a liquid fat that doesn’t harden as it cools so it will keep the cake nice and soft and moist.

Hot Coffee.
Adding hot liquid to this cake is a must. It helps to create a very moist crumb and I especially recommend using strong hot black coffee here instead of just water as it boosts the chocolate flavor immensely.

Marshmallow Fluff.
I HIGHLY recommend using a homemade marshmallow fluff here. It keeps things “clean” ingredient wise but also homemade marshmallow fluff is worlds better than the store bought stuff. I have a super easy recipe for it here!

Instructions

Start with the Cake

1. Weigh out your flour, cocoa, and sugar and add in the salt, baking powder, and baking soda. It’s important that the ratios are correct in order to create a beautifully light and moist cake so I highly recommend weighing your dry ingredients here.
2. Whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, and avocado oil in a separate bowl.
3. Brew some strong black coffee and set aside 1 cup.
4. Add in the dry ingredients and the coffee to the oil/egg/buttermilk mixture. Alternate between the dry ingredients and the coffee. Start with dry and end with dry. So it should go like this: Add in some dry ingredients and mix a bit, add in some coffee and mix a bit, add in some dry ingredients and mix, add in the rest of the coffee and mix, add in the rest of the dry and mix.
5. Mix until everything is JUST combined. Do not continue to whisk!
6. Pour the cake mixture into the lined cupcake tins filling them almost all the way to the top.
7. Bake them at 350 for 10-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

The Filling.

1. Combine your room temperature butter, vanilla, salt, and powdered sugar and whip them together in a stand mixer or with an electric beater. Once nice and light and fluffy, gently fold in the marshmallow fluff until it’s all combined.
2. Place in a piping bag or gallon ziplock bag and snip off the tip of the bag.

The Ganache

1. Heat your heavy cream on the stove until it’s just starting to bubble around the outside. Don’t let it boil.
2. Pour it over your chocolate in a heat proof bowl.
3. Let it sit for just a moment and then gently mix it together until it’s nice and smooth.
4. Let it sit on the counter for a few minutes but don’t let it harden in the fridge before using it.

Assembly

1. Take your cooled cupcake and insert the tip of the piping bag of filling into the top center. Squeeze firmly and fill the cupcake until it starts to expand the slightest bit then remove the piping bag. Repeat with each cupcake.
2. Frost the top of your cupcake with the ganache. If it’s too runny you can let it cool down a bit to thicken up or simply dip the top of the cupcake into the ganache!
3. Once all the cupcakes are frosted and the ganache is hardening, make your icing for the swirls. Place that in a small piping bag as well and snip a tiny opening in the tip. Gently pipe loops on top of the cooled ganache.
4. ENJOY!

Let’s get to the recipe!