Twinkie Cake Recipe

A delicious, easy, copycat Twinkie Cake recipe with layers of yellow cake and sweet whipped cream. You’ll love this not-too-sweet cake inspired by the classic snack!

Whether you love a classic yellow cake recipe for your dessert, or just a simple chocolate cupcake, you’ve come to the right place!

Why This Twinkie Cake is Best

Ahh, there’s nothing like ripping open a plastic wrapper and biting into a yellow, cream-filled Hostess Twinkie. Except now that I’m an adult I prefer making my own version with this Twinkie Cake recipe (it reminds me of our favorite Ding Dong Cake).

• It starts with a box of yellow cake mix. Doesn’t get much easier than that!
• The homemade vanilla cream filling is light and fluffy, just like the center of a Twinkie.
• While other Twinkie cakes can be cloyingly sugary, this one has just the right amount of sweetness.
• It’s topped with powdered sugar instead of frosting. Easy and and delicious!

Creating homemade versions of processed snack foods isn’t just a hobby. It’s become an obsession!

I’ve made Copycat Hostess Cupcakes, copycat Lofthouse Cookies and so many more. These Oatmeal Cream Pies inspired by the Little Debbie version are a personal favorite.

Ingredient Notes

• Yellow Cake – Grab a boxed mix and prepare it according to package directions. Or make this yellow cake recipe from scratch!
• Milk – Use skim, fat free, whole or whatever you have on hand. This becomes the base liquid for the cream filling.
• All purpose flour – Dissolved into the milk to thicken it to a pudding-like consistency.
• Vanilla – For flavoring the cream. My instant pot vanilla extract tastes amazing in this Twinkie cake.
• Butter and sugar- Beaten together to add richness, sweetness and texture to the cream filling.
• Powdered sugar – For dusting over the assembled Twinkie layer cake.

Tips and Tricks

• Bake the yellow cake in two 9-inch layer pans. Remember to line the bottom of your pans with a layer of parchment paper and baking spray. Or use my homemade cake release instead!
• I use Wilton Bake Even strips for the cake layers. These little strips ensure the layers stay even on both sides while baking, creating a perfect appearance and great taste.
• Let the milk and flour mixture cool completely before adding it to the butter and cream. Keep beating until it becomes the texture of fluffy whipped cream.
• Use a sifter or confectioner’s sugar duster to add the powdered sugar to the top of the cake for a smooth appearance and consistency.

Recipe FAQs

More Easy Dessert Recipes

• Pig Pickin Cake
• Peanut Butter Pie
• Eclair Cake
• Heaven on Earth Cake
• Italian Cream Cake

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Twinkie Cake

4.78 from 31 votes

By: Aimee

The perfect, not overly sweet, cake recipe, this delicious Twinkie Cake is made with yellow cake and sweet whipped cream filling.

Prep Time: 1 hour hour

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 16 servings

Ingredients 

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For the cake:

• ▢ 1 box yellow cake mix for 2 9-inch pans [(or this homemade yellow cake recipe)]

For the filling:

• ▢ 5 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 cup milk
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 cup unsalted butter softened
• ▢ 1 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar for garnish

Instructions 

• For the cake, prepare yellow cake according to package directions (for 2 9-inch layer cake pans). Cool completely.
• 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!
• 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.
• Sprinkle generously with powdered sugar. Slice and enjoy!

Notes

• Bake the yellow cake in two 9-inch layer pans. Remember to line the bottom of your pans with a layer of parchment paper and baking spray. Or use my homemade cake release instead!
• I use Wilton Bake Even strips for the cake layers. These little strips ensure the layers stay even on both sides while baking, creating a perfect appearance and great taste.
• Let the milk and flour mixture cool completely before adding it to the butter and cream. Keep beating until it becomes the texture of fluffy whipped cream.
• Use a sifter or confectioner’s sugar duster to add the powdered sugar to the top of the cake for a smooth appearance and consistency.

Nutrition

Calories: 293kcal, Carbohydrates: 43g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 32mg, Sodium: 247mg, Sugar: 28g

Course: Cake

Cuisine: American

Did you make this recipe?Mention @shugarysweets or tag #shugarysweets!