Copycat Hostess Cupcakes

Homemade Hostess Cupcakes are easy, marshmallow cream-filled chocolate cupcakes topped with chocolate ganache and sweet white icing with a Hostess signature loopy design. A nostalgic dessert for birthday parties and gift boxes for any occasion!

Delicious Hostess Chocolate Snack Cakes have won so many hearts over the years, and I finally decided to make my homemade version of these chocolate cupcakes. I am convinced homemade hostess cupcakes can taste as good as iconic branded ones, and be healthier, as I know exactly what went into the mix.

My best piece of advice for making chocolate Hostess cupcakes is to use buttermilk in the cupcakes – they will turn out soft, moist, and stay fresh.

If you love chocolatey cupcakes, I have more for you! These are my best chocolate cupcakes, and I also have delicious Mint Chocolate Cupcakes for you to try.

What Are Hostess Cupcakes?

Hostess cupcakes are a classic American snack cake made by Hostess Brands somewhere around the 1910s or 1920s, a company famous for its delicious sweet treats, thus the name! It’s that simple!

These cupcakes are always soft, moist chocolate cakes filled with a fluffy marshmallow cream center, topped with a rich chocolate ganache, and finished off with that iconic white icing swirl you see on top. It’s that perfect combination of chocolate and creamy sweetness that makes them so irresistible.

The great news? Hostess cupcakes are definitely not discontinued—you can still find them in many grocery stores today or order online!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Bigger batch. A regular box of Hostess cupcakes has 8 cupcakes, while this recipe makes 12 plump and yummy chocolate cupcakes.
• Incredible taste, simple combo of everyone’s favorites: chocolate cake, chocolate ganache, marshmallow cream, sweet icing.
• Healthier than store-bought cupcakes. When you read the package for Hostess cupcakes, you will see lots of added sugars and ingredients like bleached wheat flour, high fructose corn syrup, palm oil, preservatives like xanthan gum, and other unspellable words. Cooking at home, we can use simple ingedients and avoid shortcuts.
• Great for snacking, as a sweet treat in the afternoon, parties, and gifts.

Ingredients Notes

You can find the full ingredients list, exact quantities, and nutritional information on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.

• Flour mixture: all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt. These cupcakes are made completely from scratch. Baking soda and powder will make sure they rise nicely, become soft, squishy, and with a little browning crisp on the edges.
• Unsweetened cocoa powder – I use cocoa powder to make these cupcakes chocolate. There are different types of cocoa powder (natural cocoa powder, Dutch-processed, etc), go with the unsweetened one.
• Large eggs
• Granulated sugar or brown sugar.
• Vegetable oil – any of your choice. Melted coconut oil works great.
• Buttermilk is my way to make moist and tender cupcakes.
• Unsalted butter will be used in the marshmallow filling and to make the chocolate frosting. Unsalted butter is my go-to choice in baking, but I know many prefer salted butter to balance out the sweetness. It is ok to use it, just make sure to taste and not oversalt.
• Marshmallow cream, like Marshmallow Fluff, is what makes the signature creamy center of these chocolate cupcakes! Absolutely, my favorite part of the Hostess cupcakes!
• Vanilla extract for a subtle vanilla flavoring of the filling and cupcakes. Use pure vanilla extract when baking!
• Heavy cream for both filling and chocolate frosting.
• Semi-sweet chocolate. For chocolate ganache frosting, I use real chocolate. If you prefer, you can get high-quality semi-sweet chocolate chips, too. I insist on quality, as cheaper chocolate chips sometimes have trouble melting completely, which will give you lumpy ganache.
• Confectioner’s sugar or powdered sugar. We will need it for filling, chocolate frosting, and white swirl.
• Milk

Kitchen Equipment

• Cupcake tin or muffin tin (muffin tins are usually slightly bigger than a cupcake pan)
• Cupcake liners
• Mixing bowls
• Measuring cup
• Piping bag fitted with a round tip
• Stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment
• Saucepan
• Heatproof bowl
• Small butter knife

How To Make Homemade Hostess Cupcakes

1: Make Cupcakes

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with liners.
2. Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
3. Whisk the eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla in a separate bowl until smooth.
4. Add the dry ingredients and buttermilk, alternating adding small portions of each at a time, mixing until combined.
5. Divide the batter evenly into the liners. 
6. Bake for 18–20 minutes, or until the toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out clean. You can also gently press the center of the cupcakes with your finger. If they bounce back, they are done. Let the cupcakes cool completely on the wire rack.

