Hostess Cupcakes

These just might be my all-time favorite store bought dessert. I love, love, love these things. So naturally when I found a recipe for them, I had to find an excuse to make them. Enter: Memorial Day. The perfect solution. Really, the recipe is pretty simple. I don't know why I didn't think of it before. Maybe because it's too easy to run into a convenience store and grab a 2 pack. Yum. Anyway, here goes.

For the cupcakes:

Hershey's Chocolate Cake Recipe

2 cups sugar

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

For the filling:

Seven Minute Frosting

2 large egg whites

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup light corn syrup

2 tablespoons water

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the ganache:

(I used the recipe from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook)

1 cup whipping cream

12 ounces chopped milk, semisweet, or bittersweet chocolate (I used semisweet)

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake tins with paper baking cups. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.

Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared cupcake pans, 2/3 full. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely.

While the cupcakes are cooling, combine ingredients for Seven Minute Frosting with a pinch of salt in metal bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Beat with a handheld electric mixer on high speed until frosting is thick and fluffy, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove bowl from heat and continue to beat until slightly cooled. Reserve 1/2 of the filling to use for piping the swirls on top of the cupcakes later.

Once cupcakes are completely cooled, use an apple corer to create your holes for the filling. (Click the link for a how-to.) I just stuck a frosting tip down in the cupcake and squeezed the frosting out but I didn't feel like I got very much in there. Next time I'll use the apple corer method and then fill them using my pastry bag and tip.

Once all the cupcakes are filled, make the ganache. In a medium saucepan bring whipping cream just to boiling over medium-high heat. Remove from heat. Add chocolate (do not stir). Let stand 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. Cool for 15 minutes.

Transfer ganache to a small bowl and either pour over cupcakes or dip the top of each cupcake to thoroughly coat. Using the reserved filling and a very small plain tip, pipe swirls across the center of each cupcake. Refrigerate the cupcakes for 10 minutes to set the frosting.

Using the reserved filling and a very small plain tip, pipe swirls across the center of each cupcake. Refrigerate the cupcakes for 10 minutes to set the frosting.

Store the cupcakes in the refrigerator. Makes about 24-30 cupcakes.

*Adapted from My Baking Addiction

Chocolate Pie

There are several different ways you can make Texas-style chocolate pie but chocolate meringue pie like this is pretty classic. It makes me sorry I didn't like meringue when I was little.

1 baked pie crust (store bought or your favorite recipe)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 heaping tablespoons flour
2 cups milk, divided
3 eggs, separated
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Sift together sugar, cocoa, salt and flour.

Slightly beat 3 egg yolks. Mix with 1 1/2 cups of the milk and heat in saucepan. Add 1/2 cup of the milk to the sifted mixture and stir well.

Pour slowly into hot milk, stirring constantly - never allowing to boil - until thickened.

Add butter and vanilla.

Pour into pie shell and top with meringue.

Try, just try not to lick the spoon.

Meringue:
Blend 3 egg whites, 6 tablespoons sugar, and 1/4 teaspoons vanilla with mixer until stiff peaks form.

Top pie with meringue, making sure it attaches to pie crust all around or it will shrink away.

Bake at 300 degrees F for 5-10 minutes or until golden brown (watch it closely). Refrigerate until set.