170 calories in a Hostess chocolate cupcake is a reasonable amount for a snack in a standard daily diet of 2000 calories, but what exactly is in these calories? Let’s break it down.
Hostess Cupcake Nutrition Facts
Total fat 6g
- Saturated Fat 2.5g
- Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 5mg
Sodium 240mg
Total Carbohydrates 29g
- Dietary Fiber 1g
- Total Sugars 19g
- Includes 19g Added Sugars
Protein 1g
Vitamin D 0mcg
Calcium 110mcg
Iron 1.3mg
Potassium 0mg
Hostess Cupcake Ingredients
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires that ingredients be listed in the order of predominance, meaning ingredients used the most down to ingredients used the least.
The maker doesn’t have to give away the exact proportions of their secret recipe but consumers may want to know what is in any particular food product in case of food allergies, as part of a weight loss effort or for general nutrition advice.
Here are the ingredients of Hostess chocolate cupcakes:
Sugar – common sugar is a disaccharide composed of glucose and fructose.
Water
Enriched Flour (bleached wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, ferrous sulfate or reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid) – the bran and germ is removed from regular flour, so iron and B vitamins are added back.
High fructose corn syrup – made from corn starch, some proportion of glucose has been enzymatically converted to fructose.
Palm oil – a vegetable oil derived from the palm tree. Palm oil contains about the same amount of saturated fat as butter.
Corn syrup – also from corn starch, corn syrup is 100% glucose.
Cocoa – chocolate!
Soybean oil – a vegetable oil derived from the soybean plant.
Tallow – a form of rendered animal fat.
(2% or less):
- glycerin – used to retain moisture
- cocoa processed with alkalai
- modified cornstarch – used for texture
- baking soda – to help the batter rise when baked
- salt – also known as sodium chloride
- corn starch – a carbohydrate extracted from the endosperm of corn
- dextrose – a simple sugar made from corn and chemically identical to glucose
- whey – a protein found in milk
- hydrogenated tallow
- inulin – a type of fiber found in certain plant foods, most commonly chicory
- egg
- calcium carbonate – contains calcium and acts as a preservative
- sorbic acid and potassium sorbate (to retain freshness)
- calcium sulfate – another source of calcium
- enzymes
- egg whites
- mono and diglycerides
- sodium acid pyrophosphate – used to adjust the pH, maintain color and improve water-holding capacity
- cottonseed oil
- natural and artificial flavors
- sodium stearoyl lactylate – adds softness and extends the shelf life of dough
- agar – a natural vegetable gelatin
- xanthan gum – a food stabilizer and thickener
- soy lecithin – a natural emulsifier used as an antioxidant and flavor protector
- polysorbate 60 – an emulsifier
- cellulose gum – insoluble plant fiber used to improve texture and mouthfeel
- locust bean gum – natural plant-based fiber used as a thickener
- monocalcium phosphate – helps the batter rise without yeast
- titanium dioxide – for color
- disodium phosphate – used to thicken, stabilize and maintain moisture
- sunflower oil – vegetable oil derived from sunflower seeds
- chocolate liquor – a semi-liquid form of pure chocolate
- defatted soy flour – prevents food from getting stale
Allergy warning: these cupcakes contain wheat, egg, milk and soy.
Choosing Your Hostess Cupcake
Hostess has a big selection of cupcakes, so much so that they have an animated cupcake selector so you can easily choose from all the cupcake possibilities.