Ding Dong Cake
This Copycat Hostess Ding Dong Cake recipe is a rich, decadent chocolate cake, with a creamy filling and chocolate ganache spread over the top! So easy, you’ll love it!
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I wish I could apologize for today’s chocolate insanity, but I’m not sorry. Sometimes you just need a little comfort food to get you through the day, the week, the month, the year. Am I right?
Growing up my mom would buy us Little Debbie snacks and Hostess snacks for our lunch boxes. We never knew what she would come home with, but I always got a little giddy when a box of Ding Dongs were in the cabinet. Tell me you remember these treats? Honestly, they tasted just like HoHo’s but a different shape.
Two layers or chocolate cake with a cream filling, all coated in chocolate.
Look familiar? Today’s Ding Dong Cake is just that, only….bigger!
How to make a Ding Dong Cake:
Step 1: Start by baking up two 9-inch chocolate cakes. I used my favorite chocolate cake recipe for this, so fudgy and perfect. If you choose to go with a boxed mix, make sure it’s a rich and fudgy version, like a Devil’s Food cake.
Step 2: Next you’ll make the cream filling. It’s a less sweet buttercream frosting, sometimes called Ermine frosting. A friend at our old church called it boiled milk frosting. But I think that sounds gross, so let’s call it cream filling.
You’ll first put your cold milk and flour in a small saucepan and whisk until the lumps are gone. Heat this up until thick, stirring the whole time. You want to keep stirring and heating until it becomes thick, almost like pudding. Be patient.
Once your milk mixture is thick, remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. COOL. Very important here. You don’t want this warm and melting your butter in the next step.
Step 3: In a mixing bowl, cream your butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Slowly add in the COOLED milk mixture, beating until it resembles a thick whipped cream or frosting. Don’t be scared if it initially appears curdled, keep beating!
Step 4: Spread this thick layer of cream filling between your two cooled chocolate cake layers.
Step 5: Whip up some chocolate ganache (follow recipe instructions below) and pour it over the top and sides. Allow it set, and enjoy.
Can you freeze Ding Dong Cake?
Yes! Wrap slices of cake in plastic wrap and slide into freezer safe ziploc bag or airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in refrigerator and serve.
Love today’s Copycat Hostess Ding Dong recipe? Here are some more copycat recipes I think you will love:
- Decadent and delicious, these Copycat Hostess Cupcakes are better than the original! Fudgy with a cream filling, just like the original!
- If you love those cute snack cakes from the grocery store, then these are going to tempt your taste buds! Homemade Little Debbie Snack Cakes
- These Flourless Chocolate Cookies are a chewy cookie with a crunchy topping! You’ll love the rich chocolate flavor in a unique cookie! Move over Starbucks, we’ve got a copycat recipe on our hands!
- Making Homemade Cracker Jack popcorn is super easy and delicious! Sweet and crunchy, this addictive caramel corn is better than the original!
- The BEST Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake recipe starts with two layers of homemade red velvet cake with a layer of cheesecake in the middle. Topped with delicious cream cheese frosting and white chocolate curls!
- Delicious, easy, copycat Twinkie Cake recipe made with yellow cake and sweet whipped cream filling. The perfect, not overly sweet, cake recipe!
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MORE Cake Recipes:
- Lemon Coconut Cake
- Banana Cake
- Zucchini Cake
- Pumpkin Crunch Cake
- German Chocolate Cake
- Coconut Cake Recipe
- Eclair Cake
- More Desserts!
Ding Dong Cake recipe:
Ding Dong Cake recipe
This Copycat Hostess Ding Dong Cake recipe is a rich, decadent chocolate cake, with a creamy filling and chocolate ganache spread over the top!
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened dark chocolate cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup strong brewed coffee, cooled
- 1/2 cup milk
For the cream filling:
- 5 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
For the ganache:
- 1 bag (12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate morsels
- 1 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
For the cake:
- Spray two 9-inch cake pans with baking spray. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Set aside.
- In a measuring cup, combine cooled coffee with milk*. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar for 5 minutes with an electric mixer. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Slowly add in dry ingredients and alternate with the coffee/milk mixture (about 3 additions of each).
- Once all the ingredients are added, beat cake mixture for about 2-3 minutes until fluffy (scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed).
