Monday, April 23, 2012

Hostess Cupcakes

_MG_5429.jpgFor Easter we had a family over that was gluten intolerant. I didn't want them to go without dessert, so I found this recipe for gluten-free Hostess cupcakes. Who doesn't like chocolate? I figured it would be a big hit and it was. Even my own children wanted one. It's also pretty easy to make these as regular cucpakes, just find your favorite chocolate cupcake recipe. The filling and topping is the same for all cupcakes.
_MG_5286.jpgBegin by making the cake part of your cupcakes. They'll be nice and soft.
_MG_5426.jpgMake your fluffy marshmallow filling. Fill a pastry bag with the marshmallow stuff and pipe it inot the cupcakes. You'll be able to feel the cupcakes filling, so you'll know when to stop.
_MG_5427.jpgMake your ganache topping. Carefully top your cupcakes with the ganache. Be careful because it's slightly runny.
_MG_5428.jpgOnce the chocolate has set carefully pipe some cute little swirls on top using the leftover marshmallow filling. Enjoy!

Hostess Cupcakes
Cupcakes
1 cup GF Flour Mix*
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
*GF Flour Mix
2 cups brown rice flour
2/3 cup potato starch
1/3 cup tapioca starch
Filling
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp confectioners’ sugar
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
pinch salt
1 1/4 cups marshmallow fluff
Frosting
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
3/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 Tbsp light corn syrup
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
For the cakes:
Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 12-tin muffin pan with paper liners.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together buttermilk, sugar, oil, and vanilla for 1 minute on medium speed. Turning down to low speed, add the dry ingredients in 3 separate additions, making sure the mixture is fully incorporated after each addition.
Fill muffin liners approximately 2/3 full with batter and bake for 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean.
Cool cupcakes for 5 minutes in pan before transferring them onto a wire rack to cool completely.
For the filling:
In a medium bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until smooth and creamy. Add in vanilla and salt. Mix in the marshmallow fluff, beating and scraping down mixture frequently until fully incorporated. Cover filling and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
For the frosting:
In a microwave safe bowl, combine butter, chocolate chips, and corn syrup. Heat for 1 minute. Stir until all ingredients have fully melted and mixture is smooth and glossy. Remove from heat and add in vanilla. Cover and refrigerate frosting for 20-30 minutes, until thickened slightly.
Assembling:
Fill a pastry bag attached to a large writing tip with vanilla filling. Plunge the writing tip into the center of the cupcake and slowly squeeze bag to fill cake. When the top of the cake begins to bulge or you can feel the filling push against the tip, slowly remove the tip from cake. Using an offset spatula, wipe off any filling that peaks over the top and repeat process with remaining cakes. Reserve any remaining filling for later swirl decoration.
To frost, turn filled cake upside down and dip in prepared chocolate frosting, allowing it to coat the top completely. Hold cake upside down above dipping bowl, allowing the excess frosting to drip off before turning cake right side up again. Set frosted cupcakes aside to set for at least 10 minutes.
Using a small writing tip and pastry bag filled with leftover vanilla filling, pipe swirls on top of frosted cake (be careful not to make swirls too tight, as they may run together).
Serve cupcakes at room temperature for a glossy look or chill for a least 30 minutes to allow tops to set.
Adapted from Cakes N’ Bakes

1 comment:

Adriane said...

Ganache is one of my favorite words. In fact, Kel can vouch for the fact that when I talk to her, I frequently say, "Oh my ganache, I forgot to tell you this great story!" Try it out. It's pretty awesome.