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Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Tuesday at the Table

I grew up in a home that was health-conscious in a 1960's sort of way. We ate a variety of vegetables, had milk at every meal, included fish in our diet . . . but we also loved our treats. Though there was alot of baking done in our home, we were also enamoured by the convenience of pre-made snacks. Dad packed a Hostess fruit pie in his lunch every day (introduced in 1965, they were a new-fangled item!), and mom would let my brother and I choose from the huge Hostess bin at our grocery store. Nine times out of 10, I'd choose Twinkies. And yup, I took a twin-pack in my sack lunch almost every day of my childhood. Occasionally - you know, for a change of pace - I'd choose their filled cupcakes. Random: Created in 1919, Hostess CupCakes® are the best selling snack cakes in history. It wasn’t until over 30 years later that a baker added the signature squiggles and vanilla-crème filling. 

Which brings us to today.
This weekend I baked up a memory.

For some reason, I'd had this monstrosity on my mind lately, something I baked up for my coworker's birthday a while back . . .
Yeah, that would be a Hostess Cupcake Cake. {recipe found here} It was a big hit, so when I saw the 'regular' size home-made, I just couldn't resist. I made them this time as a fun experiment. I'll make them next time because they're so good! Note to self: pour a tall glass of milk!

Chocolate “Squiggle” Cupcakes (adapted from The Food Network)
Makes 12 cupcakes
Cupcakes
12 cupcakes from 1 recipe Betty Crocker's Devil's Food Cakemix
Filling
1 tablespoon softened butter
¾ cup marshmallow creme
Ganache Topping
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
¼ cup heavy cream, warmed in a saucepan
Squiggle Topping
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
milk
Prepare cupcakes according to directions, using a ¼ cup of batter for each cupcake. (You’ll have some leftover plain cupcakes.)
For the filling, combine the marshmallow and butter in a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk until well combined and transfer to a pastry bag  fitted with a wide tip. When the cupcakes are completely cooled gently press the tip into the top of each cupcake. Gently squeeze to inject the cupcake with about 1 tablespoon of the filling. Set aside.
For the ganache, place chocolate chips in a bowl and cover with warm cream. Allow to sit for 3 to 4 minutes and then whisk until melted and smooth. Spoon 2 teaspoons of the chocolate mixture over each cupcake and spread out using the back of a spoon to cover the top. Allow the ganache  to cool and set for at least 10 minutes.
Finally for the swiggles, whisk confectioners sugar with milk (The original recipe called for 2 to 3 Tb., but start with alot less. You don't want your drizzle too runny.) Use a pastry bag with a thin tip to decorate the top of each cupcake. (I used a zip-lock freezer bag with a tiny hole cut in one corner.) 
Enjoy!

8 comments:

  1. Hmm, I've never had a hostess cupcake (as far as I know, I've lived in North America twice, but think I missed them) Might have to give these a go at the end of the diet...

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  2. This is in response to Katy - WHATTTTT. Send me your address, i'm mailing you some hostess cupcakes ASAP.

    Love that cake, and definitely will be trying it Debbie!

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  3. Oh, yum! This is making my mouth water!!

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  4. Holy cow! Wait till I show this to my sisters. My Uncle used to work for Hostess and we would get lots of free stuff. The cupcakes were our favorite. I think I want this for my next birthday cake. Thanks for the post!

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  5. Think I just might make these for Easter...a perfect goodie to welcome my taste buds back to sugar. Your squiggles look great! Lucky gal with a twin-pack of Twinkies every day...I was lucky to get one maybe once a year. Too funny how now that I can have one anytime I want - I choose not too. :)

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  6. This is a message to Jennifer - I haven`t had any either LOL. Loooks delicious and love tales of your `60s household.

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