Because I can’t say “Ding Dong” without snickering, I’m just calling these Cream-Filled Chocolate Cupcakes. But you know what they really copies of, right? But even better, because you make them at home! While wearing pajamas, if you’d like!
I made these for a last-minute bake sale contribution, when I was trying to clean out my pantry for our move, so I used a chocolate cake mix that I had on hand. I usually don’t use cake mixes, because they have so many chemicals and preservatives in them. But occasionally, I succumb to the ease! If you’d like to make the cupcakes from scratch, try this recipe from King Arthur Flour. It makes great basic cupcakes (use coffee, not water, for even more flavor).
So anyway, on with the how-to.
Step 1: Cupcakes
Make and bake the cupcakes, 24 of them. Let them cool completely. Then the magical part…adding the cream filling!
Step 2: Cream Filling
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup marshmallow crème
Combine the butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth, then fold in marshmallow crème until well blended. Put a round decorating tip on a pastry bag or ziploc bag and fill the bag with the cream filling. To do this, I stand the bag, tip down, in a large drinking glass and fold the open top over the rim of the glass, then spoon the filling in.
Push the tip into each cupcake, give the bag a squeeze (you’ll feel the cupcake get a bit heavier), and pull the tip out. The filling might ooze out a bit, but that’s okay…you’ll cover it with frosting later.
Step 3: Frosting
- 6 tablespoons milk
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup butter
- 4 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a small saucepan, combine milk, cocoa powder, and butter. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Add vanilla and powdered sugar. Stir until it starts to thicken slightly (about 3-4 minutes). Drop a tablespoon full onto center of each cupcake. The frosting will thicken quickly, so do not make the frosting until ready to put on cupcakes.
Step 4: Decorate
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1-2 tsp water
Mix together. You want a stiff mixture, so you can make the little curly decorations. Spoon into a ziploc and snip off a small corner. Pipe on curls across each cupcake and let sit until hardened.
I packed them in some paper bread pans I’d ordered from Pick Your Plum. I think they were a hit, since people were following me into the school office, buying them before the bake sale even started!
