How to make homemade Twinkie cake and Ding Dong cupcakes
It's throwback Thursday, so to celebrate, "GMA Day" enlisted some expertise to elevate a nostalgic dessert!
"Delish" editorial director Joanna Saltz reimagined two iconic Hostess pastries as Ding Dong cupcakes and a giant Twinkie bundt cake for the new cookbook, "Eat Like Every Day's the Weekend."
Check out the full recipes below and take a step back in time when you taste these sweet confections.
Ding Dong cupcakes
Cook time 1 hrServes 18
Ingredients:
For the cupcakes
1 (15-ounce) box devil's food cake mix, plus ingredients called for on box
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2 cups marshmallow creme
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch kosher salt
For the ganache and icing
2 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two muffin tins with cupcake liners.
Prepare cake mix according to box instructions, then fill cupcake liners 3/4 full with batter. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cupcake comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let cupcakes cool in pans 5 to 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat butter and marshmallow creme until smooth. Add powdered sugar, vanilla and salt, and beat until light and fluffy. Transfer to a pastry bag or large resealable plastic bag with the corner snipped off.
Using a teaspoon or melon baller, scoop out a small well from the top of each cooled cupcake. Pipe marshmallow filling into each, then smooth top with a butter knife or offset spatula.Make ganache: Put chocolate chips in a large heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat heavy cream until steaming and bubbles form around the edge. Pour over chocolate and let sit 5 minutes, then whisk until completely melted and combined.
Dip tops of cupcakes in ganache and transfer to a serving plate to let set, 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, make icing. In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and milk until smooth. Transfer to a pastry bag or small resealable plastic bag with the corner snipped off.
Giant Twinkie Cake
Cook time 1 hr 20 min
Serves 8 - 10
Ingredients:
For the cake
Cooking spray
All-purpose flour, for pan
1 (15-ounce) box vanilla cakemix
1 (3.4-ounce) package vanilla instant pudding mix
4 large eggs
1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter
For the filling
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 (7.5-ounce) jar of marshmallow creme
3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 to 4 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a Bundt pan with cooking spray(be generous!) and dust with flour, tapping out any excess.
In a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, melted butter, and one cup water until smooth and combined.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
Let cake cool in pan 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely. Carefully place back in Bundt pan.
To make the filling: In a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat butter until light and fluffy, then add marshmallow creme, powdered sugar, and vanilla and beat until smooth. Gradually add heavy cream if mixture is too stiff and transfer to a large piping bag or a resealable plastic bag with the end snipped.
Using a teaspoon, scoop out 8 to 10 large holes around bottom of cake, making sure not to cut through the top.
Pipe filling into holes, then carefully invert cake onto a serving platter and dust with powdered sugar.
Recipes reprinted with permission from Delish, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Ethan Calabrese.
