Childhood Corner Store Cupcakes (Copycat Version)

Directions

Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Line your standard cupcake pans with 17 cupcake liners. Set aside.

Make the cupcakes.  In the bowl of your mixer, beat together the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add in the eggs, one at a time until incorporated.  Add in the vanilla extract and sour cream.  Mix well.

Whisk together all of the dry ingredients. Add into the wet ingredients until the batter is mixed and thick. Slowly drizzle in the warm water and mix until just incorporated.

With an ice cream scoop, scoop the batter into the cupcake liners until the liners are filled 3/4 of the way.

Bake for 10 minutes then rotate the pans. Bake for another 8 to 12 minutes or until the cupcakes spring back when you touch them. Do not over bake them or the tops will crack open.

Cool the cupcakes on a wire rack until completely cool.

Make the marshmallow buttercream

Beat the butter, fluff, confectioners sugar, vanilla and salt in your mixer with a whisk attachment until it is smooth and creamy.

Place the buttercream in a large piping bag and cut about 1/4″ piece off of the tip of the bag.  If you don’t have a piping bag, you can spoon in the filling with a small spoon, but it is a little trickier that way.

Back to the cupcakes

Cut out a large cone shape in the middle of each cupcake.( I also lightly pressed down on the inside of the cupcake after I cut out the cone shape so I could make more room for lots of filling)  🙂  Just make sure not to go through to the bottom of the cupcake.

Place the top aside while you pipe in the filling.

Fill the well with the buttercream about 3/4 of the way. Gently place the top back on and press down gently.  You want a smooth top so you can dunk them well. Place the cupcakes back in the fridge while you make the ganache.

Make the ganache

Heat the cream for about 40 seconds in a microwave safe cup.  Place the chocolate chips in a bowl and pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips and stir until the chocolate is melted and it is all combined and smooth. Let the ganache stand for several minutes until it is no longer hot.

Dunk the cooled, filled, cupcakes top side down into the ganache. (see my photo above)

Place them back in the fridge while you make the curly q topping

Make the decorative topping

In your mixing bowl with a whisk attachment, beat the butter, confectioners sugar, milk, salt and vanilla until smooth and creamy.

Using a number 3 tip, place the decorative topping into a disposable piping bag.

Pipe whatever decoration you like on top of the chilled cupcakes. I like the standard curly q decoration 🙂

Place the cupcakes in an airtight container or under your cake dome until ready to serve. They can stay in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze them by wrapping them individually in wax paper and foil for up to a few month.