Best Snowball Cupcakes Recipes

SNOWBALL CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups. In large bowl, beat cake mix, water, oil, sour cream and eggs with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.
• Spoon batter into muffin cups. Place 1 cube cream cheese in center of each cupcake; press down into batter almost to center (top of cream cheese will still show).
• Bake 21 to 27 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center of cupcake comes out clean (test between cream cheese and edge). Remove cupcakes from pan to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• In 2-quart stainless steel or other non-coated saucepan, mix sugar, water and egg whites. Cook over low heat, beating continuously with electric hand mixer at high speed until soft peaks form, about 4 minutes. Add marshmallow creme; beat until stiff peaks form. Remove saucepan from heat. Beat in vanilla.
• Spread frosting evenly over cupcakes; sprinkle each with generous tablespoonful coconut. Store loosely covered in refrigerator.

SNOWBALL CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 14 cups of 2 standard (12-cup) muffin tins with foil liners. Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring. Let cool completely. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl; set aside.
• Put butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Mix in buttermilk and vanilla. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the eggs and yolk. Add melted chocolate; mix until smooth.
• Spoon batter into liners, filling about one-third full. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 12 minutes. Let cool in tins on wire racks.
• Assemble the cupcakes: Spread a thin layer of frosting on each cupcake. Using a 2 1/2-inch ice cream scoop dipped in hot water, place a smooth mound of frosting on top of each cupcake. Sprinkle with sanding sugar. Let stand until frosting is set, about 3 hours.

BAKED: COCONUT SNOWBALL CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Coconut Cream: Set a fine-mesh sieve over bowl. In a medium saucepan over low heat, bring the half-and-half to a simmer. Add the unsweetened coconut, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes to let the coconut steep. Strain and discard the coconut. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks with sugar, flour, and salt until mixture is pale, 1 minute. Whisk half of the warm half-and-half into egg yolk mixture, then pour that mixture into the remaining half-and-half in the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened, 6 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and whisk in the vanilla. Strain pastry cream through the sieve and press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the cream to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate coconut cream for about 1 hour. Coconut Frosting: In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk sugar and flour together. Add milk and cream and cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until mixture comes to a boil and has thickened, 20 minutes. Transfer mixture to mixer with paddle. Beat on high speed until cool. Reduce speed to low and add butter; mix until incorporated. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy. Add vanilla extract and 1/2 cup of coconut cream and mix until combined. If the frosting is too soft, put it in the refrigerator to chill, then mix again until it is proper consistency. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a medium tip with remaining coconut cream. Puncture center of a cupcake with tip and squeeze approximately 1 teaspoon of coconut pastry cream into the cupcake. Frost the top of each cupcake with the coconut frosting and sprinkle with shredded coconut.