Homemade Hostess Cupcakes

For Elijah's 4th birthday [back in April] he got to bring in treats for his preschool class to celebrate. 

He kept telling me how he wanting to bring cupcakes to share since all the other kids throughout the year had brought in cupcakes and then were sung Happy Birthday. 

E was seriously looking forward to his turn all year! 

So I decided I wanted to make his class cupcakes a little more special since

1. He was crazy excited about it 

2. It was his last birthday as an only child and I wanted to make it meaningful 

3. E is obsessssssssed with chocolate! 

I found this recipe a friend gave me for Homemade Hostess Cupcakes and had been looking for a good reason to make them for a long time. So I figured a little 4-year-old, chocolate-loving boy was a good of time as any :) 

Cupcake Ingredients: 

1 package Devil's Food Cake Mix 

2 tsp. hot water 

1/4 tsp. salt 

1 jar (7 ounces) marshmallow creme 

1/2 cup shortening 

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla 

Ganache Ingredients: 

1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips 

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream 

Directions:  

1. Prepare and bake cake batter according to package directions for cupcakes. Cool completely. 

2. Combine water and salt until salt is dissolved. Cool. 

3. Beat the marshmallow creme, shortening, powdered sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the salt mixture. 

4. Using pastry bag, push the tip through the bottom of the paper liner to fill each cupcake 

[I didn't have a pastry bag for this step so instead I cut a hole in the top of the cupcake with a little apple corer and then put the creme mix in a plastic bag, cut off a corner, and filled the cupcake with the creme mix. It worked pretty well! And you got lots of creme :)]

5. In a heavy saucepan, melt the chocolate chips with cream and stir until smooth. Cool slightly. 

[Definitely let it cool slightly or else it will be too runny. Also, when I make it again, I would make sure the cupcakes are even cooled in the fridge a little to make them more sturdy. It's probably cause I filled it with creme from the top but when I dipped the cupcakes in the ganache it was kind of crumby so I had to be careful. Just a tip!]

6. Dip the tops of the cupcakes in the ganache. Chill until set - about 20 minutes. Store in refrigerator. 

Makes 24 cupcakes. 

ENJOY! 

If you make these, I'd love to hear how they turned out and any tips you have!