2: Fill Cupcakes With Marshmallow Cream Filling

1. Beat the butter and confectioner’s sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment until fluffy. 
2. Mix in the marshmallow creme, vanilla, and heavy cream until smooth. 
3. Transfer the filling to a piping bag with a small round tip.
4. Use a small knife or the piping tip to make a hole in the top of each completely cooled cupcake. 
5. Pipe filling inside, then smooth the top.

3: Dip Them Into Chocolate Ganache Frosting

1. Heat the heavy cream until it is steaming.
2. Place the finely chopped chocolate and butter in a small heat-safe bowl.
3. Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and butter. Let the mixture sit for 1–2 minutes untouched, then stir until smooth.
4. Whisk in the confectioner’s sugar until the mixture thickens slightly. Let cool for 5–10 minutes to reach a dip-able consistency.
5. Hold each cupcake upside down and dip the top of the cupcake into the chocolate mixture, letting excess drip off. Flip upright and let it set before adding the white swirl.

4: Add White Icing

1. Mix confectioner’s sugar and milk in a small bowl until it becomes thick but maintains a pipeable consistency. 
2. Transfer to a piping bag with a fine tip and pipe the classic swirl on top.
3. Let the icing set before serving. 

Storage

Store Hostess Cupcakes in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge.

You can also easily freeze leftover cupcakes in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. I would freeze them without frosting and icing. Thaw overnight, then let them warm up at room temperature for about 20 minutes.

Substitutions & Variations

• You can use dark chocolate or milk chocolate chips, too.
• Short on time? Use boxed cake mix for cupcakes.
• Add some brewed hot coffee or espresso powder to the cupcake batter to enhance the chocolate flavor (you won’t really taste the coffee flavor).
• Add vanilla extract to the icing! Vanilla icing is a nice touch.
• Use Greek yogurt or sour cream instead of buttermilk for softer and stirduer cupcakes with a little tang.
• Substitute marshmallow filling with a vanilla buttercream or homemade Marshmallow fluff – you need a whisked mixture of cream of tartar, sugar, and egg whites. You will need a double boiler to cook it down to a nice, thick consistency. Then you add vanilla and beat the mixture until stiff peaks.
• Brand has many versions we can replicate: festive Hostess cupcakes with sprinkles, orange cupcakes, or regular vanilla cupcakes, but with chocolate frosting. You can experiment!

Popular Questions

How Many Calories Are In Hostess Cupcakes?

Store-bought Hostess chocolate cupcakes usually have around 160–190 calories each, while homemade versions like this recipe are richer and larger, containing approximately 490 calories per cupcake.

This is because homemade cupcakes can be nigger, use real butter, full-fat cream, and high-quality chocolate, making them more indulgent and flavorful but also higher in calories.

Do Hostess Cupcakes Have Real Chocolate?

Hostess cupcakes have some cocoa processed with alkali and chocolate liquor, but homemade Hostess cupcakes have real chocolate or chocolate chips.

What Are The Ingredients In Hostess Cupcakes?

Store-bought Hostess cupcakes have a long list of ingredients if you look up product details, with the main being sugar, what they call enriched flour – basically bleached wheat flour with malted barley flour, Niacin (vitamin B3), Reduced Iron, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, and folic acid), egg, and cocoa.

But there are more added sugars (high frustose corn syrup, regular corn syrup, corn syrup solids, Agave syrup, Dextrose, and ingredients that aren’t really healthy like Palm Oil, and a lot of preservatives and thickeners like Corn Starch, Locust Bean Gum, Cellulose gum, and Xanthan gum, firming agents, Hydrogenated Tallow (trans fats), and many emulsifiers.

Plus, the mass-produced cupcakes have artificial flavoring and add Titanium Dioxide (used in paint) for white color.

How To Stuff Cupcakes With Filling?

To stuff cupcakes, first make sure they are completely cooled. Use a small knife or a piping tip to carefully cut out a small hole or cone shape from the center of the top of each cupcake.

Fill this hole with your desired filling, using a piping bag or spoon. After filling, smooth the top and add frosting.

What Is The Secret To Good Cupcakes?

The secret to good cupcakes is using fresh ingredients and measuring them accurately. Mix the wet ingredients and dry ingredients separately, then combine them gently without overmixing. Bake at the right temperature and time, and let the cupcakes cool completely before adding filling or frosting.

I always recommend using pure vanilla extract, buttermilk or Greek yogurt, and high-quality chocolate to get the best results and moist cupcakes.

If you love this copycat recipe, you’re going to love these other copycat dessert ideas, too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!

More Chocolate Cupcake Recipes

Best Chocolate Cupcake Recipe

S’mores Cupcake Recipe

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes

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