Cream-Filled Chocolate Cupcakes (Cupcake of the Month #9)

There's nothing quite as delightful as a chocolate cupcake.  Except maybe a chocolate cupcake filled with marshmallow-y cream.

The September cupcakes are a delightful cream-filled chocolate cupcake, reminiscent of Hostess cupcakes (but without the chocolate frosting).

After a couple months' worth of rather labor intensive cupcakes, these were - pardon the pun - a piece of cake.

First, I creamed together two sticks up butter and two cups of sugar until it was light and fluffy. Then I added   three eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping down the sides of the bowl in between.

In a separate bowl, I whisked together two cups of all-purpose flour, 3/4 of a cup of cocoa powder, two teaspoons of baking powder, and a half teaspoon each of baking soda and salt.

Then came two additions of the flour mixture with a cup of sour cream (half the flour, half the sour cream, repeat), mixing well between.

Oh the chocolate!

These cupcakes do not use paper liners, so you have to generously butter the cups of your muffin tins and dust them with cocoa powder.  Then evenly divide the batter between the prepared cups.  Now, the recipe calls for 12 jumbo sized muffin cups, but I don't own those. So I ended up with 24 regular sized cupcakes.

Bake on 350 degrees for about 20 minutes (25-30 if you're actually using the jumbo sized tins).  Then let cool in the tins for about five minutes, remove to a wire rack and cool completely.

In the meantime, prepare the filling. You'll need a stick of butter...

...and a 7.5 ounce jar of marshmallow Fluff.

I have never purchased or consumed Fluff before in my life. Let me just tell you that it is very sticky.  Not quite make-me-crazy meringue levels of sticky, but sticky nonetheless.  Be forewarned if this is your first foray into Fluff.

Anyway, combine the butter and Fluff and whip until smooth. Then refrigerate it for 15 to 30 minutes until it's chilled and slightly set.  It'll still be pretty soft, but not as runny as it will be right after you whip it.

While waiting for the filling to set, prepare your cupcakes.  With either a small melon baller or a paring knife, cut or scoop out a little wedge from the bottom of the cupcakes.  But keep them, because you'll need them to plug the holes later. Then carefully hollow out a little cavity inside the cupcakes.

Transfer the marshmallow cream to a gallon-sized zippered storage bag and snip off one corner to create a hole between 1/8 and 1/4 of an inch.  Fill each cupcake and replace the reserved "plug."

Flip the cupcakes over and use the remaining cream to pipe a design on top.  Store airtight until ready to serve.

If you don't tell people about the filling, it's a fun surprise when they bite into them.