Enjoy a homemade version of the classic packaged treat! These dreamy cream-filled chocolate cupcakes start with a moist and deeply chocolatey cupcake, which is filled with fluffy whipped vanilla buttercream, and topped with a rich 2-ingredient chocolate ganache. Truly one of the best desserts I’ve ever baked and every single taste tester has RAVED about them.
One reader, Ruth, commented: “Wow! These are definitely the best cupcakes I have ever made. My family ate them and agreed. I can’t recommend this recipe enough, and we will definitely be making them again! It was the first time I’ve filled a cupcake, and I was surprised at how easy it really was. It worked, and everyone fell in love with these delicious cupcakes. Thanks again for another incredible recipe! ★★★★★”
I feel like I’ve said this before, but this is truly my new favorite cupcake recipe. Honestly. I close my eyes in delight every time I bite into one. They are that good.
Why You’ll Love These Cream-Filled Chocolate Cupcakes
- The cupcakes are basically this popular chocolate cake, but halved
- Extra soft & moist, not dense or dry at all
- Extreme chocolate flavor; hot liquid “blooms” the cocoa
- Sweet, fluffy vanilla cream in the center
- Chocolate topping is just 2 ingredients and sets into a soft fudge-like texture
- Like the packaged American treat, but fresh & homemade
Even for an assembled/decorated cupcake, the process is still pretty straightforward. Make the cupcakes, carve a little hole in the center of the cooled cupcakes, fill with an easy whipped buttercream, and spread ganache on top. Use any extra filling to pipe on a squiggly loopy-loop (technical terms). Let me explain some key ingredients and show you this process in photos.
Make the Chocolate Cupcakes First
I decided to use my very favorite (and reader-loved!) chocolate cake as the base for today’s cupcake recipe. I practically halved all of the ingredients. My regular super moist chocolate cupcakes are great, but they can be quite fragile. I love this newer cupcake recipe below, and even use it for these chocolate covered strawberry cupcakes, chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting, and these Easter cupcakes.
For the BEST texture and flavor, you need these key ingredients:
- Natural Cocoa Powder: Use unsweetened, natural cocoa powder (not Dutch-process). You can read about the difference in this post: Dutch-process vs. Natural Cocoa Powder. I typically use Hershey’s (the regular kind, not the Special Dark) or Ghirardelli brand cocoa powder. (Not affiliated with these brands, just a fan of the products.)
- Oil: Cocoa powder is a very drying ingredient, so you’ll usually find it paired with oil in cake and cupcake recipes. Oil provides moisture and doesn’t weigh down a baked good. Vegetable oil is ideal, but melted coconut oil or even light olive oil may be used instead.
- Buttermilk: The team and I tested these cupcakes with buttermilk and with sour cream. Made with buttermilk, they have the best flavor, but can be a little soft and sticky, so slightly more difficult to cut and fill. Made with sour cream, they have a sturdier crumb, but the chocolate flavor isn’t as strong. We liked the buttermilk cupcakes best, and a quick chill in the refrigerator after they’ve fully cooled helps make the filling/assembly process easier.
- Hot Coffee or Hot Water: Hot liquid enhances the cocoa powder’s flavor. It also encourages it to bloom and dissolve appropriately. I promise these cupcakes don’t taste like coffee at all! If you don’t drink coffee, you can use hot water. For deeper and richer flavor, though, use coffee. You can either brew it in a coffee maker or make instant coffee. Decaf coffee works!
You also need all-purpose flour (cake flour is too light when paired with cocoa powder), baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, egg, & vanilla extract.
Spoon/pour the thin batter into a 12-count muffin pan lined with cupcake liners—you should have enough batter to make 15 cupcakes, so you will either need 2 muffin pans or you can divide and bake them in 2 batches. Fill the liners about 2/3 full. If you use the batter to make fewer than 15 cupcakes, you are overfilling the lined cups and your cupcakes will spill over the sides.
Optional (but recommended) step: When the cupcakes are completely—or nearly completely—cool, place them in the refrigerator for 20–30 minutes to make them a bit easier to carve into and fill.
The cupcakes bake up nice and flat on top:
And now… is there any topping more rich and indulgent-tasting than chocolate ganache?
