Fauxtess Cupcakes
"OK girls and boys- here is my new favorite. I actually came up with this one originally using a brownie- while nummy- it wasn't the fluff that I was going for. I am making these for a friend’s wedding as her wedding cake- They turned out so cute (I made mini ones) that I thought I would share...."
photo by Megan Krape
- Ready In:
- 1hr 20mins
- Ingredients:
- 23
- Serves:
-
24
ingredients
-
For The Cupcakes
- 3⁄4 cup butter
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
- 3⁄4 cup cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
- 1 1⁄2 cups milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
-
For Marshmallow Cream Filling
- 3 egg whites
- 2 cups light corn syrup
- 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
-
For Ganache
- 8 ounces semisweet chocolate pieces
- 3⁄4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
-
For Royal Icing
- 4 cups confectioners' sugar
- 3 tablespoons powdered egg whites
- 6 tablespoons warm water
- 1⁄2 teaspoon almond extract or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
directions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Beat butter until softened. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating 30 seconds after each addition.
- Measure the flour, baking soda, salt, cocoa powder, and espresso powder into a medium sized bowl and whisk to combine.
- Measure the milk and vanilla into a measuring thing.
- Add about a third of the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar and beat to combine. Add about a half of the milk/vanilla and beat to combine. Continue adding, alternating between dry and wet and finishing with the dry.
- Scoop batter into mini cupcake pan lined with cups or sprayed with a nonstick butter spray. Cupcake cups should be only about 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-18 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
- Remove cupcakes and let cool on a wire rack- during this time- prepare the marshmallow cream and put into a pastry bag to pipe into the center of the cupcake (for filling).
- In a large mixing bowl combine egg whites, syrup and salt. Beat for 10 minutes until thick. Add confectioners' sugar at low speed. Then add vanilla extract and beat until blended.
- Pipe into the centers of the cupcakes (I take a chopstick and stick it in the center about halfway down and make small circles- widening as I go- about dime to nickel size- no bigger though).
- For the Ganache- Bring the heavy cream and butter to just boiling, immediately remove and pour over the coarsely chopped chocolate and whisk until smooth, add vanilla or liquor of choice at this time and let cool slightly- make a crumb coat on the top of the cupcake to ensure a smooth top, place in fridge for 5 min to set the coat, then dip the top of the cupcakes into the ganache- it will smooth out as it cools- flatten out any major peaks though- make it smooth with a spoon back or offset spatula. Put the cupcakes back into fridge for about 10 minutes. At this time- make the royal icing. (ps: keep ganache leftovers- place in fridge for a few hours, remove and roll into truffles- then roll in cocoa or powdered sugar -- yum).
- Take the powdered egg whites, powdered sugar and mix in mixer till combined. Add warm water 1 tbsp at a time till the consistency is a bit thicker than toothpaste- about 5 to 7 minutes- should NOT be at ALL runny- but use it quick- it hardens fast. Pipe the "hostess" squiggles on top and viola- Fauxtess cupcakes --.
- Enjoy-.
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Reviews
-
Another of Megan's triumphs! I had no choice but to halve the recipe because I knew that if I made 24 of these, I would eat all 24 of these cupcakes....as it stands, I'm on the verge of checking myself into fat camp from making too many of Megan's recipes (you must try her other recipes, folks!!!) Anyway, these are just toooo good but I must honestly say that these are a million times removed from a Hostess cupcake - comparing this to a Hostess cupcake is like saying ground chuck is in the same league as prime rib. There is simply no comparison. I followed the recipe as Megan intended, save one small thing: I don't have the tools needed to pipe icing for decoration (amateur baker) so I thinned the royal icing with a little extra water and drizzled it on top of the cupcake surfaces instead. My boyfriend and I went gaga over these. Best served with milk! Love the flavors at work here - you can really taste the hint of espresso in the cake and the almond in the icing..lovely.
Tweaks
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Another of Megan's triumphs! I had no choice but to halve the recipe because I knew that if I made 24 of these, I would eat all 24 of these cupcakes....as it stands, I'm on the verge of checking myself into fat camp from making too many of Megan's recipes (you must try her other recipes, folks!!!) Anyway, these are just toooo good but I must honestly say that these are a million times removed from a Hostess cupcake - comparing this to a Hostess cupcake is like saying ground chuck is in the same league as prime rib. There is simply no comparison. I followed the recipe as Megan intended, save one small thing: I don't have the tools needed to pipe icing for decoration (amateur baker) so I thinned the royal icing with a little extra water and drizzled it on top of the cupcake surfaces instead. My boyfriend and I went gaga over these. Best served with milk! Love the flavors at work here - you can really taste the hint of espresso in the cake and the almond in the icing..lovely.
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Air Force Medic, Military wife, I love to cook and bake and am (mostly- I did work as a recipe developer for a large food-science company once upon a time) a self-taught baker and chef! I love love LOVE to travel- my husband and I currently live in Germany with the US military. Great way to travel on the cheap and try foods from all across the world! :)
