The recipe for these scratch hostess cupcakes is one of my favorites to make. This can be done in cake form, or in cupcake form, or both in this case! It seems like there are a lot of steps to this, but they really do come together fairly quickly. Plus, the end result is SO worth the work!
So start by sifting all the dry cake ingredients together.
Next pour that into your mixer along with the canola oil, coffee, and milk. Mix it until it is fully combined. Next add the eggs and vanilla, and mix on medium speed for 3-5 minutes. Prep your pans by lining your cupcake tins with liners and then spraying with cooking spray. Spray your 8 inch cake pan with cooking spray, and then line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper and spray that too. That is the single best piece of cake baking advice I have ever read or received. Your cakes will come out of the pan EVERY time, none of that sticking to the bottom, half coming out half staying in business. Nope. Not for us.
Fill the cupcake tins (all 24!) about 2/3 of the way full.
Scratch Hostess Cupcakes from OrWhateverYouDo.com
Pour the rest of the batter into the cake pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes (for the cupcakes), and about 25 minutes for the cake. Begin testing 5 minutes prior to the listed time with a toothpick, and remove the (cup)cakes from the oven when the tester comes out clean. Let them cool for 5 minutes in the pans, and then carefully remove from the pan and let cool completely on wire racks.
Start you filling next by creaming the soft butter in your mixer, and then adding 1/2 cup of powdered sugar. Add in your vanilla and 1 TBSP of cream. Mix this until well combined, and then add in the last 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and 2 TBSP of cream in batches, alternating each one. Scrape down the sides of the mixer as necessary. When this is fully mixed together beat in the marshmallow cream. Put the filling into a baggie or icing bag fitting with a filling tip.
Poke the tip into the cupcakes and gently pipe some filling into them, moving up and down as you do it. You want about 2-3 tsp of filling to end up inside the cupcakes. If you can’t quite get that much, don’t worry. Every little bit is good!
When all the cupcakes are filled, carefully slice your cake in half. I use a serrated bread knife, slowly slice about 1 inch into the cake all the way around in the middle, and the continue the cut while turning the cake. To remove the top, I use two bread knives and lift the top off carefully.
Pipe the remaining filling onto the cake, staring with the outer circle and working your way in.
Reassemble the cake, and start putting together your ganache. To do that, heat your cream and butter to almost boiling, and then pour it over the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate is melted, and then mix in the vanilla.
Dip your cupcakes in to the ganache, coating each one.
If there are any little holes in the middle from the filling tip, take a spoon and pour a small amount of ganache into it to make it even. Pour the remaining ganache over your cake and gently spread it evenly, letting a little bit fall over the sides.
Refrigerate until the ganache sets. It took mine about 30 minutes.
While the ganache is setting, prepare your icing by placing the butter, milk, powdered sugar, and vanilla into a mixer and beating until it is smooth. Place that into another piping bag fitted with a small tip. When the ganache is fully set, pipe on the little hoop designs, or whatever design you want, onto each cupcake.
I am horrible at icing designs. If you could see the top of this cake, you would laugh. I need lessons from Julia!
NOTES:
Thank you so much for the recipe. I love these little cakes. Now I can have them without the preservatives.
Wow I have got to try this recipe.This looks so delicious and bet my family will enjoy.
Wow! So yummy great recipe!
Who knew? This is brilliant! Thank you!!!
It looks so delicious! I would make it as a birthday cake for my son.
Thanks for the recipe, I love Hostess cupcakes!
YUM! I can't stop looking at these delicious photos. It still cracks me up that my friends argue over Tasty Cakes v Hostess. Thank you for the recipe!