Chocolate Cream Filled Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Frosting

i made a double batch of these for a "Bake Sale for the Cure" at work- everyone loved them. the best part? biting into the cupcake & finding out there's a surprise in the middle!

Chocolate Cream filled Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Frosting (adapted from evil shenanigans)

For the Cupcakes:
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 egg white
4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1/3 cup buttermilk (i used powdered buttermilk- works great!)
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste

For the Filling:
1 teaspoon water, hot
3 1/2 ounces marshmallow fluff
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Frosting:
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
2-3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream or half&half (or milk)

Pre-heat oven to 350° & line a 12 cup muffin pan with liners (paper or foil)
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda & salt (if you're using powdered buttermilk, add the powder to this dry mix as well- the "wet" part, which = water, will be added in later) Set aside.

Using your stand (or hand) mixer, cream together the sugar & butter. Add the egg/egg white & mix well- then mix in the buttermilk (or if you used powdered, this is when you add the water- the directions are on the buttermilk container)

Add the wet ingredients to the dry & mix until JUST combined. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups & bake for 18-20 min until done.

Let the cupcakes rest for 5 min or so & then transfer to a wire rack & cool completely.

While the cakes are cooling, start on the filling.
Combine all of the ingredients for the filling into a small bowl & stir/whisk/beat until combined & smooth (i tried whisking & it sucked. it took a nice mix of whisking & stirring to get the fluff moving)

Place the filling into a pastry bag with a medium sized star tip.

Using a small knife, cut a cross pattern (about 1 in deep) into the top of each cooled cupcake.
Push the pastry tip into the center of each cupcake & start piping until the filling just starts to come out fo the top. It'll probably = about 1 tblsp of filling per cupcake. I squeezed until the top started to bulge a bit & then removed the tip. That = just enough for me.


see how it's just coming out? perfect.

then go ahead & clean off the tops (i used my finger & simply wiped off the overspill:


now it's time to make your frosting.

In a medium bowl (using your hand mixer), cream together the butter & vanilla bean paste. Start adding the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time. Also dribble in the milk after each cup of sugar. do this until you reach the consistancy that you are looking for.

(I gave you measurements- but as i always say, it's to your pref. I like my frosting a little bit stiffer so i use more sugar & less milk. the amounts i gave you are pretty lose to what i usually end up using)

Go ahead & frost your cupcakes as you wish.

Then try not to eat all of them. Seriuosly- these were so good!


I didn't try one until the next day (at the bake sale) and i was very pleased. Moist, light, not too sweet, but wonderfully delicious. OMG!

i'm kinda surpirsed i've only had 1 so far.

And the best part:


yeah- that's what you get to bite into. epic!