Remember Hostess® Cupcakes?
Me too. Clearly, I love a good clone. But these aren’t those.
They’re better. And anyway Hostess® is in big trouble. Not sure how that shakes out, but it seemed worth mentioning.
Can I be honest with you? I’m not really one for burying a chocolate candy in a cupcake and calling it original. I love a pretty cupcake picture as much as the next food blogger, but I don’t really think that’s why you come here.
Is it why you come here? *oops*
I love it when you visit me, and I don’t want to disappoint. But I just can’t … phone it in. I make plenty of things that aren’t worth mentioning. So … I don’t mention them. These cupcakes are worth mentioning.
The rich chocolate top and the creamy marshmallow filling in these cupcakes are just the thing to set off the smoky-sweetness of the molasses, honey and maple syrup in the gingerbread cake.
You start with the batter for the Gingerbread Cake we made last Fall. But you put it in your USA Pan 12-cup muffin tin. And you don’t grease it if that’s what it is. If it’s not, grease or line it. Then fill the cups 2/3 of the way full.
Bake and cool completely.
Make the marshmallow filling. It should be thickly pourable.
Poke holes in the bottoms of the cupcakes, and then fill the holes.
Fill ‘em all.
Make the chocolate topping. See the properly tempered chocolate? You need to seed it if you want it to set at room temperature. I explain it all in the printable.
Then dip.
And twist the cupcake so the chocolate doesn’t drip down the side.
They’ll be shiny.
And then they’ll set. Perfect.
| Chocolate-Topped Gingerbread Cupcakes with Marshmallow Creme Filling |
- 1 recipe Gluten-Free on a Shoestring.com Gingerbread Cake (see link in post)
- 1/2 cup (96g) plus 3 tablespoons (36g) vegetable shortening, divided
- 8 ounces (225g) Marshmallow Fluff
- 1/3 cup (38g) confectioner’s sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or pure vanilla extract), divided
- 1 to 2 tablespoons milk or cream, if necessary
- 5 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or line a standard 12-cup muffin tin and set it aside (if you’re using USA Pans, no need to grease or line the tin).
- Prepare the Gingerbread Cake batter according to the recipe instructions, through instruction #3. Fill the cups of the muffin tin about 2/3 of the way full, and smooth the tops with wet fingers. You will have some leftover batter – enough for 3 to 4 more cupcakes. Sorry about that.
- Place the muffin tin in the center of the preheated oven and bake for about 19 minutes, rotating once during baking, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a middle muffin comes out with, at most, a few moist crumbs attached. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for at least 5 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.
- While the cupcakes are cooling, make the filling. In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, place 1/2 cup shortening and mix on high speed until light and fluffy. Add the Marshmallow Fluff, and mix again until well blended. Add the confectioner’s sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and mix until well blended. The filling will be thick and likely not at all pourable. It should be thickly pourable. If necessary, add milk or cream by the tablespoon to thin it, blending well after the first addition and only adding more sparingly. Set the filling aside.
- To make the chocolate topping, place 4 ounces of chopped chocolate and the remaining 3 tablespoons shortening in a small, microwave safe bowl. Place the bowl in the microwave and cook for 45 seconds on 70% power. Remove from the microwave and stir. Return to the microwave and cook again for 45 seconds on 70% power. Remove and stir until all of the chocolate is nearly melted. Add the remaining 1 ounce of chocolate (the seed), and stir until all of the chocolate is melted. Add the remaining 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, and stir to combine. Set the chocolate aside to thicken a bit.
- When the cupcakes are completely cool, place the filling in a pastry bag fitted with a Bismark pastry tip (see photo) (if you have one – if not any long tip will do just fine). With a toothpick, poke 3 holes in the bottom of the first cupcake, and jiggle the toothpick around in each hole to make space for filling. Place the pastry tip inside each hole, and fill until the filling begins to seep out of the hole (see photos). Repeat with the remaining cupcakes.
- Once the chocolate topping has thickened a bit (see photo), place the first cupcake head first into the bowl of melted chocolate and bob it in and out 3 times, then twirl the cupcake a bit while it is still upside down to ensure that the chocolate doesn’t drip down the side of the cupcake. Place the cupcake right side up on a piece of parchment paper to set. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes.
