HOSTESS FILLED CUPCAKES & FUDGE FROSTING
By Gloria Pitzer
As seen in… The Original 200 Plus Secret Recipes© Book (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; June 1997, p. 53).
WHEN HOSTESS CUPCAKES had a birthday in May, the Detroit News claimed that anyone with $25 for ingredients, 5 hours to kill, access to countless pots and bowls… can enjoy homemade chocolate cupcakes. Not so!!!
To imitate the famous product, you need (1) a fudge cake mix [18-oz box, prepared as directed], (2) our recipe for ‘Hopeless Twinkle Filling’ [below], and (3) [our] special, no-smear ‘Fudge Frosting’ [also below]. Here is our version…
PREPARATION METHOD:
Divide prepared fudge cake batter equally between 24 paper-lined cupcake wells. Bake per box directions for cupcakes. Allow to cool completely in pan on racks.
With sharp paring knife, slice off rounded tops of cupcakes, leaving perfectly flat tops. With small melon scooper, remove about a teaspoonful of the center of each cupcake and fill with prepared “Twinkle Filling” [below]. Apply prepared frosting [further below] to “flat tops”. Use frosting applicator or refillable, plastic, ketchup bottle filled with the filling to apply wiggly decoration to top of each frosted cupcake. Makes 2 dozen.
HOPELESS TWINKLES FILLING*
¼ pound (1/2 cup) butter or margarine,
½ cup Crisco or homogenized solid shortening,
1 cup granulated sugar,
¾ cup [5-oz can] Pet or Carnation evaporated milk and
1 tablespoon vanilla.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter for 5 minutes on medium speed. Add Crisco a little at a time. Cream another 3 or 4 minutes. Add sugar a little at a time while continuing to beat. Then add the milk (mixed, first, with the vanilla), beating and scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl.
The longer you beat this, the better it becomes. Food processor preparations are also possible – timing depends on manufacturer’s directions for “creaming”. Mixture will “grow” in the bowl.
Keeps refrigerated in covered container up to a month. Makes enough to fill 2 dozen cupcakes.
* “Hopeless Twinkle Filling” also printed in… Gloria Pitzer’s Cookbook – The Best of the Recipe Detective (Balboa Press; Jan. 2018, p. 205). [A revised reprint of Gloria Pitzer’s Better Cookery Cookbook (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; May 1983, 3rd Edition).]
FUDGE FROSTING [No Smear]
BY GLORIA PITZER
As seen in… The Original 200 Plus Recipes Book (Secret Recipes, Marysville, MI; June 1997, p. 53)
INGREDIENTS:
½ cup light corn syrup
½ cup buttermilk (not sour milk)
½ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup margarine (or butter)
4 squares (1-oz each) solid, unsweetened, baking chocolate
½ tsp salt
1 TB vanilla
5 cups powdered sugar
INSTRUCTIONS:
As listed, combine first 6 ingredients in 1½-qt saucepan, over medium-high heat, stirring until smooth. Bring to boil. Stir constantly, boiling hard for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Let cool 20 minutes.
Beat in, then, vanilla and powdered sugar (a little at a time) until smooth. Sufficient to frost 24 cupcakes…
See also…
