Cream-Filled Chocolate Cupcakes

Finally, a break from all the meat recipes :)

These little guys were something that my mom had been begging me to make for weeks.  She stumbled across the recipe on Pinterest a while ago and was excited because it's basically her favorite things: chocolate cake and vanilla frosting (although to be honest, it's more marshmallow cream frosting than vanilla, but don't tell her that).

I find it interesting that I haven't been baking as much as I used to.  I was way more of a baker when I started learning how to cook, and now I am way more of a cook.  It makes sense: I don't really liked baked goods as much as I like a good home-cooked meal, but I think it was the fact that baking was more "set it and forget it."  Now that I am quicker and more confident, I enjoy the craziness of getting dinner ready.

But with that said, baking is still a comfort for me.  It's relaxing, slow, and calming.  These cupcakes were even better because once they were baked and the frosting made, you have to core the cakes, fill them, and cover the hole.  I have made a few filled cupcakes in my day and I enjoy the process.  I'm a weirdo, I know.

One word of advice: when it says to use jumbo muffin pans, it's not joking.  I didn't, and mine kind of melted together!

My family was happy with these.  Of course, Mom said the cake itself was a bit dry, but she still happily ate them for days.  I thought the filling - just Fluff and butter - was dangerously delicious.  I had fun making these on my last day of April vacation.  With that said, let the countdowns officially begin!  30 days left of school... 77 days till my wedding... and 3 weeks, 4 days till we move in to the new house!  Craziness!

Recipe:

cream-filled chocolate cupcakes
from Martha Stewart
yield 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for muffin tins
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for muffin tins
2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme (7.5-ounce jar)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter two 6-cup (each with a 1-cup capacity) jumbo muffin pans; dust with cocoa powder to coat, tapping out the excess.  In a medium bowl, whisk together cocoa, flour, baking powder, soda, and salt.

2) Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  On low speed, add half the flour mixture, followed by sour cream, ending with remaining flour mixture; mix until just incorporated (do not over mix).

3)  Divide batter among prepared muffin cups.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean, 25 - 30 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking.  Cook in pans, 5 minutes; remove cupcakes and cook, right ride up, on a wire rack.

4)  Meanwhile, prepare filling: in a medium bowl, whisk marshmallow creme and butter until smooth.  Chill until slightly firm, 15 - 30 minutes  Transfer mixture to a heavy-duty resealable plastic bag, and seal; cut off one corner of the bag to make a 1/8-inch opening.

5) Using a small melon baller (or any other tool - see the picture below for my cupcake corer!) , scoop out center of each cupcake from the bottom, and reserve (you will use this ti plus cupcake after filling).  Hollow out each cupcake a bit more, discarding crumbs.  Insert tip of plastic bag into each cavity and squeeze to fill; replace plugs.  Using remaining filling in bag, decorate tops of cupcakes.