MSC: Regular Sized Cream-Filled Chocolate Cupcakes

If you read this blog, you know we have a fondness for hostess cupcakes and trying to recreate them.  This month for Martha Stewart Cupcake Club, Jess from Cookbook Habit chose Jumbo Cream-Filled Chocolate Cupcakes, from page 133 of the book, and you can be sure I was excited to try them.  They helped me to continue my quest for the perfect hostess substitute.

Now, in many ways, I made this cupcake quite different from the one in the book.  First, I don't have a jumbo muffin pan, so I used a regular sized one.  I got 19 cupcakes (although I filled some of them too full, so I should have gotten more) and I baked them for 20 minutes.  They were a little dry, so I think 18 minutes would have been better.  However, the color is awesome.  The ones in the book are really light colored, but I used a very dark cocoa power and I love the color of the cupcakes.

Then, I didn't have any Marshmallow Fluff, which is the only kosher brand of Marshmallow Cream.  I just could not justify buying that huge container for such a small amount, so I used the recipe that Sarah used when she recreated hostess, minus the orange food coloring.  It was delicious and I did not miss the marshmallow flavor at all.  I also did not hollow out the bottoms, as Martha suggests, and instead just shoved a piping bag into the top of the cupcake.  I should have followed her directions though, because the filling to cake ratio was not right.  I wanted more filling, especially since the cupcakes were a bit dry.  I really enjoyed making the squiggles on these, and I think they came out pretty nicely.  I am loving my new piping bag.

Finally, Martha does not put any frosting on hers.  That was not an option for me.  First, I really like frosting.  Second, my cupcakes fell big time in the middle,  and I needed something to cover up their ugliness.  I used the chocolate ganache glaze I had left over from making the s'mores cupcakes and it worked really well.  It did not get too hard and I thought it added a nice flavor to the cupcakes.  I would definitely recommend a chocolate glaze on these.  It also adds to the moistness of them.

Overall, I really enjoyed these cupcakes.  I would like to try them again and bake them less, in order to increase the moisture, but I thought they had a really nice flavor.  I think I am getting closer to my hostess goal.