Make the Chocolate Ganache
Even though it’s the topping, I recommend making the chocolate ganache before you make the filling and while the cupcakes cool. This is because the ganache also needs to cool and thicken.
You need just 2 ingredients to make chocolate ganache:
- Pure Chocolate: Make sure you use real, quality chocolate. I typically use the 4-ounce baking bars found in the grocery store baking aisle, by Ghirardelli or Baker’s. You can use quality chocolate chips instead, but the ganache won’t be as smooth, as chocolate chips have stabilizers in them. You need 6 ounces, which is 1.5 bars (170g). 8 ounces proved to be too much and 4 ounces wasn’t enough.
- Heavy Cream: This may be called by another name where you are, like heavy whipping cream or double cream. Just make sure it has a minimum of 36% fat content, otherwise it won’t set up as well. Usually you should use 6 ounces of cream per 6 ounces of chocolate, but I recently reduced it down to 2/3 cup (just over 5 ounces), so the ganache is a little thicker.
Heat the cream on the stovetop, pour over finely chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl, let sit for a few minutes, and then slowly stir until the chocolate has all melted. The ganache will be very thin at first, but since chocolate is solid at room temperature, the ganache will thicken as it cools:
Whipped Vanilla Buttercream
For the cream portion of these cream-filled chocolate cupcakes, use fluffy whipped vanilla buttercream. This is the same whipped buttercream frosting I use for vanilla sheet cake, but with the ingredient ratios adjusted to yield less. You need just enough to fill 15 cupcakes, with a little leftover to pipe the squiggly loops on top. LOL.
You’re basically making a regular vanilla buttercream frosting, but whipping it on high speed for a few minutes to make it extra light, fluffy, and almost marshmallow-tasting. Many homemade Hostess-style cupcake recipes use shortening or store-bought marshmallow creme (fluff) in the filling, but this one uses just 5 simple ingredients: butter, confectioners’ sugar, heavy cream, vanilla, and salt. Feel free to use this marshmallow meringue as the filling instead, if you’d like. Some readers have also filled them with raspberry cake filling or pastry cream—YUM!
Fill & Assemble the Cream-Filled Chocolate Cupcakes
Alright, let’s do this! The process is just like filling my strawberry shortcake cupcakes and lemon raspberry jam cupcakes. With a sharp knife, cut a circle in the cupcake, and remove the center, which will be roughly the shape of a cone. Using a small spoon, fill the middle of the cupcake with as much whipped buttercream as you can. (Usually between 1–2 teaspoons.) Slice/tear off the pointed tip of the cone-shaped piece of cupcake, and gently press the round piece back on top of the filling. If you need any extra help with this step, see my How to Fill Cupcakes tutorial and video.
This can get messy because the cupcakes are oh-so-soft and moist. That’s fine, you’re covering up the mess with ganache.
With a knife or small icing spatula, spread the thickened chocolate ganache on top of the cupcakes.
Let’s see all of that come together:
Optional: Pipe the Squiggly Loopy Loops
For the finishing touch, fit a small round piping tip (I use Wilton #6) to a piping bag and fill with the remaining whipped buttercream. I went for the signature Hostess cupcake look by piping the loopy loops across the top of each cupcake, but feel free to get creative with your design. An initial, a heart, smiley face, birthday age/number, etc. You could even decorate them as Halloween cupcakes. Or skip this decorating step entirely.
How about a cake version? I thought some might ask! See recipe Note below.
And if you love trying this nostalgic treat, be sure to try my chocolate cake roll recipe, too!
Cream-Filled Chocolate Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours (includes cooling)
- Yield: 15 cupcakes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Fill these deeply chocolatey cupcakes with fluffy whipped vanilla buttercream and top with a rich 2-ingredient chocolate ganache. See the step-by-step photos above or use the video tutorial below as your guide.
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 cup (42g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup (80ml) vegetable oil
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (120ml) buttermilk*, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120ml) hot coffee or hot water
Chocolate Ganache Topping
- 6 ounces (170g) semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 2/3 cup (160ml or 5.3 ounces) heavy cream
Whipped Vanilla Buttercream Filling
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups (240g) confectioners’ sugar
- 3 Tablespoons (45ml) heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- Make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-count muffin pan with cupcake liners. This recipe yields about 15 cupcakes, so line a second muffin pan with 3 cupcake liners or bake in batches.
- Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside. Whisk the oil, sugar, egg, vanilla, and buttermilk together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, add the hot coffee/water, and whisk until the batter is completely combined. Batter is thin.
- Pour/spoon the batter into the liners, filling only 2/3 full to avoid spilling over the sides. You should have enough batter for 15 cupcakes.
- Bake for 20–22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow cupcakes to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Cupcakes must be completely cooled—and even chilled for 20–30 minutes in the refrigerator if they’re particularly sticky on top—before assembling.
- Make the chocolate ganache: Place finely chopped chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it begins to gently simmer. (Do not let it come to a rapid boil—that’s too hot!) Pour over chocolate, then let it sit for 2–3 minutes to gently soften the chocolate. With a metal spoon or small rubber spatula, very slowly stir until chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth. Ganache is thin. The finer you chopped the chocolate, the quicker it will melt with the cream. If it’s not melting, do not microwave it. If needed, see Troubleshooting Chocolate Ganache. Once ganache mixture is smooth, transfer it to the refrigerator and let it chill for at least 30 minutes to thicken before spreading on cooled and filled cupcakes.
- Make the whipped vanilla buttercream filling: With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to medium-high speed and beat for 3 full minutes. Add up to 1/4 cup (30g) more confectioners’ sugar if frosting is too thin or another 1 Tablespoon (15ml) of cream if frosting is too thick. Add a pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet. (I add a very tiny pinch of salt.) Frosting should be extra fluffy.
- Fill the cupcakes: Using a sharp knife, cut a circle into the center of the cooled cupcakes to create a little pocket about 1 inch deep. The piece you removed will be sort of cone-shaped. Spoon or pipe whipped buttercream inside each carved-out cupcake—use however much frosting will fit. (I use either a teaspoon measuring spoon or Wilton piping tip #12 to fill cupcakes. Usually you can fit between 1–2 teaspoons of frosting in each.) Slice/tear off the pointy end of the “cone” piece of cupcake you removed, and gently press the round piece back on top of the filling. See my How to Fill Cupcakes post if you need extra visuals or help with this step.
- Top with ganache: With a knife or small icing spatula, spread the thickened chocolate ganache on top of each cupcake. Spread on a thick layer, so it sets as a thick fudge-like topping.
- (Optional) Pipe icing swirl/loops on top: Fill a piping bag with the remaining vanilla buttercream. Pipe a looping swirl, or any design you prefer, on top of the ganache-covered cupcake. (No need to chill ganache-topped cupcakes before doing this.) I use Wilton piping tip #6 for piping.
- Serve immediately or store covered at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 1 day before serving. Cover and store leftover cupcakes in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I recommend a cupcake carrier for storing and transporting decorated cupcakes.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Bake the cupcakes 1 day in advance. Keep cupcakes covered tightly at room temperature and fill/frost the day of serving. Whipped buttercream and chocolate ganache can be prepared the day before too. Cover each and refrigerate overnight. The ganache will be nice and thick. If needed to thin out, spoon ganache into heatproof bowl and place over a pot of simmering water. Stir constantly until thinned out. Unfrosted, unfilled cupcakes can be frozen up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before assembling and serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 12-count Muffin Pan | Cupcake Liners | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand Mixer) | Small Icing Spatula | Piping Bag (Reusable or Disposable) | Wilton Piping Tip #6 | Wilton Piping Tip #12 | Cupcake Carrier
- Cupcakes Sinking: The cupcakes may look like they’re sinking in the center while they’re baking, but they should pop back up by the time baking is finished. It doesn’t matter all that much if they sink a bit in the center, though, because you’re cutting out the middles and filling them with cream.
- Buttermilk vs. Sour Cream: I tested these cupcakes both ways. Made with buttermilk, they have the best flavor, but can be a little soft and sticky, so slightly more difficult to cut and fill (I recommend a quick chill in the refrigerator before cutting and filling, to make them a bit easier to work with). Made with sour cream, they have a sturdier crumb, but the chocolate flavor isn’t as strong. You can also try using half of each, if you happen to have both!
