Hostess-Style Cupcakes
Submitted by BS
Hostess-Style Cupcakes with deep chocolate cake, silky vanilla pastry cream filling, dark chocolate ganache glaze and the signature white loop squiggle on top. A homemade copycat that buries the store-bought version.
YIELD
18 cupcakesPREP
3 hrsCOOK
25 minREADY
4 hrsThese chocolate cupcakes chase the nostalgia of the cellophane-wrapped Hostess original and catch it easily. Real unsweetened chocolate melts into the batter with brown sugar for a darker, more grown-up crumb than any boxed mix can manage, and whipped egg whites folded in at the end keep things airy enough to stay tender even after chilling.
The filling is honest French pastry cream, not marshmallow fluff. Egg yolks, cornstarch, milk and a hit of vanilla cook into a thick, custardy ribbon that gets piped straight into a hollow cone cut from the bottom of each cooled cake. That bottom-fill method keeps the tops smooth and dip-ready.
Dark chocolate ganache forms the glossy cap, then the iconic white squiggle goes on last. Aim for seven loops, that’s the canonical Hostess count.
Chef Tips
- Chill the pastry cream with buttered parchment pressed directly onto the surface, this stops a rubbery skin from forming
- A grapefruit spoon is the best tool for scooping out the cake cones cleanly without tearing the crumb
- Let the ganache cool until just below body temperature before dipping, too warm and it runs, too cool and it streaks
- Pipe the white squiggle with a plain round tip and quick, confident motion, hesitation shows
- These taste even better the next day once the pastry cream has fully soaked into the crumb
Variations
- Swap vanilla pastry cream for coffee or espresso-flavored cream for a mocha twist
- Add a thin layer of raspberry jam under the ganache for a chocolate-berry surprise
- Use dark chocolate ganache with a pinch of flaky sea salt for a modern adult version
Ingredients
Directions
To make pastry cream, mix ¼ cup sugar and cornstarch in a bowl until smooth. Add egg yolks and mix until a paste is formed. Stir in ½ cup milk.
Combine remaining 1½ cups milk and ¼ cup sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour hot mixture into a bowl, whisking constantly. Pour back into pan.
Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until smooth and thick. Remove from heat and stir an additional minute. Stir in vanilla and transfer to a bowl. Cover with buttered parchment paper touching top and chill a minimum of 2 hours or as long as 2 days. To make cupcakes, butter and flour a 12-cup and a 6-cup muffin tin.
Melt chocolate in the top of a double boiler or in a bowl over simmering water. In another bowl, combine brown sugar, ½ cup milk and 2 egg yolks. Whisk until combined. Add to melted chocolate and stir constantly (while cooking over simmering water) until mixture is shiny and thick, about 3 minutes. Set aside to cool.
In a clean bowl, cream butter and sugar until light. Add remaining 2 egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. In another bowl, mix together, flour, salt and baking soda.
Combine ¼ cup whipping cream, vanilla and remaining ½ cup milk in a small bowl and reserve.
Pour cooled chocolate mixture into creamed butter and sugar. Whisk until smooth. Add combined dry ingredients and cream mixture in three stages, alternating liquid and dry ingredients, and ending up with liquid. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gently fold, all at once, into batter. Spoon batter into muffin cups, about ⅔ full.
Bake in a preheated 325^F oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Set aside to cool, in pan on rack, about 10 minutes. Invert and set aside on a sheet pan lined with parchment or wax paper to cool, about an hour.
To prepare ganache, place chocolate in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan bring ¾ cup whipping cream to a boil. Pour into chocolate and stir until chocolate is completely melted. Let cool until mixture is less than body temperature.
To make pure white frosting, mix powdered sugar and milk in a small bowl until smooth.
Using the tip of a small paring knife, cut a small cone from bottom of each cupcake. Reserve cones. Scoop out about 2 teaspoons cake from center of each cupcake ( A grapefruit spoon works well for this step) Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip with pastry cream. Pipe cream into cupcakes, then replace reserved cones. Place bottom-side down on the lined sheet pan and chill.
When ganache is room temperature, dip cupcakes in to coat tops. Chill for a few minutes to firm chocolate. Fill a plain-tipped pastry bag with frosting and decorate with a squiggle across each top, trying for 7 loops on each cupcake. Store in refrigerator until serving time.
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