Homemade Hostess Cupcakes - Week 7

This week I decided to create my own version of a homemade hostess cupcake. They turned out pretty well, but be warned they are a bit addictive.   My family loves dark chocolate, so these have a dark chocolate spin compared to a traditional hostess cupcake. Give them a try and tell me what you think!!!!


The Cake
The credit for the find of this cake recipe goes to my father-in-law, Jim. Thanks Dad!! Sadly he did not get to indulge in the temptation of tasting this delicious recipe. 


The Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes -adapted from a Cooks Country Episode, Season 11
Ingredients:
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
1/3 cup cocoa
3/4 hot coffee (I made the coffee strong)
3/4 c bread flour
3/4 c granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
6 T vegetable oil (I used canola)
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Place chocolate and cocoa in medium bowl. Pour hot coffee over mixture and whisk until smooth. Set in refridgerator to cool completely.  Whisk flour, sugar, salt and baking soda together in a medium bolw;set aside. Whisk oil eggs vinegar and vanilla into cool chocolate-cocoa mixture until smooth.  Add flour mixture and whisk until smooth.  Fill muffin pans 2/3 full.  Bake until set an just firm to touch, 17-19 minutes.  Cool completely.  Makes 12-14 cupcakes

The Filling
I made the filling of a combination of a marshmallow cream recipe and a buttercream recipe.  I whipped 1/2 cup of the butter cream into the marshmallow cream. 

Marshmallow Cream: adapted from Annie's Eats

4 egg whites
 1/4 tsp cream of tarter
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Mix egg white, cream of tarter, and sugar together.  Heat in a double boiler over medium high heat.  Whisk constantly until mixture reaches 160 degrees. Transfer liquid into a mixing bowl and beat using a whisk attachment until fluffy and peaks form. Let cool.

Buttercream -   I usually do not use a specific recipe for buttercream, so this is what I threw in the mixing bowl this time around. 

 8T butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
1-2 T heavy cream

Mix butter and powdered sugar together in a mixing bowl.  Beat in vanilla and cream. 
 
Filling a cupcake.
 I did not take pictures of how I did this, but it's not difficult.  Remove a small portion of the cake from the center of the cupcake.  I use a knife, or if I have been doing a lot of baking and have no clean knives I use a baby spoon.  (If you like a little more filling, remove a little more cake.  If you like a little less, remove a little less.  My tastes fall on the little more side of the spectrum.)   Pipe or spoon in filling.  I prefer piping filling. 

The Ganache

6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips ( If you are a huge dark chocolate fan I suggest using bittersweet 
   chocolate)
3/4 cup heavy cream

Mix chocolate and cream in a double boiler.  Stir regularly until smooth. Frost cupcakes. 

The Buttercream Curly Cues
To create the curly cues on top of the ganache, first let the ganache frosted cupcakes cool completely. Add a little more cream to the left over buttercream to make it a little less stiff.  Pipe curls onto cupcakes