How may of us had a packed lunch during school and found a packaged cupcake?   They have a life span of infinity but not as long as Twinkies.  Now as much of a treat they were, we are adults now, and we deserve better.   So I have made an adult version with more adult flavors. I added some buttermilk, some coffee, and some chocolate liqueur.  If Hostess had used these ingredients, they may not have gone out of business.  So go back to Clara Barton Junior High, put it in a paper bag, and tell your friends that you’re not trading  it for their bologna sandwiches.  I hope you like it.  

 

Special thanks to my wife who filled the cupcakes and did the decorating.  I am crappy at those things, and she is 1000x better which is why there is not a straight line or cross on the cupcakes.  

 

Cupcake Batter:

Dry ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour

3 tablespoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup cocoa powder

 

Wet ingredients:

2 eggs

3/4 cups sugar

1/2 cup oil

8 ounces buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon chocolate liqueur 

1/4 cup coffee

 

Preheat oven to 350.

 

In bowl 1, mix four, cocoa powder,  baking powder, and salt.

 

In bowl 2, mix sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk, liqueur, and coffee.

 

Add dry ingredients into wet.

 

Fill cupcake tins 3/4 full.

 

Bake for 16-20 minutes.

 

Let cool for one hour (if you don’t, your filling will melt).

 

Cupcake Filing:

1 cup marshmallow fluff

1 cup butter, softened

3 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

 

Whip up marshmallow fluff and butter until smooth.

Add vanilla and whip for 25 seconds.

Add powdered sugar in one cup increments (or more if you like cleaning powdered sugar but I’d do one). Beat until smooth.

Put filling in a pastry bag or plastic sandwich bag with a medium decorating tip.

 

Use a steak knife to cut a deep slit in the bottom of the cupcake (it’s okay to cut through the paper if you used cupcake liners). Insert the pastry tip deep into the cupcake from the bottom and fill with filling.

 

Chocolate ganache:

1 cup chocolate chips

1/4 cup cream

 

Melt chocolate chips with the cream in microwave in 20 second bursts and stir until smooth; pour on top of cupcake.

 

Squiggle:

1 cup powdered sugar 

2 tablespoons cream 

Mix until smooth.

 

Cover cupcakes with chocolate ganache. Let cupcakes sit for 45 minutes to allow ganache to set.

 

Pipe squiggle over cupcake.