Hostess Cupcakes Copycat Recipes

CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES WITH CREAM FILLING

Steps:

• For the cakes: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat the interior of a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick spray.
• In a medium bowl, sift together the cake flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using a mixer, beat the egg yolks with the oil, .5 cup of the sugar and 2 tablespoons water. With the mixer at low speed, add the cake flour mixture and beat until smooth; set aside.
• In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and beat until stiff and glossy. Mix .25 of the whites into the batter, then fold in the remaining whites until no streaks remain. Divide the batter among the muffin cups, filling them halfway. Bake until risen and lightly firm, about 15 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.
• For the filling: Using a mixer, beat together the butter, confectioners' sugar and Marshmallow Fluff. Add cream and beat just until smooth. Fit a pastry bag with a round .25-inch tip, and fill bag with all but .25 cup of the filling. (Put the extra .25 cup in a pastry bag fitted with a .125-inch round tip, or in a small Ziplock bag, and reserve.) Plunge the tip into the side of a cupcake, filling just until you feel the cupcake swell. Repeat with remaining cupcakes.
• For the frosting: Heat the cream just until bubbles begin to form on the edges of the pan, add the chocolate and remove from heat. Stir until melted and smooth. Add the butter, stirring to combine. Dip the top of a cupcake into the frosting, flip and set aside. Repeat with remaining cupcakes. Allow frosting to set, about 20 minutes.
• With the small pastry bag of filling, or snipping a tiny corner off the Ziplock bag, pipe a tiny squiggle across the top of each cupcake. Place in an airtight container until serving.

HOMEMADE HOSTESS CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°F (148°C) and prepare a cupcake pan with liners.
• Add the dry ingredients to a large bowl and whisk together to combine. Set aside.
• Whisk together the egg, milk, vegetable oil and vanilla in another medium-sized bowl.
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
• Add the water to the batter and mix until well combined. The batter will be very thin.
• Fill the cupcake liners a little more than half way and bake for 18-23 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
• Remove the cupcakes from the oven and allow to cool for 2 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
• When the cupcakes are cool, make the filling. Add the butter to a mixer bowl and beat until smooth.
• Add about half of the powdered sugar and mix until well combined and smooth. It may take a few minutes to incorporate, but it will.
• Add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until well combined and smooth.
• Add the marshmallow creme and stir until well combined.
• To fill the cupcakes, cut out the centers of the cupcakes. You can use a cupcake corer or a knife.
• Fill the centers of the cupcakes with the filling and replace the core of the cupcake that you removed on top of the filling. I cut a little bit of the core off before placing it back on top, since there's a filling there now and you don't need all of that cake core.
• To make the chocolate ganache topping, add the chocolate chips to a medium sized bowl.
• Heat the heavy whipping cream just until it begins to boil, then pour it over the chocolate chips. Allow it to sit for 2-3 minutes, then whisk until smooth.
• Spread the chocolate ganache onto the top of each cupcake, all the way to the edges. If it starts to cool and get a bit firm, heat it back up for 5-10 seconds, until spreadable again.
• To make the icing for decorating on top, beat the butter in a mixer bowl until smooth.
• Add the powdered sugar and mix until evenly combined. It'll be lumpy and dry.
• Add the milk and vanilla extract and mix until everything comes together and smooths out.
• Pipe the loop design on top of each cupcake using a small round tip. I used Wilton tip 3.
• Refrigerate the cupcakes until ready to serve. Serve cool but not cold.

HOSTESS CUPCAKES COPYCAT

Steps:

• Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350. Place paper liners in two 12-cup muffin pans.
• Prepare the cupcakes: Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Bring the sugar and 1 cup water to a boil in a saucepan, stirring until the sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes. Pour into a large bowl; add the chocolate and butter and let sit, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture has cooled slightly. Stir in the vanilla. Using a mixer, beat in the eggs, then mix in the dry ingredients.
• Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans (about 1/4 cup batter per cupcake) and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool in the pans for about 25 minutes, then transfer cupcakes to a rack to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, prepare the filling: Using a mixer, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Beat in 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar. Add the vanilla and 1 tablespoon heavy cream; beat until smooth. Beat in the remaining 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar and 2 tablespoons heavy cream in batches, alternating after each addition. Beat in the marshmallow creme; set aside.
• Prepare the ganache: Place the chocolate in a stainless-steel bowl. Heat the cream and 1 tablespoon butter until just boiling, then pour over the chocolate; let stand for 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Add 2 teaspoons vanilla; let stand until cool but still glossy and liquid.
• Spoon the filling into a pastry bag with a medium tip. Insert the tip into the center of each cupcake top; fill until the cupcake is heavier (do not overfill). Dip the cupcake tops in the ganache. Chill for at least 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare the icing: Using a mixer, beat the remaining 1 stick butter, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, the milk and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Spoon into a pastry bag with a small tip; pipe onto the cupcakes to decorate.

