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Two-Bite Homemade Hostess Cupcakes

Two-Bite Homemade Hostess Cupcakes

Sometimes I think that Chad might be from another planet.

And I’m not talking about that Men are from Mars crap.

I’m talking about normal cultural references… stuff I thought most people our age (most ages) knew. This all started a few weeks ago when we began toying with the idea of furniture shopping for a few things we need around the house. I’m a sucker for Rooms-To-Go and Ikea marketing; everything in one place at a discount!!! Plus I am really not good at decorate-ey fashiony sort of girl stuff, so wandering through places like that gives me some idea about what in the world I’m supposed to do. A Rooms-To-Go ad appeared in our mailbox and I flipped through it, commenting on things I may want to go see. I said something about liking these chairs but that they were probably sort of pricey because they have Cindy Crawford’s name on them. And then he said this:

“Who’s Cindy Crawford?”

Two Bite Homemade Hostess Cupcakes

So I’m like, “You know. CINDY CRAWFORD. Supermodel. Pepsi commercial. Very distinctive mole. Cindy Crawford!” And he still had no clue.

I busted out some Youtube and pulled up the Pepsi Commercial thinking he’d go, “Ohhhhhh. Cindy Crawford.” But no. Chad has no idea who Cindy Crawford is.

I guess maybe I should be thankful for that?

Saturday afternoon gave him some lazy time on the couch while I worked out some elaborate kitchen project (but for the life of me I have no idea what we ate on Saturday…?). He was scrolling through the Netflix library looking for something suitable to half watch/half sleep through, and then IT HAPPENED AGAIN.

Chad asked me, “What’s ‘Heathers‘?” Ummmmmm, are you kidding me?

First of all… my name is Heather. And though I bear absolutely ZERO resemblance to anyone in the movie, I’ve spent my whole life having people draw references to it when I say my name. PLUS I thought ‘Heathers’ was one of those movies that you everyone HAS to see. It’s like saying you’ve never seen The Breakfast Club.

Two Bite Homemade Hostess Cupcakes

So I told him that. AND THEN he said that he’d never seen The Breakfast Club.

I almost fell over from shock.

I’m pretty sure both of the kids have seen The Breakfast Club. Where has Chad been? Under a rock? And how do you find your way into adulthood in the year 2012 knowing who Conway Twitty is but not Molly Ringwald?

To be fair, he sort of saved himself a little bit when he said, “Oh, you mean the one with all the kids in detention and that one weird girl eats Cap’n Crunch on her sandwich?”

So I made these little two-bite homemade versions of Hostess cupcakes. Chad DID know what a Hostess cupcake is… I was worried there for a minute. These taste exactly like the real deal, except better because the filling doesn’t have that odd sugar-flavored-but-flavorless-vegetable-oily thing going on. AND I topped them with a chocolate ganache. AND this recipe makes about 48 little squishy two-bite chocolate dreams, which is waaaay more than you’ll get out of a box of those cupcakes. AND since they’re so small you can have two without the guilty compulsion to run 16 miles. Even Cindy Crawford might indulge.

