Homemade Hostess Chocolate Cupcakes (Printable Version)
Chocolate cupcakes with marshmallow cream filling, glossy ganache, and classic white icing swirl.
# What You'll Need:
→ Chocolate Cupcakes
01 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
02 - ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
03 - 1 cup granulated sugar
04 - ½ teaspoon baking soda
05 - 1 teaspoon baking powder
06 - ¼ teaspoon salt
07 - ½ cup buttermilk, room temperature
08 - ½ cup vegetable oil
09 - 2 large eggs, room temperature
10 - 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
11 - ½ cup hot water
→ Cream Filling
12 - ⅓ cup unsalted butter, softened
13 - ¾ cup powdered sugar
14 - 1 cup marshmallow creme
15 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
16 - 1–2 teaspoons milk (if needed for consistency)
→ Chocolate Ganache
17 - ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
18 - ¼ cup heavy cream
→ White Icing Swirl
19 - ¼ cup powdered sugar
20 - 1 teaspoon milk (plus more as needed)
# Directions:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
02 - In a mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, granulated sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until evenly blended.
03 - Add the buttermilk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract to the dry mixture. Mix until just combined, then pour in the hot water and stir until the batter is smooth. The batter will be thin.
04 - Divide the batter evenly among the prepared liners, filling each about two-thirds full.
05 - Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
06 - Beat the softened butter with an electric mixer until light and creamy. Add the powdered sugar and beat for 1 minute. Mix in the marshmallow creme and vanilla extract, beating until fluffy. If the filling is too thick, add milk one teaspoon at a time until reaching a spreadable consistency.
07 - Using a small knife or cupcake corer, remove a small portion from the center of each cooled cupcake, reserving the tops if desired. Transfer the cream filling to a piping bag and fill each cavity. Replace the reserved tops.
08 - Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan until steaming but not boiling. Pour over the semi-sweet chocolate chips and let sit for 2 minutes, then stir until smooth and glossy.
09 - Spoon or dip each cooled cupcake into the ganache to coat the tops. Set aside until the ganache is set.
10 - Stir together the powdered sugar and milk until smooth and pipeable. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a fine tip, or use a zip-top bag with a tiny corner snipped off. Pipe signature swirls across the top of each glazed cupcake.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The marshmallow filling is pillowy and sweet without being cloying, and once you taste it fresh, you can never go back to the store version.
- Ganache on top of a homemade cupcake is the kind of luxury that makes people think you spent all day in the kitchen when you really just melted chocolate and cream together.
02 -
- If you rush and try to fill or glaze cupcakes that are even slightly warm, the filling will weep and the ganache will slide right off like a sad toupée.
- Using Dutch-processed cocoa powder instead of natural gives you a deeper, richer chocolate flavor that tastes noticeably closer to the real Hostess vibe.
03 -
- The hot water in the batter is not optional because it blooms the cocoa and you will taste the difference immediately if you skip it.
- Chill the filled cupcakes for fifteen minutes before glazing so the ganache sets faster and the filling stays put underneath.