Strawberries and Cream Snowballs

I like to call these snowballs because I first made them on a cold, wintry day after making a snow fort with my little boys. We came in with icicles hanging from our eyelashes and warmed up by baking these beautiful little cakes.

Prep time: 10 minutes, plus at least 1 hour to chill

Cook time: 12 minutes

Yield: 12 snowballs (1 per serving)

INGREDIENTS:

CAKES:

• 2¾ cups blanched almond flour or 1 cup coconut flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1½ cups Swerve confectioners’-style sweetener or equivalent amount of liquid or powdered sweetener
• 3 large eggs (8 eggs if using coconut flour)
• 2 teaspoons strawberry extract
• 1½ cups sour cream

FROSTING:

• 1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1½ (8-ounce) packages cream cheese or mascarpone cheese, softened
• 1½ cups Swerve confectioners’-style sweetener or equivalent amount of liquid or powdered sweetener
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cashew milk or almond milk
• ½ teaspoon strawberry extract
• Natural red or pink food coloring (optional)
• Unsweetened shredded coconut, for garnish

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:

• 2 (6-cavity) silicone round-bottomed (sphere- or ballshaped) cupcake pans

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 6-cavity round-bottomed cupcake pans.
2. In a small bowl, sift together the almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sweetener with a hand mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in the extract. Reduce the speed to low, then add the flour mixture and sour cream alternately in batches, beginning and ending with the flour mixture and mixing until the batter is just smooth.
3. Spoon the batter evenly into the pans, filling the cavities about two-thirds full. Smooth the tops, then rap the pans on the counter once or twice to expel any air bubbles. Bake until the cakes are pale golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely in the pan. (Tip: Once you’ve removed the cakes from the pan, place them in the freezer until frozen for easier frosting.)
4. To make the frosting, combine the butter, cream cheese, sweetener, cashew milk, and extract in small bowl. Beat on medium speed until smooth; if the frosting is too thick, gradually add more milk until it reaches the desired spreading consistency. Add natural food coloring, if desired.
5. To assemble the snowballs, cut ¼ inch off the bottom (the rounded side) of half of the cakes and eat or set aside. This will help keep the balls from rolling over as you work. Set the cakes with the bottoms cut off on a baking sheet or serving platter with the broad, flat side facing up. Frost the flat top part of each cake. Top with an uncut cake to make a ball. Spread the frosting over the whole ball and sprinkle with shredded coconut. Cover loosely and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to allow the frosting to harden before serving.
6. Store extras in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.