Two-Bite Homemade Hostess Cupcakes

Two-Bite Homemade Hostess Cupcakes
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 24
Ingredients
  • ½ cup hot brewed coffee
  • 2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped (I used semi-sweet chocolate chips)
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • ¼ cup canola oil
  • ½ cup all purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • *1 stick unsalted butter, softened
  • *3 cups confectioner’s sugar
  • *3-4 tablespoons heavy cream
  • *1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • **3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • **1/4 cup heavy cream
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 325. Line a mini-muffin pan with paper liners and then lightly spray over the whole lined pan with non-stick cooking spray.
  2. In a medium bowl, pour the hot coffee over the chocolate, let it stand for about a minute, and then stir with a fork until smooth. Mine had lumps at the bottom and wasn’t so pretty at first; don’t worry.
  3. Set the chocolate aside and in a large bowl beat the egg until it’s frothy- about 30 seconds. Add the sour cream, vanilla, and oil. Then beat in the chocolate.
  4. In another large bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, unsweetened cocoa, and sugar.
  5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined, making sure to scrape down the sides. Use a tablespoon to portion the batter into the prepared mini-muffin cups.
  6. Bake for 10-12 minutes; a pick inserted into the center will come out clean, or with just a few sticky crumbs, The tops will be a little bit springy to the touch. Let the cupcakes cool completely.
  7. While the cupcakes cool, make the "cream filling" which, for me is just super great vanilla buttercream. Beat the butter for just a minute to smooth it out.
  8. Then beat in the confectioner’s sugar a cup at a time, mixing until smooth in between each addition. Add the heavy cream a tablespoon at a time, beating until smooth in between each addition until you’ve reached your desired consistency.
  9. Beat in the vanilla.
  10. To start the assembly, use a tiny paring knife cut the middles out of your tiny cupcakes. The cupcakes will be really soft and this part won’t look perfect. It’s fine. Just use clean fingers to gently press and shape the opening in the top of the cupcake, but not too much. The frosting will fill it and there will be glaze to cover all this up.
  11. Fit a pastry bag with a good tip for filling (I used a Wilton star tip 22; smaller would work though- keep in mind you'll be using the same bag to pipe the curly-cues across the top). **SEE NOTE
  12. Fill the tiny cakes with the vanilla buttercream just to the top (try not to go over the lip of the opening).
  13. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan heat the heavy cream until it simmers. Remove it from the heat and stir in the ¾ cup chocolate chips. Whisk until smooth.
  14. Spoon the chocolate glaze onto each cupcake, using the back of the spoon to smooth it out.
  15. If your chocolate ganache starts to cool too much and won't spread easily, return it to the burner and heat it just a little, stirring constantly.
  16. After you spooned the chocolate glaze over the cupcakes, refrigerate them for a few minutes, to let the ganache set up. Then use the pastry bag to pipe the little swirl across the top of each cake using the last ¼ of the buttercream.
Notes
** If you do not have a pastry bag, a ziploc bag with the corner lobbed off works wonders.

Slightly adapted from THIS recipe at Can You Stay for Dinner– All of Andie’s recipes are comforting and amazing, but her real-life everything is pretty much where it’s at. Hers was one of the very first blogs I ever fell in love with and I still gobble up every post as soon as it hits my inbox.
Rate this recipe:  

Rhonda Rushin

Monday 24th of September 2018

Great read.

Ameena

Sunday 30th of September 2012

Where did my comment go? So odd....I think they are going to Spam?

Heather @ SugarDish(Me)

Sunday 30th of September 2012

Also... I REPLIED to that comment. And I can't find it. But I DID read it. Soooo strange.

Heather @ SugarDish(Me)

Sunday 30th of September 2012

Wordpress is being really weird right now... I saw the comment and then I didn't see it... I'll find it!

hopefuladdict

Saturday 29th of September 2012

Oh...oh Chad lol I can sort of see him not really knowing who Cindy Crawford is...but only because she's more behind the scenes in the last 10 or so years, but still...if when Googling he still doesn't know who she is...then clearly he has been under a rock haha Boys!! These cupcakes look sinful!! I LOVE Hostess cupcakes. I'd always eat the cake off the cream part then save the cream and chocolate topping for the end...mmmmm so good!!! lol Random question....are you fluent in Spanish? haha

Heather @ SugarDish(Me)

Sunday 30th of September 2012

I WISH I were fluent in Spanish. My friend Jen is in the middle of college-level-Spanish crazy and I THINK she said that she really enjoyed the chocolate (because reading this made her abandon all books and go buy cupcakes) and then something about her Spanish professor being an ass. Sounds about right. I love a Hostess cupcake! These little bitty ones were awesome..

Jenn Roy Sharkey

Thursday 27th of September 2012

Aaaaand now I'm going tot he store for Hostess cupcakes because I have a chapter exam in Spanish tomorrow & don't have the time to bake...grrr!!

Heather @ SugarDish(Me)

Thursday 27th of September 2012

Eat now, bake later. I mailed some to my sister, but stuff gets to her in less than 24 hours. And even then I was worried the chocolate would melt... Como estas?

zannyro

Thursday 27th of September 2012

LOL! Well he sort of redeemed himself with knowing a little something about The Breakfast Club....These sound DEEE-LISH!! so I'll definitely be making them in the future....BTW...I got to hear Molly Ringwald speak at an event for women a year ago this past April..pretty cool!! She's still so darn cute :)

Heather @ SugarDish(Me)

Thursday 27th of September 2012

That is so cool! I love her. She's adorable. And I love that she's not one of those tragic teen starlets... she just grew up, had a family, stayed awesome. Also I want my hair to do what hers does. I hope you'll make these! Except they are completely addictive. Find some people to share with or you'll consume 46 of the 48 and not think twice.If the boys hadn't been here I'd be running a marathon right now.