No, scratch that. I don’t even know what a Twinkie was until this week.
I know, I know. Where have I been all my life? Well, I’m here, in the Philippines, where some “imported” stuff are hard to find… Or are too expensive for me, I'm frugal that way. Heh.
A few days ago, a friend asked on Facebook where she can find Twinkie bars. I left a comment, even though I didn’t know what Twinkies were. I told her to check out S&R, a membership-only grocery warehouse which is similar to Costco. They mostly sell goods from the US.
I went on with my day, trying to push the seemingly big question “What are Twinkie bars?” away from my mind.
But know myself, I just couldn’t let go. I Google-d and found a few answers. So it closely resembles sponge cake bars with cream filling! That’s easy, I thought.
On I went to another search. If there were homemade Twinkie bars, surely there are Twinkie cupcakes somewhere.
And there is! Most of my day at work was filled with daydreams about making these little cupcakes and stuffing myself with the batter and the frosting. Yeah, I am weird that way.
I was supposed to bake them last night, but I stayed a bit longer at work and by the time I got home, I was just too tired.
But baking is so much like shopping for me, if I can’t get my mind off something, I just have to make them.
And I did just now. Oh my lord. Where have I been? It was simple alright, but it was great as great could be.
Enough of my blabbing. I’m giving the recipe away. :)
Twinkie Cupcakes
Adapted from How to Baker
1 cup cake flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup coconut oil (or any flavorless oil)
6 tbsp cold water
3 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
3 egg whites
Preheat oven to 350F. Generously butter and flour cupcake pan. I used silicone baking cups and although they're non-stick, I brushed them with oil for easy release. Set aside.
Beat egg whites until very stiff, about 15 minutes on high speed on my hand mixer. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a liquid measuring cup, mix together egg yolks, oil, cold water and vanilla. Slowly pour into dry ingredients. Whisk until incorporated.
Working in three increments, carefully fold egg whites into cake batter. Be careful not to deflate the batter while folding.
Fill muffin cups up to 3/4 full. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until tester comes out clean.
Let cool for 5 minutes before unmolding. While cupcakes are cooling, make the filling.
Twinkie Filling
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp salted butter, cold
2 tbsp shortening, cold
1/4 cup granulated sugar
In a small sauce pan, cook flour and milk over medium heat, until they form a paste. Stir constantly and be careful not to let mixture turn brown. Once paste-like, remove from heat and let cool for one minute.
Add vanilla and stir until smooth. Gently press a piece of plastic wrap over the surface of the cream to prevent skin from forming. Let cool in the fridge.
When cupcakes are completely cool, beat butter, shortening and sugar until fluffy. Add cooled flour mixture and continue to beat until smooth and creamy.
Assembly
Transfer filling to a pastry bag fitted with a small round tip. Gently insert the tip into the bottom of each cupcake, about halfway through. Squeeze a small amount of filling and stop when you feel the cake expanding. Don't squeeze too much filling as it may burst out to the top of the cupcake (see photo).
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