twinkie cupcakes

Oh, yes I did. Twinkie cupcakes, y’all! I will confess that Twinkies top the list of trashy foods that I nonetheless love. We’ve always tried not to buy them too often, because of our propensity to eat the entire box in one sitting. But on those special occasions that we did buy them… yum! I’ll admit to feeling a little down about Hostess closing, mostly from the Twinkie standpoint. That is, until I found this recipe!

Now, I’m not going to lie and say these are exactly like a Twinkie. They’re not. They’re more like a cupcake with the Twinkie flavor that I love. But I think in a lot of ways, these are actually better than Twinkies! The cake is still light and moist, but it has that slight sophistication that comes from homemade cupcakes (maybe from using butter and eggs and sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oil, and who knows what else). And the filling and frosting are soft and sweet and dreamy. If anything, these cupcakes are like Twinkie’s classier older sister. I made a double batch of these for Lizzy’s birthday party, and they went like hotcakes. Do yourself a favor and make a batch!

Twinkie Cupcakes

Cake
adapted from Bakingdom

2 eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup milk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup cake flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces

To make the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners; set aside. In a large measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, milk, and vanilla extract; set aside. In a large bowl, or the bowl of a standing mixer, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low, add the butter one piece at a time, mixing until the dough comes together and looks sandy.

Add about 1/2 of the egg mixture and mix on low speed until incorporated, then increase to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy. Slowly add the remaining egg mixture, with the mixer on low speed, until incorporated. Scrape the bowl, if necessary, then increase speed to medium-high and beat for about 20 seconds. The batter will just barely look a little curdled. Put 3 tablespoons of batter in each cupcake liner. Bake for 20-23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before filling and frosting.

Filling
adapted from Our Best Bites

3 tablespoons flour
1/2 c whole milk
1/2 c butter
1/2 c granulated sugar
1 t vanilla extract

Whisk together the flour and the milk. Heat in a small sauce pan on medium heat. Whisk continuously until it starts to thicken. Let it cook, while stirring with a rubber spatula, until you can start to see the bottom of the pan. Continue to cook until the mixture has the consistency of thick pudding or paste.

Put  mixture in the fridge and let it cool completely, it’s fine if it stays in there long enough to get chilly, you just don’t want it warm at all. As it’s cooling, feel free to stir it occasionally to speed up the process and keep it from forming a crust on top.

It an electric stand mixer, beat the butter and the sugar using the whisk attachment for a minute or two until well combined and fluffy. While beating, add in the thickened milk mixture and the vanilla. Beat to combine and then scrape down the sides. Mixture will separate and look messy, keep beating!  Continue beating until mixture comes together and is light and fluffy (about 7-8 minutes).

Frosting
adapted from Bakingdom

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup marshmallow spread
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl, or the bowl of a standing mixer, beat the butter and marshmallow until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the sugar, beating until just combined. Stir in 1 tablespoon of cream and the vanilla, then beat on high speed for 4 minutes. If the frosting is too thick, add more cream, up to 1 tablespoon.