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Copycat Hostess Cupcakes

These Copycat Hostess Cupcakes are a delicious chocolatey treat that is just as good – if not better – than the original. Delicious, creamy filling surrounded by a moist, chocolate cupcake and topped with decadent chocolate frosting, these Copycat Hostess Cupcakes will leave everyone begging for more!

Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Keyword chocolate cupcakes, Copycat Recipes, cupcakes, Hostess, Hostess Cupcakes
Author Pam

Ingredients

  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 6 tbsp Dutch Processed Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp fine sea or kosher salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil, canola or avocado work well for this recipe
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup boiled water, cooled just a bit

Filling

  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 3/4 cup marshmallow fluff
  • 2 tbsp heavy cream or whipping cream
  • 1/8 tsp pure vanilla extract

Frosting

  • 1/2 cup heavy cream or whipping cream
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 2 tbsp semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1 tsp unsalted softened butter
  • 1/8 tsp pure vanilla extract

Squiggle

  • 1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 to 2 tbsp milk

Instructions

  1. Cake Directions - Preheat the oven to 300 degrees and line a cupcake pan with paper liners or liners of choice. In a large mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients. Mix with a whisk until combined and set aside.In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, vegetable oil, and water. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones, and, with a rubber spatula, mix gently until completely combined. Add hot water to the mixture and mix gently with the rubber spatula. The batter will be thin. Don’t worry, it’s supposed to be that way. Fill each cupcake liner to about 3/4 full. Don’t overfill. Bake for about 15 to 22 minute or until a toothpick inserted in the center come out clean or with a few moist to dry crumbs. The cupcakes should spring back when touched lightly on the top. Let the pan cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes, then gently invert the cupcakes onto the wire rack to completely cool. 

    Filling Directions - With a hand-held mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Gently add in the powdered sugar and mix until creamy, then add the heavy cream and vanilla. Mix until creamy. Add the marshmallow fluff, mixing with a spatula until combined. The filling should be thick. If it’s too soft, place it in the freezer for about 3 minutes to firm up.

    Filling the Cupcakes - Use a cupcake corer or an apple corer to cut out a hole in the top of each cupcake. You can also use a small, sharp knife and cut a cone-like shape. Be sure not to cut to the bottom of the cupcake while doing this. Place the filling in a Ziploc bag. From there, you can use a pastry tip or just cut the tip off one of the ends of the bag. Be sure to squash all the filling to one side of the bag. Squeeze out the filling into the well you created in the cupcakes and put the piece that was taken out back on top of the cupcake.

    Making the Chocolate Glaze - Place chocolate chips in a heat-safe bowl. Heat the heavy cream to a slight simmer. Pour the heated heavy cream over the chocolate chips, stirring gently until combined. Add butter. Continue stirring until shiny and smooth. After frosting your cupcakes, let the ganache/glaze set up completely before moving on. 

    And here we are. The final step. Adding the squiggle. You have to have the squiggle or you’re not making a Hostess cupcake! 

    Adding the Squiggle - In a small mixing bowl, beat the small amount of butter until smooth with a hand-held mixer. Add in the powdered sugar and mix until combined. It will be stiff. Add 1 tablespoon of milk at a time, mixing well, until the icing is smooth and creamy. Place the icing in a Ziploc bag, squeezing all the way down into one corner. Snip of the tip of the bag and make the squiggle on top of each frosted cupcake. 

    After all that hard work, you want to make sure your cupcakes last for as long as possible right? These cupcakes are made with butter, cream, and milk, so you’ll need to keep them in the refrigerator. They’ll last for about a week in an air-tight container, but honestly, your family will probably eat them well before that time frame.