Most of the big snack companies sell some variation on a cream-filled, chocolate-covered cupcake. We love the concept, just not the artificial, bland flavors. Could we make cream-filled cupcakes from scratch at home? Here’s what we discovered:

Test Kitchen Discoveries

• Use the reverse creaming method, which means cutting the butter into the dry ingredients (as with biscuit dough), to achieve a tender, close-crumbed cupcake. A more traditional large-crumbed cake wasn’t sturdy enough to hold the cream and support the thick frosting.
• To fill the cupcake, cut a cone-shaped hole in the top of the cupcake, remove a portion of the interior, and fill the hole with cream. The frosting will cover any evidence of the hole.
• Add light corn syrup to the glaze so that it clings tightly to the cupcake and has a glossy texture.

Bake the cupcakes in a greased and floured muffin tin rather than paper cupcake liners so the chocolate glaze can run down the sides of the cooled cakes.

More challenging to cook properly than a regular thin frittata, a thick, hearty frittata often ends up dry, overstuffed, and overcooked.

An ovensafe nonstick 12-inch skillet is a must for this recipe and the variations that are linked. Because broilers vary so much in intensity, watch the frittata carefully as it cooks.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 slice) equals 436 calories, 24 g fat
(16 g saturated fat), 55 mg cholesterol, 405 mg sodium, 51 g
carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 5 g protein.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 piece) equals 280 calories, 17 g fat (11 g saturated fat), 32 mg cholesterol, 162 mg sodium, 29 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 2 g protein.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 each) equals 253 calories, 18 g fat (10
g saturated fat), 53 mg cholesterol, 173 mg sodium, 22 g
carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 3 g protein.