- Allow the chocolate-topped cupcakes to sit at room temperature until set before serving. They will go from shiny (see photo) to more matte in appearance (see photo).
- The cupcakes will keep at room temperature for a few days. The chocolate on top acts as a nice little sealant.
Love,
Me
P.S. See you tomorrow? We’ll make the softest gluten-free bread you’ve ever had.
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These look good!
I’d be happy just with that gorgeous gingerbread, but a little marshmallow in the center would be a great surprise. Nicely done and not anything like poor old Hostess (I think they have a warehouse with enough twinks to sell for a couple of centuries cause they keep for 200 years, right?!).
And it just occurred to me that the muffin USA pan is not dark so the stuff won’t brown up too early. Guess I’m buying another pan…
Lisa @ GF Canteen would like it if you read La Petite Madeleine, Gluten Free
Hi, Lisa,
I wish Hostess would just stick around long enough to make some gluten-free cupcakes and Twinkies, just because. Then they can continue their downward spiral.
Seriously, this muffin pan is unreal. The silver color is only the beginning of what makes their stuff the best. The best, Lisa.
xoxo Nicole
Looks great for breakfast or dinner!
I knew I was going to need those pastry tips. Fruit loops and now this.
Oh, but it sounds heavenly, like a s’more but way better cause gingerbread is more awesome than graham. Though that’d be a neat trick – graham muffins with marshmallow insides and chocolate coating. Like summer camp-outs but more convenient.
Can not WAIT to try these!
Hi, Jenny,
I actually have a s’mores recipe like that baked in a mini muffin tin that I’ve been sitting on since last summer. I’ll post it this coming summer. I hate biting into a s’more and having it collapse on me!
xoxo Nicole
You know, I’ve been thinking this whole time on how you get the warm, toasty caramelized sugar flavor on your marshmallow fluff to simulate a properly toasted (not burnt, though some like ‘em that way) marshmallow.
And then, about five minutes ago, I decided I didn’t care. Mini-muffin s’mores sound delicious.
Also – can I line my muffin tins if I want to? I mean, even if they’re the super awesome USA pan kind? cause I kinda like the little papers and how they look.
‘Course you can, Jenny! They do look pretty with liners. Just be sure to use the greaseproof kind, like the ones they sell at Primp My Cupcake, or they’ll stick.
xoxo Ncole
Breakfast schmekfast!! ;) I want those!!
I;m going to try to make this one thanks!
Nicole,
Wow! These look amazing, they might be just the thing to make gingerbread lovers out of the rest of my family!! Don’t worry, leftover batter is NEVER a problem. I have these adorable mini bundt pans that will take care of that! Mini loaf pans would be fun too, you could make chocolate covered gingerbread “twinkies”, yumm!
Thanks
Sherry
Hi, Sherry,
Gingerbread “Twinkies” sounds really good! They even have canoe pans that will make that Twinkie shape, but I’m too cheap to buy one. ;)
xoxo Nicole
Gingerbread (my fav), marshmellow (any kid’s fav) and chocolate (all things chocolate are good) and you put them all together? Holy Moly. I am making these this weekend. I am a newbie and do not have a pastry tip or that cute bottle. Bed, Bath and Beyond? I will buy my USA muffin tin there too.
Yum! I will let you know how I do but I am so excited to have my kids bite into these little babies.
Thanks Nik!
See, Kristi? I’m learning all these things about you… I didn’t know that gingerbread was your favorite. You can do it without that little bottle (just use a regular pastry bag, or even a Ziploc bag, but I find that really uncomfortable), and really any sort of pastry tip will do. The long necked one just makes it that much easier. :)
xoxo Nik
Hi, this is Jordan
These look so good. There is no way my mom can mess these up!!! I want to go to New York to see the Lion King so we should meet!!! Then you can teach her to bake because she is still learning. If she was in baking school she would be held back a year! But she is trying really hard and I love her anyways.
xo
Jordan
Hi, Jordan! You come to New York, you’d better show up at my door so I can make you a whole meal.
Your mom is doing great! She would do anything for you. And she is. :)
xoxo Nicole
lol, Jordan. Behind one year in baking school. That is true! Especially gee eff school. I haven’t perfected them all. Well we will make these tomorrow and see how it goes. I am dying to try one.
Thanks Nicole! We will show up one day on your doorstep. With proper warning of course.
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