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk is required for this recipe. You can make your own DIY buttermilk substitute if needed. Add 1 teaspoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup. Then add enough whole milk to the same measuring cup until it reaches 1/2 cup. (In a pinch, lower fat or nondairy milks work for this soured milk, but the cupcakes won’t taste as moist or rich.) Stir it around and let sit for 5 minutes. The homemade “buttermilk” will be somewhat curdled and ready to use in the recipe.
- Hot Coffee or Hot Water: Hot liquid enhances the cocoa powder’s flavor. It also encourages it to bloom and dissolve appropriately. I promise these cupcakes don’t taste like coffee at all! If you don’t drink coffee, you can use hot water. For deeper and richer flavor, though, use coffee (regular or decaf, but make sure it’s black with no sugar or cream). You can either brew it in a coffee maker or make instant coffee.
- Chocolate for Ganache: Real, quality chocolate is ideal for ganache to set properly. I use the 4-ounce baking bars found in the grocery store baking aisle, such as Ghirardelli or Baker’s brands. You’ll need 1.5 of the 4-ounce bars to yield 6 ounces. If you can’t find those, you can use 170g (about 1 cup) of high-quality semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- Can I Make This Into a Cake? Absolutely. Use my chocolate cake recipe for 2 cake layers, spread the whipped buttercream on one cooled cake, top with 2nd cake, and top entire cake with ganache.
- More Success Tips: Be sure to check out my How to Use Piping Tips post for instructions on how to fill a piping bag, and my How to Make Chocolate Ganache post for any ganache questions. And you can also read my 10 Tips for Baking the BEST Cupcakes.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hi, Sally – I haven’t made these cupcakes yet, but the Hostess version was my favorite when I was a kid! Quick question: can I use unsalted softened butter instead of the vegetable oil for the cake itself? Thanks.
Hi Andrea, we highly recommend sticking with oil in the cupcakes. Oil makes for a supremely moist crumb, and butter will dry them out a bit. Hope you enjoy the cupcakes!
Could I make this into a sheet cake (spreading the whipped buttercream on top of the cake and putting the ganache on top of the buttercream)? If so, would I need to alter the amounts of each ingredient?
Hi Maya! You can use this chocolate cake recipe and follow the recipe Notes there for a 9×13-inch cake. Spread the whipped buttercream on the cooled cake and top entire cake with ganache.
Can I freeze the completed cupcake? It’s just me and my hubby with occasional guests. Thank you
Hi Patty, Unfrosted, unfilled cupcakes can be frozen up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before assembling and serving.
What about freezing filled and frosted cupcakes? We only eat 2 at a time, about once a week.
Hi Patty, the consistency and texture is never quite the same after thawing the filled cupcakes. Best to freeze unfilled if you can!
Thank you for the recipe! Love your cookbook. Any recommendations for those who find the ganache too rich? I added the thinnest layer but was a bit much, so did a pinch of salt as well. Any tips?
Hi Crystal, You can use chocolate buttercream on top instead of the ganache.
This recipe is my new fav cupcake go to. My family love them and they are simple to make. And they are just so delicious.
I love this recipe! They are absolutely amazing. I am making it again today (probably 7th time or so) but I’m confused because I normally have enough batter for 15 cupcakes.. today I only have enough for 12. I’ve double checked ingredients and only filled them up 2/3 of the way. The buttermilk I purchased seemed thicker than normal.. any idea why? Thanks!
Hi Brittany, If you’ve made them many times with success, I wonder if you accidentally left an ingredient out or mismeasured something? Thicker buttermilk wouldn’t cause that much of a difference in the quantity of batter. If you try baking them let us know how they turn out.
I baked them and they were perfect! Im thinking I must have filled the cupcake tin with more batter than I usually do. Thank you!
Wow. I have been thinking about this recipe for months. Every time I saw the box of cupcakes at the store, I didn’t buy them bc I knew these would be better. Never came up with a “reason” so finally just made them for myself today. COMPLETELY worth waiting for. Omg! I’m more of a pie baker but these cupcakes are what my dreams are made of. So decadent, fluffy, creamy and wonderful. **I baked these at 7,500’ with 1/4t less bp, 1T less sugar and 1T more bmilk, bake time of 22 min.
These are hands down the most delicious, impressive cupcakes that I’ve ever made. They were a bit time-consuming to fill but came out terrific.
Made these today and they came out perfect and delicious. Another great Sally recipe!
