Homemade Hostess Cupcakes Recipe

Hostess is known for their many iconic desserts. The Ho Ho, the Twinkie, and of course, the chocolaty Hostess CupCake with the creamy marshmallow-like filling. And just like our Homemade Snickers Bars, we enjoy the opportunity to create "homemade" versions of well-known desserts and treats. So this time, our focus turned to the Hostess CupCake. The result: a delicious, slightly more richer and decadent treat, that reminds us of the flavors of the Hostess CupCake, but tastes all that much better being homemade and eaten as soon as they're made.

Before You Get Started Making Homemade Hostess Cupcakes

Measure/Weigh all the ingredients

Line your cupcake pans with the liners of your choice - we used white liners

Take butter, eggs, and sour cream out of refrigerator to come to room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F)

Homemade Hostess Cupcakes Ingredients and Amounts (Yields ~16 cupcakes)

Chocolate Cupcakes

2 oz (56g) bittersweet chocolate

1/4 cup (56g) unsalted butter - softened at room temperature

1 cup (200g) granulated sugar

2 (100g) large eggs - room temperature

2 (36g) egg yolks - room temperature

1/2 cup + 1 tbsp (126g) vegetable oil

2 tsp (8g) vanilla extract

1/3 cup (81g) sour cream - room temperature

1 cup (140g) all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp (4g) salt

1/2 tsp (2g) baking soda

1/2 cup (59g) cocoa powder - dutch or natural cocoa powder will work for this recipe

1/2 cup (118g) coffee - cooled a bit

Cupcake Filling

1 cup (85g) marshmallow creme (marshmallow fluff)

1/4 cup (56g) unsalted butter - softened at room temperature

1/2 cup (58g) confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)

Cupcake Icing

1/2 cup (58g) confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)

2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter - softened at room temperature

1 1/2 tsp (8g) whole milk

1/8 tsp vanilla extract

Ganache Frosting

5 oz (140g) bittersweet chocolate - finely chopped

1/2 cup (116g) heavy cream

Hostess Homemade Cupcakes Step-By-Step Directions

Chocolate Cupcakes

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).

2) Melt the chocolate in a double boiler (or in a metal bowl on top of a saucepan with an inch of simmering water, making sure that the bowl does not touch the water). Once melted, set this aside to cool.

3) Sift flour, salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder together in a bowl and set aside.

4) In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or mixing bowl if using a handheld mixer) combine butter and sugar on medium speed until fully combined.

5) Add the cooled melted chocolate into creamed butter/sugar mixture and mix on low for 15-20 seconds.

6) Next, add the eggs and egg yolks one at a time into the mixing bowl. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds after each egg addition to make sure the eggs are fully incorporated.

7) Then, add the oil, vanilla, and sour cream into the mixing bowl on low speed until combined.

8) Take your sifted dry ingredients from Step 3, and add them to the mixing bowl in 3 additions on low speed. Mix until all the dry ingredients are almost incorporated.

9) Lastly, add in the cooled coffee on low speed and then mix the batter for 30 seconds on medium speed.

10) Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake cupcakes for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

11) Remove cupcakes from the cupcake pan immediately after baking. Place them on a cooling rack to cool completely.

Cupcake Filling

1) In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or mixing bowl if using a handheld mixer), mix marshmallow creme and butter on medium speed for 2 minutes, making sure the butter is fully incorporated into the marshmallow.

2) Next, add the powdered sugar on low speed. Once the powdered sugar is incorporated, turn the speed up to medium-high for 1-2 minutes until fluffy.

3) Place the marshmallow filling into a bowl and set aside until it's time to fill the cupcakes.

Cupcake Icing

1) In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, (or mixing bowl if using a handheld mixer) combine powdered sugar, butter, milk, and vanilla. Mix on medium speed for 3 minutes until smooth.

2) Place icing in a bowl and set aside.

Ganache Frosting

1) Finely chop the bittersweet chocolate and place it into a small bowl.

2) In a saucepan, warm up the heavy cream to a simmer and then pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Let the cream sit on the chocolate without stirring for 2-3 minutes.

3) Next, gently whisk the cream into the chocolate until the chocolate is smooth and glossy.

4) We suggest making the chocolate ganache last. It must be thin enough for dipping.

Homemade Hostess Cupcakes Assembly

1) After the cupcakes have completely cooled, core out the middle of the cupcake with a cupcake corer or sharp knife.

2) Fill a piping bag with the marshmallow cupcake filling. Pipe a generous amount of the filling into the middle of the cupcake. If you don't have a piping bag, simply spoon some filling into the middle of the cupcake.

3) Next, put the filled cupcakes in the freezer for 4-5 minutes before dipping into the chocolate glaze.

4) After the cupcakes have chilled in the freezer, dip the cupcake one by one into the chocolate glaze, dipping until you reach the top of the cupcake liner.

5) Place the dipped cupcakes in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to set. Meanwhile, place the cupcake icing into a piping bag fitted with a #2 piping tip. Once the chocolate has set, pipe the design of your choice onto your cupcake and enjoy.

6) Store cupcakes in the refrigerator in an airtight container, but make sure to let them come to room temperature before serving/eating for a tastier cupcake. If the ganache is not brought to room temperature, it may be difficult to remove the cupcake liner.

Homemade Hostess Cupcakes Sweet Notes

If you want to pipe a design and don't have any piping bags, don't fret. Place the icing into a plastic sandwich bag, snip off a small corner of the plastic bag, and pipe your design from there

If you don't have a cupcake corer, use a small paring knife to cut a cone-like piece out of the middle of the cupcake. Start cutting at a 45 degree angle halfway between the center and the edge of the cupcake. You will continue around the cupcake until you cut out a cone piece of cake. Slice off the end of the cone and place the top back on the cupcake after filling

For your chocolate cupcakes, if you don't have coffee, or don't like to use it, you can substitute the 1/2 cup of coffee for 1/2 cup of water. The coffee does bring out the chocolate flavor more than water, so just keep in mind the flavors may not be as bold if you use water instead of coffee

Recipe adapted from Brown Eyed Baker and Cupcake Project