Gourmet Hostess Cupcakes (and Homemade Twinkies)

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OK, I think I'm starting to catch up and can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I'm only a couple months behind.

It was about two months ago that the big headlining news was that Hostess was going out of business. All of America was in a panic. There was a run on all Hostess products at the grocery store, and people were selling Twinkies on Ebay for ridiculous amounts.

I think I fell into the same category as most Americans. I hadn't eaten a Twinkie, Cupcake, or Zinger in years, but now that they would be no more, I was upset. They were definitely a part of my growing up. Every day at school for years, I could count on some sort of Hostess product in my lunchbox. And, I have many memories associated with them. Katie and I called the raspberry filled powdered sugar donuts "Temple Donuts" because we would pick up a package for the car trip to the LDS temple when we were newlyweds. Ding Dongs and Chocodiles were also some of my favorite Hostess treats. I even remember when they came out with special orange flavored Ding Dongs.

I'm not too worried though. My bet is that some company will by Hostess, and they'll return soon.

In the meantime, I've made my own Twinkies and Cupcakes. I had planned to bring in some of both to work for Ellie's birthday. But, only the Cupcakes made it. The recipe for the Twinkies didn't make enough, and once everyone in the family tried one, or two, there weren't many left.

For the Twinkies, I used the Todd Wilbur's Top Secret Recipes version. I didn't have a Twinkie pan, so I watched his video on how to make Twinkie molds from tinfoil. Most of the Twinkies turned out well, but a few were oddly shaped. However, they all tasted remarkably like the real thing.

Next time I try making them, I plan to make them completely from scratch. Todd Wilbur's recipe uses a cake mix. I want to see if I can kick the "gourmet" level of the Twinkies up a notch.

Yep, they look like the real thing.

I actually think this cream center is better than what you actually find in a Twinkie.

So for Ellie's birthday, I decided to make my own gourmet version of the famous Hostess Cupcake. I was not going to use a cake mix but rather my favorite cocoa fudge cake recipe. Instead of chocolate frosting, I covered them with a ganache. My original plan was to write Ellie's name across the top instead of the trademark loops, but my piping skills are terrible and I was in a hurry. Using white chocolate, I scribbled like a two year-old across each one.

The gourmet Hostess Cupcakes were a bit hit. I thought they were much better than the original. I have plans to make them at Christmas. However, I will practice my piping skills so I can write "hohohohoho" across the top. Clever, eh?

Mmmmm...Hostess-y goodness!

Happy birthday, Ellie!

Mango Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

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Each month, we get an order from the Community Co-Op. Even though we always give it a good try, it's been known to happen in our home for the fruits and vegetables to sit on the counter or in the fridge until they go bad and have to be thrown out. Quite often the reason is we receive some sort of fruit or vegetable we have no idea what to do with. Take last month, for example, where we received a bunch of leeks. What do you do with those? I think the only time I've ever had leeks was when it was served with something I had ordered in a restaurant. So, Katie went searching for recipes and found a really good leek and cauliflower soup. We've discovered something new.

This gave me an idea. I've given myself the challenge to try and use something each month from our co-op order in a recipe and post it here.

Last week, we received a bunch of mangoes. The only time I have had mangoes was in a mango lassi (a sort of Indian smoothie). Our fourteen year-old, Liam, is the smoothie maker of the family. Maybe I'll have him someday do a guest post on either mago lassis or one of his many creative flavor creations. 

I, however, wanted to use the mangoes in something else. As it turns out, there was another birthday at the office—perfect opportunity to try a new dessert. Caving into pressure to join the cupcake craze, I chose to try out mango cupcakes. 

Happy Birthday, Julie Anne!

The hardest thing about the cupcakes is cutting up the mangoes. I learned how from this guy here. Everyone at the office loved the cupcakes. The mango flavor is really nice, and the cupcakes were very moist. The cream cheese frosting was a perfect compliment. I flavored it with vanilla extract, but if you want to go with a Caribbean theme, I think rum extract would work well.

The cupcakes did stick to the paper liners a bit. I think next time I'll try spraying the liners with a cooking spray.

All in all, this turned out to be a keeper recipe, and I tried something new with mangoes. I'm excited to see what we get in our next co-op order. 

Death Cupcake for Cutie or Chocolate Stimulus

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If you're into baking, following baking blogs, or visiting bake shops, you know that cupcakes have been the rage for a while. About a year ago, I decided to try and create the ultimate cupcake. To do this, I combined the best from about four recipes into one, and the result was fantastic.


I needed a name, however. Katie immediately came up with Death Cupcake for Cutie. This is a combination of the "death by chocolate" idea and the name of a popular indie band, Death Cab for Cutie. I thought it was a great name, but later that day at work, Katie called me with the name Chocolate Stimulus. At the time, we were all tired of hearing about the economic stimulus ad nauseum. I liked this name equally as well because in my opinion most problems can be solved with chocolate. Who couldn't use a little chocolate stimulus? So, there you have it. Go with whichever name works for you.


But, I must warn you. These cupcakes are for adults. If you're going to put this kind of time and care into creating cupcakes, don't waste them on children who would be just as happy with something from a box. These cupcakes are so rich and chocolately, a child might go into chocolate shock.


The reason I made a batch of these cupcakes this morning is because it's parent/teacher conference time. The PTA arranges for parents to bring in dinner and dessert for the teachers. Not only do the teachers at our school deserve the best, but Liam has a little ground to make up with his math teacher. I guess she got a little ticked when he showed up on St. Patrick's Day with green hair. I guess there's a rule against that. Ooops. Well, a little chocolate stimulus will make everything right.

I piled the frosting a generous inch high.

Can you ever have too much frosting?

I think not. Katie said she'd eat it on 
dog food.

How could a teacher resist? (the cupcakes

and the boys)