This is a Sno Ball.
Of all the Hostess treats that I have tackled, this one is surely the strangest from my perspective. The Sno Ball in and of itself is not strange, but my choice to recreate it is because I have never actually had the real thing. However, I have always been intrigued by them. I never ate Sno Balls when I was able to eat them because I didn’t like coconut back then, but I remember seeing them, even as a child, and admiring the strangely pink coconut, wishing that I liked it. I guess I was just taken by anything pink, and I remember my mother raving about them. So, when I found myself at a loss for an idea for this week’s blog, a gluten, dairy, soy, nut and egg-free Sno Ball seemed to be just the ticket.
First, I did some research and watched this video, but for some reason it is refusing to post for me. Maybe you’ll have better luck:
Then, I figured out how to dye the coconut (this part is purely optional. Food coloring definitely isn’t for everyone, and the original Sno Ball came in white or pink), which turned out to be pretty easy. You’ll want to do this the day before you plan to bake the Sno Balls. First, you take about a 1/2 cup of water and mix it with a few drops of pink or red food coloring. Then, empty 2 10-ounce bags of sweetened, flaked coconut into a bowl and pour the water over it. Make sure that the coconut is completely saturated. Then, when all of the coconut has turned pink, dump it into a colander and press out the excess water. Place the drained coconut on paper towels in a single layer until it has dried out. I left mine over night to dry.
Here it is drying on the paper towels.
Then it’s time to get to work on the inside! To make the chocolate cake and marshmallow cream frosting, you’ll need the following recipe. Don’t line your cupcake tins. I know it means more clean-up, but your Sno Balls won’t taste very good with a layer of paper in there. Yummy in the tummy. I hope that you enjoy this scrumptious treat. It looks like we aren’t going to get any snow this year, so I’m glad that we figured out a way to make our own Sno Balls!
2 cups superfine rice flour
2/3 cups potato starch
1/3 cup sorghum flour
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 cups sugar
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup canola oil
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 cups hot water
1 recipe Vanilla “Buttercream”
2 10-ounce bags mini marshmallows
6 tablespoons soy and dairy-free margarine
dyed flaked coconut
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease 24 muffin tins with a little canola oil (or oil of your choice). Set aside until ready to use.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the superfine rice flour, potato starch, sorghum flour, xanthan, sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, instant espresso powder and salt.
- In another bowl, whisk together the oil, vanilla extract, vinegar and water. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, pour in the wet ingredients and mix until they are thoroughly blended. Pour the batter into the prepared cupcake tins and bake in the preheated oven for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove the cupcakes from the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes in the tins before removing to cooling racks to cool completely.
- While the cupcakes are cooling, load the “buttercream” into a pastry bag fitted with a #4 or #5 tip.
- When the cupcakes are cool, insert the pastry tip into the cupcake about half way in and then inject a little of the frosting.
- When all of the cupcakes are filled, make the marshmallow cream topping by melting the marshmallows and margarine together over low-medium heat, stirring frequently, until they are smooth and pourable. Immediately cover the filled cupcakes with the marshmallow cream. I like to put the cupcakes on a cooling rack set over parchment paper (for easier clean-up) and then pour the marshmallow over the top. Smooth the cream with a knife so that the cupcakes are completely covered. Immediately cover the cupcakes with the pink coconut. Serve immediately or store in airtight containers for up to 3 days.
Serve immediately or the leftovers may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-5 days.
