'Fauxstess' Snowballs for HTEAC's 1st Birthday!

"It's like a double whammy!" - Josh

Today is How To Eat A Cupcake's very 1st birthday! This also happens to be my 100th post! I created this blog exactly one year ago today. I wish I could've known back then what it would eventually turn into. It's more than I expected, and it couldn't be possible without you guys. Thanks to everyone who reads my blabbering, comments on the posts, votes in the polls, signed up for the e-mails, etc. I appreciate every single one of you.

Thanks Thanks Thanks!!!

To celebrate, Josh and I recreated my favorite snack cake, the Hostess Snowball. We call them 'Fauxstess' Snowballs. They're a freak of nature, they're so stinkin' good!! I'm afraid they won't last very long, because the Italian Meringue didn't seem very stable. But right now they're perfect! OH YEAH I ALMOST FORGOT! JOSH MADE THE CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES! I watched over him, but for the most part he did it himself. I'm so proud.

ingredients for moist, dense chocolate cuppies!Josh filling the cups
(PS: He doesn't always wear his shirts that tight.
I was throwing away old clothes, and he insisted on wearing that shirt instead of an apron.)He also insisted on trying to ruin the picture so I wouldn't put his picture on my blog... That's me eating batter in my PJ pants and the same shirt I wore during the day. The cupcakes rose above the pan in the oven, but sank while cooling. They looked like hockey pucks, but they taste great! Here's Josh frosting the filled cupcakes.And tasting his finished product!Mmmm better than the original!And of course we lit some candles to make it feel official!

Recipe by David Leite from Leite's Culinaria.

MY NOTES: The recipe called for a domed cupcake pan, but I used a regular pan and got 12 flat cupcakes. I used Pam for Baking instead of buttering and flouring the pans. Mine were done at about 15 minutes. The frosting recipe made WWAAYY too much frosting. You can probably reduce it by half and still have enough. I used a #5 round Wilton tip to fill the cupcakes.

Ingredients 

CAKE 

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for coating molds

3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting molds

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1/4 cup sour cream

1/2 teaspoon chocolate extract, optional (I used vanilla)

1 teaspoon powdered instant coffee dissolved in 2/3 cup boiling water 

MERINGUE FILLING AND FROSTING

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup water

4 large egg whites, room temperature

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

6 drops red food coloring 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

Domed cupcake pan with six 1/2-cup molds, 3 1/2 inches in diameter by 1 1/2 inches deep. 

METHOD

1. Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter and flour the molds. Set aside. Using a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugars until fluffy, about 5 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl and set aside. Add the egg and then the yolk to the butter and sugar mixture, scraping the bowl after each addition. Add the sour cream and extract, and mix until combined. Alternate adding the dry ingredients with the instant coffee mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. Fill the molds almost to the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Set the pan on a wire rack and let cool 5 minutes. Run the tip of a knife around the rim of each cake and lift out. Place domes on a rack to cool completely.

3. In a small, heavy saucepan combine the sugar and water. Place over medium heat and boil, covered, for 3 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook until the syrup reaches the soft-ball stage (235° to 240°/112°C to 115°C) for another 3 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, using a stand mixer, beat the egg whites on high speed. When frothy, add the salt. Beat until the whites are glossy and hold soft peaks. When the syrup is ready, pour it in a very thin stream down the side of the bowl into the egg whites. Continue to beat on high until the mixture cools, about 8 to 10 minutes. When cool, beat in the vanilla; reserve about 3/4 cup. Add three drops of the red food coloring to the remaining meringue.

5. Place the coconut in a food processor fitted with a metal blade, add three drops of food coloring and pulse 15 times. Pour into a large bowl.

6. With a serrated knife, carefully slice off the top third of each snowball. Pinch about a tablespoon and a half of cake from the bottom section and discard. Fill the hole with a dollop of the white meringue and replace the top. Thickly frost the top of the snowballs with the pink meringue. Then generously sprinkle each one with coconut until completely covered. Tamp down gently to maintain the domed shape. Serve on individual plates.

Overall rating on a scale of 1-5

Moistness: 5

Tenderness: 3 (dense)

Frosting: 3 (unstable)