my favorite thing to do when i'm at a bodega waiting for my friends to make a beer selection is waddle on over to the hostess/tastykake shelf and give a little squeeze to the sno-balls. a little pillsbury-esque giggle is usually the sound effect i make for this action. as a texture obsessor, the hostess sno-ball has got to be the most texturally pleasing object i've ever met. maybe this lends insight as to why boys like boobies so much? idk.

when sno-balls appeared on my chrismukkuh list mum was kind enough to buy me some, which is when i realized how terrible they actually taste. the cake is dry like sand and there is only a pea-sized amount of frosting on the inside. no wonder hostess is bankrupt. but the idea is spot on: sugar inside of sugar inside of sugar coated in sugar? HELL YEAH. so i made my own and they were outstandingly messy but delicious and just as fun to smash as the store-bought kind. so if you're feeling nostalgic and also gastronomic {and if you have butt loads of time and your cleaning service is coming tomorrow} make these!

step one: the cake

make a batch of chocolate cupcakes using magnolia's recipe.

let them cool,

and then trim around each cupcake, removing about a quarter inch from the circumference.

set aside.

step two: the marshmallow

make a batch of marshmallows using alton brown's recipe,

but instead of greasing and dusting a rectangular pan,

grease and dust a cupcake pan, and add a cup of shredded coconut to the dusting mixture {powdered sugar + cornstarch}.

once you're done whipping the marshmallow, work quickly and fill the cupcake pan half way, and then press a cake into each cup so that the marshmallow rises around the cake {do this one at a time so the marshmallow doesn't set before you get the cake in}.

step three: the frosting

make half a batch of vanilla butter cream frosting using magnolia's recipe,

put it in a piping bag,

and then fill those puppies up while they're still in the cupcake pan.

step four: flip over the pan and enjoy!!!

-yeh!!!!