HOSTESS CUPCAKES (COPYCAT)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a 12 cup muffin tray with liner cups.
• To a stand mixer add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking soda, salt, melted butter, canola oil, and water and turn on the beater until just combined.
• Add in the eggs until just combined, then add in the milk and vanilla, beating until smooth.
• Using an ice cream scoop fill the cups 2/3 full and bake for 20-22 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Cool completely.
• Put marshmallow creme in piping bag with a small circular tip.
• Poke tip into cupcake and add about 2 tablespoons of filling.
• Add chocolate chips and heavy cream to a microwave-safe bowl.
• Microwave on 50% power for 1 minute.
• Let sit for 2 minutes untouched then stir until smooth and glossy.
• Dip cupcakes upside down into glaze then let harden.
• Whisk powdered sugar and milk together to form a thick glaze.
• Pour into a piping bag with skinny tip and pipe in connected circles across the middle of the cupcake.
• Let harden.

DING DONG CAKE RECIPE

Steps:

• Spray two 9-inch cake pans with baking spray. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Set aside.
• In a measuring cup, combine cooled coffee with milk*. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar for 5 minutes with an electric mixer. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Slowly add in dry ingredients and alternate with the coffee/milk mixture (about 3 additions of each).
• Once all the ingredients are added, beat cake mixture for about 2-3 minutes until fluffy (scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed).
• Divide cake batter into the two cake pans. Bake in oven for 25 minutes. Remove and allow to cool about 10 minutes in pan. Invert on a wire rack and cool completely.
• In a small saucepan, combine the flour with milk, whisking until lumps removed. Turn on medium heat and continue to whisk until mixture becomes thick, like a pudding.
• Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Cool completely.
• In a mixing bowl, combine butter and sugar, beat until light and fluffy (about 4 minutes). Slowly add in the COOLED milk mixture, beating until combined. It may curdle slightly in the beginning, that's okay, keep beating until it becomes the texture of whipped cream!
• In a glass bowl (safe for the microwave) combine semi sweet chocolate with heavy cream. Heat for 1 minute. Remove from microwave and stir until smooth (you may need to heat for another 15-30 seconds). Do not over heat. Set aside while you begin to assemble the cake.
• Place first layer of cooled cake on a cake plate. Top it with ALL of the cream filling. Add the second layer of cake on top.
• Slowly pour the ganache over the cake, using an offset spatula to help cover the top and sides. Allow to set, about 15 minutes. Slice and enjoy!

HOMEMADE HOSTESS CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners and set it aside.
• In a small mixing bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set it aside
• Using a medium size mixing bowl whisk together the sugar, vegetable oil, vanilla and eggs until well incorporated.
• Slowly add the flour mixture. Mix just until the ingredients are combined.
• Fill the prepared liners between ½ - ⅔ full.
• Bake for 15 - 18 minutes, or until the tops of the cupcakes spring back. Remove the cupcakes and allow them to completely cool.
• Using a small mixing bowl and a handheld mixer set on medium, cream the butter until smooth, about 1 minutes.
• Lower the mixer speed to low and add ½ of the powdered sugar, beat well, then add the remaining powdered sugar. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for an additional 1 minute, or until the butter mixture is smooth.
• Lower the mixer speed to low and add the marshmallow cream. Keeping the mixer speed on low, beat just until the mixture is combined.
• Using a quart size ziploc bag, add the filling. Be sure to squeeze out any excess air, and seal the bag.
• Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, use a sharp knife or a cupcake corer, and cut a circle about the size of a quarter in the top center of the cupcake. You can trim away the excess cupcake from the circle.
• Snip a small corner of the filling bag. Insert the snipped corner into the cupcake and fill the hollowed cupcake just almost to the top. Replace the cupcake cap and repeat the process until all the cupcakes are filled.
• Pour the heavy cream into a heat safe measuring cup and microwave for 30 - 40 seconds.
• Add the chocolate chips to a small heat safe bowl. Pour the heated heavy cream over the chocolate chips and allow it to sit for 1 - 1 ½ minutes. Stir well until all the chocolate chips are melted and the mixture is smooth and shiny.
• Evenly spoon and spread ½ - ¾ teaspoon of the mixture on top of the filled cupcakes. Allow the frosted cupcakes to sit and allow the chocolate to sit.
• Using a small mixing bowl and a handheld mixer on medium speed, cream the butter for about 1 minute, or until smooth.
• Add the vanilla and continue mixing for another 10 - 15 seconds.
• Add the powdered sugar and mix for 30 seconds. It will resemble white sand.
• Add the milk and increase the mixer speed to medium. Mix for 1 minute, or until the mixture is smooth.
• Using either a ziploc bag with a small corner snipped off, or a decorators bag fitted with a #5 decorators tip, fill with the icing.
• Hold the tip of the bag ¼ to ½ inch above the cupcake, and using even steady pressure, pipe a swirling loop pattern down the center of the cupcake. Repeat the process until all cupcakes are topped.