Fauxstess Cupcakes

I've been following Annie's Eats for a long while and I always love her recipes. Often she convinces me to branch out and attempt new recipes when I read her reviews and see her beautiful pictures. When I think of Annie's Eats, I always think of cupcakes. She has so many wonderful and fun cupcake recipes! Recently I made her Butterfinger Cupcakes and they were delicious - I remember being so surprised at how closely the frosting tasted like a Butterfinger! But I digress...

While I don't know Annie in reality, I feel like I do. She has invited me into her kitchen and her life just by reading her blog. Every morning, I look forward to drinking my cup of coffee and reading my cooking blogs, especially hers. But on Thanksgiving, Annie posted that her father died unexpectedly and that she would be taking a break from blogging to mourn and cope with the loss. She offered a gentle reminder to be extra thankful for the ones you love because you never know how long you'll have them. I can't tell you how many times since then that I have squeezed my daughter or my husband tight, consciously being thankful that they are here with me.

I didn't realize how much I would miss Annie's posts until there weren't any new ones popping up in my blogger feed each morning. To fulfill my needed dose of Annie's Eats, I combed through her archives, and of course found tons of great looking cupcake recipes. Inspired by an earlier blog movement, Peanut Butter Pie for Mikey, I decided to whip up a batch of cupcakes in honor of Annie's dad. I was stumped about which recipe to choose since I don't actually know Annie or her family, so I finally decided just to pick one that looked good to me. Hopefully her dad would have liked it too!

Fauxstess Cupcakes

recipe from Annie's Eats

for the cupcakes

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs, separated and at room temp

1/3 cup canola oil

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons water

for the filling

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3/4 cup marshmallow fluff (store-bought or homemade)

1 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream

for the frosting

1/4 cup heavy cream

4 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat wells of a muffin tin.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside..

In another bowl, beat together egg yolks, canola oil, 1/2 cup sugar and water until well combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer, beat egg whites at high speed until soft peaks form. Slowly add remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and continue to beat until stiff and glossy. Add 1/4 of the egg white mixture into the batter and mix to combine. Add remaining egg white mixture and gently fold together until no streaks remain.

Evenly divide the mixture into 8 or 9 cupcake wells. Bake until the cupcakes spring back (i.e. do not leave an indention) when lightly touched in the center, about 13-16 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, make the filling. In a medium bowl, beat together the butter, powdered sugar, marshmallow fluff and heavy cream. Reserve 1/2 cup of the filling and transfer the rest to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch round tip.

Gently insert the tip of the pastry bag about 1/2-inch deep into the top of each cupcake and lightly squeeze in some filling.

For the frosting, heat cream over medium heat in a small saucepan until steaming (not boiling!), stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add chopped chocolate. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add butter and stir until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl and dip the top of each cupcake in the frosting to thoroughly coat. Spoon reserved filling into a pastry bag fitted with a very small plain tip and pipe curlicues across the center of each cupcake. Refrigerate the cupcakes for 10 minutes to set the frosting.

And then share them with the ones you love!

Big Bite!