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Hostess Cupcakes

A new take on the classic nostalgic treat, using simple homemade ingredients.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 18 cupcakes

Ingredients
  

Cupcakes

  • 1¾ cups all purpose flour 219g
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 62g
  • 1¾ cup granulated sugar 350g
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ cup avocado oil
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 2 large eggs room temp
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup strong black coffee regular or decaf

Ganache

  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup chocolate (chips or chopped) 180g

Icing for the Loops

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tbsp milk or heavy cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Filling

  • 2 cups marshmallow fluff see link above for homemade recipe
  • ¼ cup softened butter
  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • ½ tsp vanilla
  • a pinch of salt

Instructions
 

For the Cupcakes

  • Preheat oven to 350℉.
  • Weigh out the dry ingredients in one bowl and whisk together the eggs, oil, and buttermilk in another bowl.
  • Brew fresh strong black coffee and set aside 1 cup.
  • Alternating between the dry ingredients and the coffee, add them in to the wet ingredients. Start and end with dry ingredients. It should go like this: Dry ingredients, mix, coffee, mix, dry ingredients, mix, coffee, mix, and finally - dry ingredients. Mix until just combined - do not over-mix.
  • Pour batter into lined cupcake tins and fill them almost to the top. Bake for 10-15 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
  • Let them cool in the tins a bit then take them out and place on a wire rack. Cool COMPLETELY before filling.

For the Filling

  • Combine room temp butter, powdered sugar, salt and vanilla into a bowl of a stand mixer and beat until nice and fluffy and light.
  • Fold in the marshmallow fluff until combined.

For the Ganache

  • Heat the heavy cream on the stove until just starting to bubble around the edges. Do NOT let it boil. Pour the hot cream over your chocolate in a heat proof bowl and allow to sit a few minutes. Stir gently until it's nice and smooth. Set aside until ready to frost!

For the Vanilla Icing

  • Mix powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until nice and smooth. Place in a small piping bag.

Assembly

  • Once the cupcakes are fully cooled, gather your marshmallow filling and ganache.
  • Fill a piping bag (a gallon zip lock bag works in a pinch) with your filling and cut off the tip. Insert the tip of the piping bag into the top center of the cupcake and squeeze some filling into it. You can tell it's full when the cupcake starts to expand a bit on the top. Repeat with all of the cupcakes.
  • Frost each cupcake with a bit of the ganache. If the ganache firmed up too much, heat it up for 10-15 seconds in the microwave.
  • Once the ganache is set on the cupcakes, cut a tiny hole in the tip of the vanilla icing piping bag and pipe loops on top of each cupcake.
  • Enjoy!