Do you have any recommendations for adding color to the filling? I’d like to split it into four colors to make Harry Potter- themed “sorting hat” cupcakes!
Hi Erin! You can definitely add color – we would use gel food coloring for best results.
If I want to make 30 cupcakes, can I just double the recipe? New baker here. Thank you!
Hi Amy, for best results (and to prevent over or under mixing), we recommend making 2 separate batches rather than doubling. We hope you enjoy these!
Can I use milk instead of heavy cream for the buttercream filling?
Hi Alex, yes, you can, but start with a little less when you add it in. You can always add more if needed.
I LOVED THESE!!
One thing is that in the white buttercream, only 1 cup of powdered sugar was enough.
These cupcakes are amazing! I made them yesterday and they turned out perfectly. They have a deep chocolate flavor-important to use the coffee. Very tender cake. I piped the frosting right into the cupcake without removing any of the top and it worked beautifully. I am so hooked on your recipes Sally! I made the sandwich bread yesterday-which was phenomenal. I also love the cherry pie bars. I love how you give so much additional info besides the recipe itself. Thank you for all you do!
We’re so glad you love these, Mary!
Made this recipe for an event. The cake, filling, and ganache were all delicious. Filling the cupcakes was easy with Wilton tip #12. Did not have Wilton tip #6, so used Wilton tip #2 to decorate the tops with the swirly loops. The cupcakes looked so pretty/appetizing! Was told they looked professionally made. 🙂 My family really enjoyed them too. Will definitely make again.
I finally made these after staring at the recipe for months! They were very good, but I think the next time I will make with a different filling. Perhaps the whoopie pie filling? I am not sure. The buttercream was way too sweet for me and mine did not look as white as the photos. Mine was very yellow, and even after adding an additional pinch of salt it still seemed too sweet. My buttercream also separated, and I am not sure what I did wrong as I know my butter was at room temp and it was creamed enough. I was hoping it would replicate the Hostess version (but better, obv!!!) but maybe I am remembering the taste from so many decades ago!
Yo Sally this recipe was legit.
Whole family devoured the whole first batch instantly.
So made it again doubled ingredients and made 20 big boys.
Hands down the best muffin/cupcake EVER.
These were absolutely delicious and fun to make!
Truly one of the best recipes I have made. Perfection!
My husband has had a lot of cupcakes in his 70 years. He said this was the best one he has ever had! My entire family agrees. Thanks for always sharing fool proof recipes. Every thing I’ve baked has been perfectly incredible.
Just wondering if someone used this for an icecream cupcakes? If so, how did it work?
I made these for church morning tea. It turned out to be a service with a baptism so many people brought food for morning tea including a cake. I thought that I would be taking most of the cupcakes home. Instead they were pronounced delicious and all the cupcakes were devoured!
THIS CAKE WAS A HIT!!! Everyone loved it and raved about it! I made it into a 2 layer cake (using the Notes suggestion at the bottom of the recipe). There was a perfect amount of vanilla buttercream filling between the two layers and I was able to cover the whole cake (top and sides) with chocolate ganache. My husband said it was “the best cake I ever made!” Will definitely make this again! Thank you!
If I did a 1 1/2 recipe, what would I do for the eggs, cause how do you do half an egg. I want to make more than 15, but I only have 2 muffin pans.
Hi Sofie! Our general rule for halving an egg is to crack it open, beat the yolk and white together with a fork, measure the volume (should be a few Tbsp), then use half.
These were very, very good. I used Sally’s Swiss buttercream inside, the recipe for it is wonderfully detailed. 60* butter – I loved the specific info!
I questioned the “cone removal” filling technique, but tried it and found it to be easy and effective. I naturally held the knife steady in one place in one hand and with the other hand I slowly spun the cupcake round to cut. It went smoothly, was less messy, and was way faster than I’d anticipated.
People loved them. Thank you so much!
This recipe should come with a warning. It is delicious! I’ve made the recipe twice this week and it was dubbed “the best cupcake ever” by a 5 year old. The batter was true to recipe and made 15 cupcakes. Instead of cutting the top off the cupcake, I filled a piping bag fitted with a small round tip, and inserted it into the chilled cupcake and squeezed for a few seconds. Then I put on the ganache and swirl. *bakers kiss*. The frosting and ganache was enough left over for me to use it on the second batch of cupcakes I made.