Copycat Valentine Hostess cupcakes are a sweet treat! Heart-shaped cupcakes, pink marshmallow cream filling, and topped with ganache. This post contains affiliate links.

You might also like our Hostess cupcake COOKIES, meltaway crunch bars, or Valentine sugar cookies!

Watch our step by step video!

What makes Hostess cupcakes so delicious? I love the deliciously moist chocolate cake, marshmallowy filling, and chocolate glaze in each bite.

Hostess Valentine Cupcakes

Hostess makes Valentine’s cupcakes, but they don’t make heart-shaped cupcakes! These take a couple of extra steps but are super cute. You can absolutely make them in the classic round shape and fill them with pink marshmallow buttercream. Equally delicious.

This Hostess cupcakes recipe IS THE REAL DEAL. Made with cake mix, marshmallow creme for a creamy center, and a super easy chocolate ganache icing. They are always a crowd pleaser. For a Valentine’s version, I added a pink heart to each one. Some are centered and others have the heart offset to the right or the left, but I made sure to add the curly cues of white icing for a classic look.

I blended my favorite marshmallow frosting recipe from Lil Luna, my EASY flavorful chocolate icing from my biscuit donut recipe, the basic royal icing recipe from my Pop Tart Gingerbread houses, and the simplicity of a cake mix to create these iconic treats.

What makes these the easiest Hostess cupcakes to make?

Boxed cake mix: Unless you have diet restrictions and need to substitute the basic ingredients, just use a cake mix. It’s my biggest tip for making cakes at home. I took a cake decorating class years ago and my instructor let us in on her secret. She used cake mixes for most of the cakes that she made in her bakery. I’ve been doing this ever since and my cakes always turn out great! You’ll still achieve an amazing chocolate cupcake flavor— with less effort. I’m all about convenience if it doesn’t impact flavor. That being said, I DO HAVE a go-to chocolate cake recipe that hasn’t ever failed me and is delicious and can definitely be used in this recipe!
3-second filling technique: my technique for filling cupcakes with a creamy vanilla center literally takes 3 seconds per cupcake. So easy! Use a piping bag and tip! I like using a #21 star tip, available at most craft stores but you can also use a Bismark filling tip.
Simple ganache made from chocolate chips: No need to use fancy chocolate. Chocolate chips work just fine! For the recipe, I highly suggest using semi-sweet.

Heart Shaped Cupcakes

I have a silicone heart baking mold that I use for making heart chocolate chip cookies but for cupcakes, I use balls of foil to create the shape! I’ll show you how.

Once the cupcake liners have been filled with batter (don’t fill each cavity more than 1/2 way with batter) you roll small balls of foil (marble size) and place them at the top of each cupcake, in between the liner and the pan. If you have marbles you can use those instead! The weight and uniformity in shape of marbles would probably work better.

I use this same foil method for making ghost-shaped cupcakes and it works like a charm. Yes, some of them will bake up a little wonky, but once you add the frosting it’s hard to tell!

Valentine’s Hostess Cupcakes Ingredients

Cake

boxed cake mix (dark chocolate or devil’s food)
eggs
oil (vegetable oil, sunflower oil, or canola oil)
water

Filling

marshmallow creme (the entire 7 oz. jar)
powdered sugar
butter
vanilla extract (have you tried homemade vanilla extract?)
pink food coloring

Ganache*

chocolate chips
milk
honey
butter

*this is not a classic ganache, but sets up like one! It’s the same recipe that I use to glaze donuts. It’s easy to make, but can also use a classic ganache with heavy cream and chocolate chips.

Icing

powdered sugar
water
pink food coloring (optional)

Make sure to watch my video to see how easy it is to fill the cupcakes with marshmallow frosting.

You’ll also want to pick up a #21-star frosting tip for the creamy filling, a #3 or #5 tip (or just cut the corner off of a frosting bag) for the squiggle detail, and pastry bags. I added hearts to mine; some centered and some off centered. It would be fun to add names or x’s and o’s.

This recipe makes 24-28 cupcakes. DO NOT fill the cupcakes more than 1/2 full or they will be too tall when baked. Store in an airtight container on the counter, at room temperature, for up to 3 days.

Heart-Shaped Hostess Cupcakes Recipe

cooling rack with 15 hostess heart cupcakes on it

Heart Shaped Hostess Cupcakes

Valentine Hostess cupcakes are a sweet treat! Heart-shaped cupcakes, pink marshmallow cream filling, and topped with ganache.

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Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 18

Total Time: 48

Servings: cupcakes

Calories: 290kcal

Equipment

2 pastry (frosting) bags
#21 frosting tip
#5 frosting tip

Ingredients

Cupcakes

1 chocolate cake mix
1 cup water
1/3 cup oil
3 whole eggs

Marshmallow Creme Filling

1/2 cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
7 oz. marshmallow creme 1 tub
pink food coloring

Chocolate Ganache Icing

1 1/2 cup chocolate chips
3 Tbsp. butter
1 1/2 Tbsp. milk
1 1/2 Tbsp. honey

Swirl Icing

1 cup powdered sugar
4-5 teaspoons water
pink food coloring optional

Instructions

Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan(s) with 24 cupcake liners.
Roll pieces of aluminum foil into marble-sized balls. You'll need 24.
Mix cake mix, oil, eggs and water on low for 30 seconds.
Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes.
Divide batter amongst cupcake liners. Do not fill more than halfway.
Place a foil ball in between each liner and cupcake pan to create the top of the heart.
Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool completely.

Marshmallow Filling

Beat butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla together until whipped and creamy. Stir in marshmallow creme and a few drops of pink food coloring by hand.
Fill a pastry bag with icing and a star tip (#21).
How to fill a cupcake with marshmallow creme: Insert a frosting tip into the center of the cupcake and press/squeeze for 3 seconds or until the cupcake puffs up slightly.

Chocolate Ganache

Place chocolate chips, butter, honey and milk in a microwave safe bowl. Heat for 30 seconds. Stir. Heat an additional 10 seconds if necessary. Stir.
Spoon ganache over each cupcake and use a spoon to spread evenly. If the ganache cools and begins to thicken, simply reheat for 10 seconds and stir.
Allow ganache to set up for 15 minutes before adding decorating icing.

Decorating Icing (Royal Icing)

Whisk powdered sugar and water together. Start with 3 teaspoons of water and add more, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, until desired consistency is achieved. It shouldn't be runny, more of a frosting consistency. 5 teaspoons work well for me.
If you'd like to add pink details, tint a portion of the icing pink.
Fill a pastry bag with icing and a round tip (#3 or #5), or cut the corner off the bag to create a small hole for piping the icing.
Decorate the tops of the cupcakes by piping on swirls all the way across.
This recipe makes 24 cupcakes.

Notes

Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

Cupcake calories for each serving of food and nutrient information based off of box of Duncan Hines dark chocolate fudge cake mix.