Faux Hostess Cupcakes - Childhood Lunchbox Memories

I can't tell you the excitement that would run through me when I would open my Lunchbox in Elementary School and find that my Mom had included a Hostess Cupcake for my dessert.  That was the ultimate treat!  A store bought Hostess Cupcake!  I would show it to all my friends, who were immediately jealous.  It made my day and the afternoon couldn't go by fast enough for me to get home and thank my Mother for this amazing treat.

When I got a little bit older my brother and I would make our own fake Hostess Cupcakes by making a box mix of Devils Food Cupcakes, slicing off the bottom, hollowing out the middle and filling them with Vanilla Ice Cream or Cool Whip.  A yummy snack but no where near the yumminess of the Hostess Cupcake.  And ours never had frosting or that magical white squiggle.

I decided it was about time I tackled that magical Hostess Cupcake.  Start with your favorite Chocolate Cupcake recipe.  I used this one from 125 Best Cupcake Recipes by Julie Hasson.  They baked up beautifully.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, core the centers out to fill with Vanilla Cream filling.  I used my Cupcake Corer (made by Cuisipro), which is an amazing little tool that makes coring cupcakes a breeze.  You can see it at work in the photo.

Here's the recipe for the filling:

Mock Creme Cupcake Filling

by Taylor on Recipezaar

for 24 Cupcakes

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup Crisco shortening

1 cup Sugar

3 Tablespoons flour

2/3 cup Milk

1 teaspoon Vanilla

Cream butter and Crisco until light and fluffy.  Add sugar, flour, then milk and vanilla.  Whip until sugar is all dissolved and mixture is thick and fluffy.  Put in pastry bag fitted with a #10 round tip.  Pipe into center of cooled chocolate cupcakes.  Replace center of cupcake that was removed.

Now for the Chocolate Ganache.  If you've never made Ganache, don't be afraid, it's very easy and tastes divine.  Here's the easy recipe I found:

Chocolate Ganache

Adapted from the Pillsbury Cookbook

Enough to cover 24 Cupcakes

12 ounces Semisweet Chocolate, chopped or 2 cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream

2 Tablespoons Butter

In a small saucepan, over low heat, combine chocolate and cream.  Mix and melt together, until chocolate is completely melted, and mixture is smooth and creamy.  Remove saucepan from heat and stir in butter.  Let cool at least 20 minutes until it is warm to the touch.  Take the cupcakes individually and dip them in the Ganache up to the top of their liners.  Pull cupcake out of the Ganache and let any excess drip back into saucepan.  Place dipped cupcake on rack for Ganache to dry.

Once the Ganache on the Cupcakes is dry and set mix up a small batch of Vanilla Decorator's Buttercream

Vanilla Decorator's Buttercream

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1/2 cup Crisco shortening (not butter flavored)

3-4 cups powdered sugar

1/8 cup of milk

Pinch of salt

1 teaspoons vanilla

Directions:

Cream together butter and Crisco until light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes. Gradually add powdered sugar.  Add milk, salt and vanilla.  Continue adding powdered sugar until frosting is of piping consistency.  Place in a pastry bag fitted with a #2 tip and pipe a squiggle across the center of the Ganache.

 
By this time you won't be able to resist, so dig in!  They are delicious!

Enjoy!!!

Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes - Summertime in a Cupcake

It has been very hot here in Utah this July but as we like to say..."It's a dry heat".  A total blessing.  My years in NYC taught me about the pains and pleasures of a humid climate.  Summer always reminds me of one of my favorite childhood treats - the Creamsicle Popsicle.

You know, delicious vanilla ice cream surrounded by orange popsicle.  So good!  What if you could have all that yumminess in a cupcake?  It would be amazing and delicious.  I had to try and create an Orange Creamsicle Cupcake.  What I came up with is Orange Cake filled with Vanilla Cream topped with a swirl of Vanilla Buttercream sprinkled with Orange Kreme Krunch and crowned with an Orange Slice.  I must say they were very tasty.

 Here are the recipes...

Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes

Makes 18-24 Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup orange juice concentrate

3/4 cup buttermilk

3 eggs

3 oranges, zest only

1 tablespoon orange oil (optional)

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a cupcake pan with cupcake papers

2.  Cream the butter and sugar together in a mixer until it turns pale and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes

3.  In a medium sized mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside.

4.  In another bowl, mix together the orange juice concentrate, buttermilk, orange zest and optional orange oil and set aside.

5.  With the mixer running, drop the eggs one by one into the creamed butter.

6.  Add half the dry ingredients followed by half the wet ingredients, allowing each addition to get incorporated before adding the next.  Repeat with the rest of the dry and wet ingredients.

7.  Fill the cupcake papers 2/3 full and bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until the middle springs back to the touch and the edges are light, golden brown.  Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes.

8.  Remove from the pan and allow to cool on a rack completely while you make the filling.

Image via Wikipedia

Vanilla Cream Cupcake Filling

This cream filling is almost as good as the filling for Hostess Cupcakes. Also works well in a chocolate jelly roll cake.

Makes enough for 24 cupcakes or 1 jelly roll cake.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup margarine (or butter)

1/2 cup Crisco or soft shortening (not butter flavored)

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons flour

2/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1.  Cream margarine and Crisco until light and fluffy.

2.  Add sugar, flour, then milk and vanilla.

3.  Whip until sugar is all dissolved and mixture is thick and fluffy.

4.  Put in pastry bag or icing tube.

5.  Insert into cooled cupcakes.

6.  Top with your favorite frosting.

Vanilla Decorator's Buttercream

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1 cup Crisco shortening (not butter flavored)

6-8 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup of milk

Pinch of salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

Optional Decorations

Orange Kreme Krunch

Gumdrop Orange Slices

Directions:

1.  Cream together butter and Crisco until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes.

2.  Gradually add 4 cups of powdered sugar.

3.  Add milk, salt and vanilla.

4.  Continue adding powdered sugar until frosting is of piping consistency.

5.  Fill piping bag with frosting and pipe frosting swirls onto cupcakes.

6.  Sprinkle with Orange Kreme Krunch and top with a gumdrop Orange Slice.

These cupcakes are the perfect retro treat with an iconic marriage of creamy vanilla and tangy orange.  Once in the oven, these little cakes emit a powerful orange aroma.  And when filled with vanilla cream and topped with vanilla buttercream, family, friends and neighbors will polish them off in no time.