Hostess-with-the-Mostest Cupcakes

Name: Hostess-with-the-Mostest Cupcakes
Yield: makes 2 dozen standard cupcakes
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour; 3/4 cup granulated sugar; 3/4 cup firmly packed golden brown sugar; 1 cup high-quality unsweetened cocoa (such as Green & Black’s or Scharffen Berger); 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 1 cup buttermilk; 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted; 2 large eggs; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 3/4 cup boiling water; 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature; 3/4 cup powdered sugar; 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream; 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped; 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream; 1/4 cup Lyle’s Golden Syrup or corn syrup; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; Pinch of kosher salt

December 14, 2011

I felt like a modern-day Pied Piper as I carried a tray of these cupcakes to the dessert table at a picnic last fall. A throng of kids sprang up behind me, each one clamoring for a cupcake decorated with the familiar white curlicue and enriched with a hidden cream filling. Soon, all that was left was an empty tray and the hilarious chocolate smears that decorated the faces and fingers of the youngest children. These are simpler to make than you’d imagine and, given the excitement they always inspire, they certainly are worth the effort. You’ll need a pastry bag with a number 10 tip to inject the cream filling into the center of the cupcakes.

Recipe notes

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