Your Favorite Childhood Treat Reincarnated – The Hostess Cupcake Cake

We’ll be honest, when Hostess went out of business we were kind of devastated. Not because we’d miss the culinary feat that was most of their products, but because it meant the end of an era. We have such fond memories of tearing into their tasty cakes and cupcakes after school, that knowing that would no longer be an option for kids (of all ages) was a bummer.

Inspired by the classic Hostess cupcake – and to make ourselves feel better – we decided to recreate our favorite after-school snack and turn it into a truly praise-worthy masterpiece: the Hostess cupcake cake. Rich and dense, this dessert is comprised of two layers of chocolate cake, sandwiching a creamy marshmallow fluff filling that is the stuff dreams are made of. Don’t believe us? Try it and see for yourself…it’s even better than we remember!

Hostess Cupcake Cake

Serves 8-10

Ingredients

Cake:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 3/4 cup boiling water
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 3 teaspoons instant coffee granules
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon sea salt or fleur de sel

Filling:

• 1 (7 oz.) jar marshmallow cream
• 1/3-1/2 cup powdered sugar, to taste
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350º F and lightly grease 2 8-inch springform pans with non-stick spray.
2. Combine flour, sugars, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl and mix together.
3. One at a time, beat in eggs (waiting for each to be incorporated before adding the next), then mix in oil, buttermilk and hot water, beating until smooth.
4. Lastly, add in instant coffee granules and vanilla extract. Stir until just combined.
5. Pour cake batter equally into greased cake pans, place in oven and bake for about 50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out mostly clean.
6. Remove cakes from oven and let cool 15 minutes, then release from pans and transfer to refrigerator (or freezer) to chill.
7. To make the frosting: beat together marshmallow fluff and butter until light and fluffy. 2-4 minutes.
8. Gradually add in powdered sugar and beat for another 3-4 minutes, or until airy.
   Note: add more or less sugar, depending on how sweet you want your frosting.
9. Mix in vanilla extract, then taste and adjust flavoring as needed.
10. Remove cakes from fridge and place on a cake stand or serving platter.
11. Using an offset spatula or a knife, frost one of the cakes with a thick layer of frosting.
12. Top with second cake and serve as is.
    Optional: melt 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips with 1/3 cup heavy cream together and let stand 3 minutes. Mix again to make sure it’s completely smooth and let stand another 5-10 minutes, or until thickened. Drizzle over cupcake cake before serving.

Recipe adapted from Eat The Love