Small-batch Homemade Hostess Cupcakes

With this recipe for Small-batch Homemade Hostess Cupcakes, you can make a childhood favorite at home! Moist chocolate cake, creamy marshmallow filling, and luscious chocolate topping. What could be better?

Looking for more small-batch cupcakes? Try my Small-batch Vanilla Cupcakes.

I originally had these cupcakes scheduled for a couple of weeks down the road, BUT then I realized that with back-to-school season happening right now, this was the perfect time to share them.

I mean, most of us are done with our own back-to-school grind, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t get to enjoy some childhood lunch bag favorites this time of year.

Did your parents pack Hostess Cupcakes in your lunches as a kid? My parents DID NOT. We weren’t allowed to have them in the house, so of course, they were one of my most coveted childhood treats. I traded snacks for them at lunch, sneaked them on to the counter during road trip snack runs, and went nuts over them at friend’s houses.

Now that I’m (ostensibly) a grown up, I try not to eat sweets that come in little plastic wrappers from the gas station, but that doesn’t stop me from getting the occasional nostalgic craving for them. So for just those times and cravings, I put together this small-batch recipe for Homemade Hostess Cupcakes.

And I love them sooooo much. This homemade version uses my favorite small-batch chocolate cupcake base, stuffed full of (sort-of) homemade marshmallow fluff, with a thick and luscious chocolate glaze on top.

They are definitely what I would call “project cupcakes” like my S’mores Cupcakes and Samoa Cupcakes, in that they have more steps than just bake and frost.

I usually don’t do small-batch project cupcakes, but the steps for these are all so simple and quick that I think it’s totally worth it even for the small yield, and if you want to double or triple the recipe to make more, you can just slide the yield slider in the recipe card and make as many Homemade Hostess Cupcakes as your heart desires.

I’ll be sticking to the original four for built-in portion control though because this is one of those recipes I had to force myself to share. They are just so damn good that you’ll probably just want to eat them all by yourself.

The cake is soft, the chocolate topping thick with just the right level give when you bite into it, and the homemade marshmallow fluff center is fluffy, creamy, and perfect.

They are everything good about the originals but even better because they are homemade and you can make them whenever you want, no parental permission required!

Small-batch Homemade Hostess Cupcakes

With this recipe for Small-batch Homemade Hostess Cupcakes, you can make a childhood favorite at home! Moist chocolate cake, creamy marshmallow filling, and luscious chocolate topping. What could be better?

5 from 6 votes

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Servings (Hover or Click to Change Yield): 4 cupcakes

Calories: 365kcal

Author: Tracy

Ingredients

Small-batch Chocolate Cupcakes

• ▢ 2 tablespoons (1oz) unsalted butter
• ▢ 2 tablespoons (21g) chopped semi-sweet chocolate high-quality chips are fine
• ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• ▢ 1/4 cup (30g) all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 tablespoons (11g) cocoa powder sifted if lumpy
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 large egg yolk room temperature
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 2 tablespoons milk any percentage
• ▢ 2 tablespoons hot coffee or water

Marshmallow Filling

• ▢ 8 large marshmallows
• ▢ 1 teaspoon corn syrup

Chocolate Glaze

• ▢ 1 tablespoon milk
• ▢ 1 tablespoon (1/2oz) butter
• ▢ 1 teaspoon corn syrup
• ▢ 1/4 cup (1.5oz) chopped semi-sweet chocolate (high-quality chips are fine)
• ▢ 1/2 cup (60g) powdered sugar sifted

Icing

• ▢ 1/4 cup (30g) powdered sugar
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon to 1/2 tablespoon milk

Instructions

Small-batch Chocolate Cupcakes

• Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a cupcake pan with 4 cupcake liners.
• In a small, microwave-safe bowl, combine butter, chopped chocolate, and vegetable oil. Microwave for 30 seconds, and stir until smooth, microwaving for an additional 15 seconds if necessary. Set aside to cool slightly.
• In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla. Whisk in slightly cooled chocolate mixture until smooth.
• Whisk in flour mixture until just combined. Add the milk and coffee and whisk until smooth. The batter will look thin.
• Spoon or pour batter into prepared cupcake cups, filling 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 16 to 19 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with only a few dry crumbs.
• Cool cupcakes in pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely, 15 to 20 minutes.

Marshmallow Filling

• Use a serrated knife to cut a cone-shaped piece out of the center of each cupcake. Cut the base of the cone/center of the cupcake off and discard (or eat!) and save the cupcake top.
• Spray two spoons with cooking spray and set next to your hollowed out cupcakes. In a medium, microwave-safe bowl, combine marshmallows and corn syrup. Microwave for 20 to 30 seconds until marshmallows are bloated and melty. Stir until smooth. Mixture will be sticky! Use greased spoons to fill hollows of cupcakes and place the cupcake tops back on.

Chocolate Glaze

• Once your cupcakes are filled, in a small saucepan, combine milk, butter, corn syrup, and chocolate. Heat over medium, stirring occasionally, until melted and combined. Turn heat off, but leave the pot on the burner and whisk in sifted powdered sugar until glaze is smooth.
• Transfer glaze into a small bowl wide enough for dipping and dip each cupcake down to the paper wrapper. Allow glaze to set for 5 minutes.

Icing

• In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of milk. Add milk by the 1/4 teaspoon until icing is smooth and when you run a knife down the center of the bowl it takes 20 seconds for the icing to completely fill back in. (You can add more powdered sugar if necessary to reach the right consistency.)
• Transfer icing to a small plastic bag and snip off a very small piece of the tip. Practice writing a line or two on a plate before adding swirls to the top of the cupcakes. Let sit for 5 minutes and enjoy!

Notes

Store cupcakes at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 24 hours.

To get a smooth glaze on the cupcakes, you need to make about twice the amount you end up using. The approximate nutritional information reflects this. 

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