- Divide cake batter into the two cake pans. Bake in oven for 25 minutes. Remove and allow to cool about 10 minutes in pan. Invert on a wire rack and cool completely.
For the cream filling:
- In a small saucepan, combine the flour with milk, whisking until lumps removed. Turn on medium heat and continue to whisk until mixture becomes thick, like a pudding.
- Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Cool completely.
- In a mixing bowl, combine butter and sugar, beat until light and fluffy (about 4 minutes). Slowly add in the COOLED milk mixture, beating until combined. It may curdle slightly in the beginning, that's okay, keep beating until it becomes the texture of whipped cream!
For the ganache:
- In a glass bowl (safe for the microwave) combine semi sweet chocolate with heavy cream. Heat for 1 minute. Remove from microwave and stir until smooth (you may need to heat for another 15-30 seconds). Do not over heat. Set aside while you begin to assemble the cake.
To assemble:
- Place first layer of cooled cake on a cake plate. Top it with ALL of the cream filling. Add the second layer of cake on top.
- Slowly pour the ganache over the cake, using an offset spatula to help cover the top and sides. Allow to set, about 15 minutes. Slice and enjoy!
Notes
*The coffee in the cake does NOT give it a coffee flavor, it just boosts the chocolate flavor. If you desire, you can replace the 1/2 cup of coffee with an additional 1/2 cup of milk instead (making the total amount 1 cup of milk)
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1 sliceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 462 Total Fat: 28g Saturated Fat: 17g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 9g Cholesterol: 92mg Sodium: 198mg Carbohydrates: 50g Fiber: 1g Sugar: 37g Protein: 4g
Recipe originally published May 1, 2018
This Copycat Hostess Ding Dong Cake recipe is a rich, decadent chocolate cake, with a creamy filling and chocolate ganache spread over the top!
Aimee is a dessert lover (specifically rice krispie treats), workout enthusiast, self-taught foodie, and recipe creator. Her recipes have been featured in over 15 magazines, and her passion is to share her love of cooking with the everyday home cook! Learn more about Aimee.
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I think i just drooled on my phone!!! Thanks. This is 1st on my list for this weekend. Yummy.
Thank you!
This looks over the top good! I used to eat so many Ding Dongs as a kid…wow, this looks 1000x better!
Thanks Averie, hope you’re doing well 🙂
I wantbto use thie cake recipe for cupcakes. What would be tge bake time?
Generally cupcakes bake for 18 minutes @350°. Hope this helps
Hi Aimee
I was very intrigued by this cake, especially the filling. I made it this weekend and was absolutely amazed at how delicious this cake is!
The chocolate sponge is soft, airy and moist, the filling has the right amount of sweetness and the combination of the two is perfect. The ganache icing/topping works really well with the cake too.
My advice is don’t hesitate. Make this cake; you’ll be glad you did!
Thank you David, so glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Hi there. We do not drink coffee, so I’m not able to use that ingredient…do you have any suggestions for what I can substitute?
Just a couple of things… I continued to mix the cream filling as stated but it still looked a little curdled but tastes fine. I chilled the cream filling until slightly firm and used a pastry bag to apply to the cake. Also, on my first attempt I merely sprayed the cake pans like recommended but the cake stuck to the pans horribly. Second attempt I used a flour and cocoa mixture to “flour” the pans after spraying and the cakes came out fine. Using parchment paper would probably work too. It is also best not to put the chocolate chips in the microwave but instead merely heat the cream and pour over the chocolate. My chocolate chips did NOT like being microwaved even for the initial one minute. This cake has a VERY deep/dark chocolate taste. A lady at my office begged me to make this cake for her after seeing this recipe on facebook… so I hope it is well received!
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The name of this intrigued me, we don’t have anything called ding dongs here in Australia so I didn’t realise it was a lunchbox treat.
So I just had to try this cake……it was amazing, the cream filling!!!!! Well I could have eaten that with a spoon! {I may have done that a little 😉 }
A keeper!!!
This cake looks totally fabulous!!!
Hi.. How long in advance can I make this.. and does it need to be refrigerated while waiting to be eaten? Huge party this weekend and would love to add this..
Made cake as recipe described. The cake was really sweet and ganache was thin. My husband and I did not like cake.
Darn, tried to rate this but somehow I deleted a star! It should be a 5 star review!!! Easy to prepare and oh so good!
