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.
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 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 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—YUM!
Fill & Assemble the Cream-Filled Chocolate Cupcakes
Alright, let’s do this! 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.
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.
See Your Cream-Filled Chocolate Cupcakes!
Many readers tried this recipe as part of a baking challenge! Feel free to email or share your recipe photos with us on social media. 🙂
PrintCream-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-cup 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.
- 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 5 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): Cupcake Liners | USA Pan Cupcake Pan or Wilton Cupcake Pan| 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 version of buttermilk 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.
This was yummy! Not too sweet, and the vanilla cream was divine! So fluffy.
I made these for my husband’s birthday and they were a hit. Everyone loved them and I will definitely be making these again.
First time participating in the Baking Challenge—LOVED these!!!! So good—got rave reviews from my colleagues too. Would definitely make again. Thank you for sharing this recipe!!
Oh my gosh are these cupcakes delicious. I’m not the world’s best baker by a long shot, and I can’t believe how good these turned out! My ganache wasn’t perfect because all I had was chocolate chips, but still very good. These definitely took me back to my childhood.
These cupcakes are so decadent. They are fun to make and more fun to eat!
The kids wanted to make these for Daddy’s birthday. I made the cupcakes and buttercream earlier in the day. They went together seamlessly. The texture was amazing and what an amazing chocolate flavor.
This was good! I used buttercream on top as well and was able to make it a little colorful. Probably going to adapt these for halloween!
This was such a fun challenge to do! The cupcakes were moist and delicious alone, but with the added cream filling and ganache, it was over the top delicious!
This was such a fun recipe! The cupcakes are super rich (obviously) and so tasty. I did have quite a bit of leftover frosting and ganache. If anyone has a good idea for what to do with it, let me know!! I wish I hadn’t chilled the ganache in the fridge for as long as I did because it made them a little more difficult to top the cupcakes. Thanks for another great recipe
I made these for the challenge this month and they were delicious! I used a piping bag to fill the middles just to make it a little easier for me. I can’t wait to make these again!
Omg! I have to say they are delicious . Lots of steps but definitely worth the wait. Thank u sally
These cupcakes are amazing! It was my first time making cupcakes and they came out perfectly moist and fluffy. I made them for one of my younger brothers to celebrate him learning his phonics sounds and he can’t wait to eat them tonight. These are one of his favorite desserts to pick out from the store but of course, Sally’s is always best so I made him these. By the way, your baking tip videos are the best! They’ve helped me a lot! And your Fall desserts look cute and delicious. Thank you for the opportunity to be in a baking competition and I can’t wait for the next one!
I am so excited to finally have time to partake in a baking challenge, and I had so so much fun making these! They turned out incredible. I had some left over ganache so I used it to make a few truffles with jimmies. Waste not want not! ;-) Thank you Sally for all of the inspiration!
I gave this a try for the October baking challenge, and wow, these cupcakes were so fun to make! The ganache didn’t turn out too well for me; at least, it wasn’t pretty. But it tasted good, and that’s what really counts, right? i love the chocolate cupcakes by themselves, honestly. So rich, so decadent!
I made these for the October challenge. What a great recipe!! So much better than the original store bought version. I will make these again and again!
Have finished the October recipe challenge and submitted my picture. The cupcakes are outrageously delicious. For a novice baker, I was thrilled with the ease of this recipe. Each step was carefully outlined, explained and easy to execute. The delicious chocolate flavor of the cupcake is amplified by the richness of the ganache and the subtle sweetness of the creamy filling. They are incredibly reminiscent of the old Hostess original. A five star recipe in my book. Well done as always, Sally and crew. I will be filing this recipe to be used again!
Can’t wait to make these! What do you think would be sweeter, the marshmallow filling or the buttercream filling? And if I was to use the marshmallow, would I need a whole batch or a half batch for the filling and squiggly tops? Thanks so much!
Hi Delilah, I’d say they are similarly sweet. The marshmallow filling may be a little sweeter, though. I would actually make 1/2 or 3/4 batch of the marshmallow meringue if you don’t want any leftovers. 3/4 would absolutely be plenty for the filling AND piping on top.
Made and submitted! Thank you for the great recipe. Kids enjoyed very much.
Really enjoyed making these! Really easy and so, so delicious.
These were fun to make and looked really cute, they definitely brought back some memories. I am not a big chocolate fan so the cream filled center gave the perfect balance and brought the chocolate to my level. I did use a lighter cream filling which uses egg whites and isn’t as sweet as butter cream at the request of my husband. I served them at my Sunday family dinner and they disappeared quickly. Thanks for the recipe Sally!
Excellent recipe as always:) I had a lot of fun making these.
Such a fun baking project! These are a wonderful, nostalgic treat. We enjoyed them.
So far so good but my cupcakes are definitely not flat topped… Did I do something wrong?
Hi Sarah! Did you fill the liners 2/3 full for 15 cupcakes? Any more full will result in over-filled cupcakes. Hopefully they tasted great!
This recipe was a BIG hit. and I mean BIG. I took these to my church small group today and everybody loved them. One person was left speechless! I was really nervous after seeing all the steps involved, but it was actually pretty simple and fun. I felt like a professional baker! Thanks so much for being the best baker I know! I think you have the best recipes ever! I’m actually a 13 year old girl who’s writing under my mom’s email, and I just want to say that you inspire me so much, Sally! I want to be a baker when I grow up, and I ‘ll continue to use your awesome recipes. Thanks again! Abigail
These cupcakes are delicious and the filling takes them to another level, but the ganache is my favorite part. This ganache recipe will be my go-to for other desserts. Thank you for sharing!
What a nice surprise! These were a bit of work, but so delicious & definitely worth the effort. If you’ve got a chocolate craving, these should satisfy. Moist, flavorful cupcakes, topped with a rich ganache, & filled with a light cream filling. Instructions were easy to follow, as always.
I made these for the baking challenge and I will definitely be making them again. This recipe made the process so simple and easy to follow. It is fool proof ! Everything worked as planned – although I did need to chill my ganache for 5-10 minutes longer so it wasn’t runny. Wow! My husband already made a request to make them for his coworkers.
It was so good I was to lazy to make the squiggles on top but still came out delicious most likely making these for my friends Halloween party
This was my first time participating in the baking challenge, it was so much fun! These cupcakes are super moist, chocolatey, and that cream filling is delicious! I can’t wait to see what next months challenge recipe is! 🙂
Made these and thought if they went well I’d submit them in the monthly contest. At the end, they didn’t look too pretty but tasted soooo good. Still thinking I might submit as practice makes perfect.
Hi Jen, you should definitely submit them! The winner is chosen randomly out of the submissions, not based on how they look.
This recipe was delicious. The whole family loved it even though I used low quality Easter egg chocolates we wanted to get rid of. I would absolutely make this recipe again but next time with better chocolate