Fauxstess Cupcakes

fauxstess cupcakes

I’ve had my eyes on these cupcakes for a long time now. The combination of chocolate cake, ganache and marshmallow frosting makes it sound really delicious. And they look so cute with the swirls on top.

fauxstess cupcakes

The only hesitation that I had was the use of marshmallow pluff. Most of recipes that I came across with call for marshmallow fluff which is not an easy ingredient to find here in Vancouver. So I decided to replace it with my marshmallow frosting. And they tasted heavenly! My suggestion is to eat them the day you make the marshmallow frosting, as it will become grainy after. And it doesn’t refrigerate well. Maybe that’s the difference from store-bough marshmallow pluff.

fauxstess cupcakes

Another funny note. I thought Fauxstess was some sort of a French name. Turned out it came from a bakery company called Hostess who created Hostess Cupcakes. For some reason, a copycat version was emerged – Fake Hostess Cupcake. And now we have Fauxstess Cupcake. And I already fell in love with the fake version. If you google the Hostess one, you will know what I’m talking about. I’m pretty sure this fake one put the original to shame.

Ingredients (12 regular sized cupcakes):
Chocolate Cake
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup boiling water
Marshmallow Frosting
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 tablespoon water
Chocolate Ganache
100 grams dark chocolate, cut into small chunks
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 tablespoon corn syrup

Directions:
To prepare cupcake, preheat oven to 350F. Grease muffin tin or line with muffin liners.
In a large bowl, mix together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Crack in the egg, spoon in the sour cream, and pour in the oil and the vanilla. Mix with a wooden spoon until just combined.
Pour in the boiling water, and slowly mix until smooth and liquidy.
Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups, about halfway full. Transfer muffin tin to oven and bake for 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer muffin tin to a wire rack and let cupcakes cool completely.
To prepare frosting, in a large heatproof bowl, combine sugar and egg whites. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat on high speed until foamy for one minute. Set bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Beat on high speed until frosting form stiff peaks, about 10 minutes.
Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and water, and beat for another two minutes until frosting thickens.
Using a small pairing knife, cut off the top of the cupcake in the shape of a cone. Flip the top over and cut off the cone. Fill the cavity with a teaspoon of frosting. Replace top.
Transfer remaining frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a small plain pastry tip. Set aside.
To prepare ganache, place the chocolate, heavy cream and corn syrup in a medium heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water. Stir the mixture using a wooden spoon until melted and smooth, about 5 minutes.
Grab each cupcake with its bottom, dip cupcake in the ganache to coat the top, let excess drip off. Let cupcakes stand at room temperature for 5 minutes to set the ganache.
Pipe remaining frosting in swirls across the centre of each cupcake.
Best serve on the day the marshmallow frosting is made.

8 comments

  1. This is hilarious to me, an American who is familiar with the Hostess brand. That being said, these look wayyyyyy better. That frosting looks to die for.

  2. I tried to make Fauxstess cupcakes before, but it was a total mess. I think I will try your recipe. Thanks for sharing.

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