Hostess Cupcakes. These chocolate cupcakes were for special occasions when I was growing up. Getting one was a reward or a present, never just an afterschool treat. My mom wasn’t much of a cook and definitely not a baker, so a package of  these cupcakes (two cakes in one pack) was an extravagent dessert in our house.

What made this little packaged goodie so special? Let me enumerate:
1.Hard chocolate frosted top with an elegant white squiggle across the center seam
2. Tender pillow of chocolate cake below
3. And within…. a creamy, sweet white center.

Today, we may laugh at this chemically infiltrated dessert with unpronounceable ingredients. But, clearly, memories of cupcakes past have helped spur today’s cupcake infatuation. It seems a new  cupcake bakery opens as frequently as frozen yogurt stores. Just in this area are Sprinkles, Cara’s Cupcakes, Teacake Bake Shop and so many more. They all tout their natural ingredients and myriad combinations from red velvet to ultimate carrot cake to chocolate decadence. But they are essentially just cupcakes. Who can explain such a growing adult craving for such a childhood treat? My theory is we all loved our Hostess Cupcakes growing up. They meant love.They meant happiness. They still do.