Hostess may be on the skids, but that’s certainly no reason to limit your intake of cream-filled pastries. In their latest cookbook, Tiny Food Party, L.A.’s Teri Lyn Fisher and Jenny Park include a recipe for a homemade version of the brand’s signature chocolate cupcake—marshmallow fluff and all. The book features pint-sized takes on everything from chicken and waffles to eggnog shooters to deep-dish pizzas, making it the perfect inspiration for your holiday party's kitschy hors d’oeuvre spread. Mini deviled quail eggs with a kimchi filling? If you want to cute-overload your guests, that's how. Or if you’re just looking for a Hostess-pocalypse survival plan, this recipe will do the trick.

Li’l Homemade Hostess Cupcakes

Excerpted from Tiny Food Party (Quirk Books, $18.95)

Makes 48

Devil’s Food Cupcakes


1 cup all-purpose flour


2/3 cup cake flour


1 cup granulated sugar


1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder


1 teaspoon baking soda


3/4 teaspoon salt


11/4 cups buttermilk
(regular or
low fat)

1/2 cup vegetable oil


1/2 cup strong brewed coffee


2/3 cup semisweet chocolate, melted


11/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar


1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract


Filling

1 cup Marshmallow Fluff

chocolate ganache

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Royal Icing (1/2 recipe)

1 egg white

1 ¼ cups powdered sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract * As you mix the icing, add up to an extra 1/2 cup of powdered sugar to stiffen it and make it easy to pipe in decorative loops.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place all the ingredients for the cupcake batter into a large mixing bowl and whisk together until fully combined. Line a mini cupcake tin with liners and fill each about two-thirds full.


2. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool completely in the pan. Carefully remove cupcakes from liners and discard, if desired.

3. Scoop Marshmallow Fluff into a piping bag fitted with a small round tip. Pierce bottoms of cupcakes with the piping tip and fill each with about 1 teaspoon of Fluff.

4. To make the ganache, pour cream into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Place chocolate chips in a medium heatproof bowl. Pour cream over top and let sit for 2 minutes. Gently stir melted chocolate and cream together with a wooden spoon until full incorporated. Let cool for 3 to 5 minutes. Dip tops of each cupcake in ganache, shaking off excess. Let the ganache set, about 30 minutes.

5. For the icing, in a medium mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat egg white on medium-high speed for 2 minutes, or until light and frothy. Add powdered sugar, ¼ cup at a time, until mixture is thick and smooth. Add vanilla and beat for 2 minutes more. Load royal icing into a piping bag fitted with a small round tip (about 1 cm wide) and pipe a small row of loops across each cupcake. Let set 5 to 10 minutes before serving.