Made this cake…turned out nice …i am still left with the cream filling…how long can i freeze it and use it again…as dont have any plans to bake for sometime now..
Hi,
I made this as a birthday cake for a friend. This was a huge it and I would recommend this recipe and have already shared it with family.
So happy to hear it 🙂
When I make my gobs I use boiling water, could I do the same instead of the coffee? Cannot wait to try it!!
Made the cake, it was great. The cream filling never came together correct for me, so I subbed heavy cream & confectioners sugar. It was ok. The ganache turned out well too. So all in all, I’ll probably make it again & tweak it a little.
I just did this cake for my Bday replaced the strong coffee for a espresso shot. Test like coffee to me 🙂 also found if you refrigerate the frostings and fillings it’s so much easier to work with
I am confused because in the video of ding dong cake, oil was added? But in the written recipe there is no mention of oil. Please can you clarify?
No oil was added in the video, or the recipe 🙂
I made this tonight , the cake was dry, the filling turned out awesome but found that the ganache was too sweet for me. i will try making it again but with a few modifications.
I will be making a champagne cake for my daughter-in-laws Birthday- I was thinking of using the Ding Dong cake cream filling between layers and a buttercream frosting- what do you think?
Please help. I’m making the cake today and it’s turning out great except for the ganache. I chilled it for awhile and it’s still running off the cake. Your cake is beautiful with the ganache covering the sides. Mine is covering the cake plate. Right now I have the ganache and the cake chilling to try again. Any suggestions as to what I’m doing wrong. Thanks so much.
Possibly the measurements weren’t correct and you added too much liquid? Not sure what to tell you 🙁
How should i store this is i am making it the night before?
I have a question. Do I put the finished cake in refrigerator to store it or can I leave on counter?
I prefer to keep it at room temperature!
This cake is a keeper. Turned out really nice followed the easy directions exactly the way it says and it turned out great. This cake is very tasty I don’t eat much of my own cooking but this one I did. I’m making it again tonight on request of many. Thanks for this recipe for it is a keeper…
Oh my gosh, this looks amazing! Ding Dongs were one of my favorites when I was a kid, partly because they were wrapped in that silver foil. I definitely have to make this. And I used to make ermine frosting all the time, but I didn’t know it had a name – I called it “Whipped cream frosting”. The original recipe I used had you do the flour mixture in a small pan, then stick the pan in the freezer for a few minutes to cool it quickly….because I’m impatient. Works great. Oh….and use the “Miracle Cake Release” (found on Pinterest) for your pans – it’s awesome!
Like others spraying the pan did NOT work. You need to grease and flour the pans. Plus I believe the liquid needs to be upped a little. Except, the cream needs to be decreased to 1 Cup. It looks terrible but I hope it tastes ok.
For anyone about to make this cake, do not just spray the pans the way it says, I knew better but did it anyways and sure enough my cakes would not come loose. They were delicious! But I was unable to assemble because cake fell apart trying to release. I would recommend crisco and flouring or spraying bottoms and putting parchment paper. I already had the cream made so now I will remake the cakes tomorrow.
Wow… EXCELLENT!! I added espresso powder to the filling and that topped the flavor. Lots of steps but we’ll worth it! It goes a long way and everyone loves it!
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The ganache didn’t set up for me either. It was very runny. I had to add a ton of confectioner sugar to get it to be thick enough to actually spread on the cake.
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The cream filling never lost that curdled texture, tried twice, can’t figure out what went wrong. Is there any way to salvage this?
Cream does not work with butter must use crisco.
Five stars!! This was by far one of my favorite cake recipes!! For anyone that says their filling didn’t set, if you have never made boiled milk frosting you have to whip it for at least 10 minutes on high. A stand mixer with the whisk attachment works best. Also make sure you whisk the milk and flour constantly until it’s think.
I just pored the ganache over the top and let it drizzle down the sides. It was beautiful and delicious!!!!
This cake is amazing. I work for a retirement community and they couldn’t get enough of it. I did use a box devil’s food cake with oil, egg. and added chocolate syrup. The filling and ganache were spot on. Thank you for this fantastic dessert.
This was the best chocolate cake I have ever tasted! Very moist and flavorful! The cream filling is like the recipe my mom used to make for the filling for Whoopie Pies! I will definitely make this again! Thank you!!