So, it turns out I’ve never had a Twinkie. How is this possible? Well, I am Canadian after all but that’s still no excuse. With the latest buzz about the Hostess trouble and potential Twinkie production coming to a halt in the U.S., I suppose we Canadians should be excited about the fact that they will continue to be manufactured and distributed here, from what I’ve read. (Isn’t it ironic?) So even though they are available in Canada, I still think of them as an all-American snack.
But really, to have one might just be to say I’ve had one. The truth is I think I’d take homemade Twinkie-ness over the store-bought variety, any day. What I do have fond memories of, however, are Canada’s answer to the Twinkie: Vachon’s 1/2 Moon Cakes (and incidentally, this is the same company who manufactures Twinkies here in Canada). My mom used to buy 1/2 Moons for me, along with a few other Canadian gems, such as Jos Louis cakes (red velvet cakes sandwiching vanilla cream filling and dipped in milk chocolate) and Passion Flakies (flaky pastry filled with cream and fruit filling). There was something about the vanilla-vanilla 1/2 Moons, though, that had my heart. And Twinkie or 1/2 Moons–no matter what you call these treats, the appeal is the same: moist golden vanilla cake sandwiching sweet white vanilla filling. Essentially what childhood dreams are made of. But still, the thought of all of those chemicals and preservatives make me shudder . . .
So when I excitedly opened Shauna Sever’s latest book, Pure Vanilla: Irresistible Recipes and Essential Techniques, and saw her recipe for Twinkie Bundt Cake, I knew that everything was going to be alright with the world again. And if that wasn’t enough, her book boasts countless vanilla recipes supreme, along with a ton of history about and techniques for working with this beloved bean. When it was time to choose a recipe from her book to share with you, I was completely perplexed because I was intrigued by each and every one of them.
In the first week I had the book I made her Big, Soft Frosted Vanilla Cookies, Honey-Vanilla Granola Clusters, Heirloom Vanilla Sugar Cookies and Lemon-Vanilla Dream Bars. I literally couldn’t stop. They were all incredible and the recipes were, in true Shauna style, all winners. (And let us not forget the delightful Vanilla Bean Marshmallows I made from her first book when I blogged about my Homemade Puffy Cloud S’mores.) Then when I made this Twinkie Bundt Cake, I truly couldn’t wait to share it with you.
So what exactly is a Twinkie Bundt Cake? It’s a from-scratch, moist, golden, super-vanilla, cream-filled cake–essentially one big homemade Twinkie. While the flavours are classic, the hit of marshmallow creme in the filling bumps the sweetness of this cake just enough to make it a complete throwback to childhood. What I found most surprising about this cake was that it was so easy to make and fill, it stayed gloriously moist for days, and had so much true vanilla flavour. Shauna pulled the Twinkie-factor off in a big, huge, vanilla parade kind of way.
So here is the recipe just as it is in the book, Pure Vanilla: Irresistible Recipes and Essential Techniques, with my addition of ingredient weights whenever possible:
- 3 cups 345 g cake flour
- 1 tablespoon 15 g baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon 6 g salt
- 6 tablespoons 90 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon 15 ml pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups 400 g granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup 118 ml vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs plus 4 large egg yolks at room temperature
- 1 cup 237 ml buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1 7.5 ounce jar marshmallow creme
- 1/2 cup 1 stick(114 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon 5 ml pure vanilla extract
- Confectioners' sugar for dusting (optional)
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Position rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat overn to 325°F. Coat a 12-cup Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray and dust it lightly with flour.
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Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and vanilla extract on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add sugar and beat until evenly mixed, about 1 minute. Slowly pour in oil. Beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs and egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition.
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Reduce mixer speed to low. Stir in flour mixture and buttermilk in three alternating additions, ending with the buttermilk, and continue to mix on low speed until the batter is smooth and no lumps remain. Turn off mixer and fold batter several times by hand to ensure everything is well incorporated, and then pour into prepared pan.
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Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, until the cake is golden, the top springs back when lightly pressed, and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Place pan on a wire rack and let cool completely, about 2 hours.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together marshmallow creme and butter until smooth. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip.
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With the cake still in the pan, use a paring knife or apple corer to cut 6 or 7 deep holes into the bottom of the cake, each about 3/4 inch in diameter; be careful not to cut through top of cake. Discard (i.e., nibble) cake scraps. With your fingers, gently burrow a horizontal tunnel around the center of the cake, connecting the vertical holes.
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Insert the tip of the pastry bag into each hold and squeeze in filling, tilting pastry bag back and forth as you work to encourage filling into the horizontal tunnel through the cake. When cake is filled, use a spatula to scrape away excess filling from the bottom of the cake. Quickly and carefully invert cake onto serving platter. Dust with confectioners' sugar, if desired, and serve.
Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends!
Good luck & enjoy!
Oh my gosh – can’t wait to try this. My partner has never had a twinkie either and even with the demise of Twinkies in the U.S. will not try one. But, she’ll totally gobble this up!
Oh wow this looks delicious, I’ve never had a twinkie as I live in the UK, but I’ve heard a lot about them and really want to try one! I’m going to have to make this cake so I can get a taste for them even though they’re not going to be around much longer :( Was hoping to try one when I eventually visit the states, but that’s not going to happen either!
I’ve never had a Twinkie myself (not a big fan of industrial cakes), but this looks really tempting :) And I need to get that Pure Vanilla book immediately, it seems just perfect for me!
xx Ivana
Macarons and Pearls
Looks lovely but we don’t have “cake flour” for sale in New Zealand so what do I use instead – just high grade flour? Also what is marshmallow creme? Sometimes I can’t make your cakes :(
I am also from NZ and avoid recipes that have cake flour just because i didnt know what it was. This recipe looked too good so I thought I would see what cake flour is, it is basically a flour that makes the cake crumb lighter. To make your own, use all purpose flour, then for every cup of flour the recipe calls for take out 2 TBSP of flour and replace with 2 TBSP of cornstarch. Sift through 4-6 times so it is well mixed :)
And just looked about the marshmallow creme, its basically liquid marshmallow stuff. Apparently it is almost impossible to find over here, not sure where you would get it (Maybe from United Sweets? There is a store in Hamilton and Syliva Park in Auckland, but they also have a website) But you can make your own too:
Ingredients
3 egg whites
2 cups light corn syrup
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
How to make it
In a large bowl, combine egg whites, corn syrup and salt.
Mix with mixer on high speed for 10 minutes (or until thick).
Add in icing sugar.
Beat on low speed until well blended.
Add vanilla and mix until blended.
It’s now ready to use or store.
*To make strawberry fluff, substsitute strawberry falvoring for the vanilla and add one or two drops of red food coloring.
This recipe may be frozen for later use.
Remove from freezer and stir until fluff is mixed.
It can be kept in the refrigerated for up to 1 week,.
Stir well with a spoon before serving
**You can use this in any recipe that calls for marshmallow creme/fluff.
Equivalents:
1 tablespoon Marshmallow Cream = 1 large marshmallow
3 oz Marshmallow Cream = 85g = 1 cup Marshmallow Cream
7 1/2 oz Marshmallow Cream = 200 g = 2 1/2 cups = 32 large marshmallows
16 oz Marshmallow Cream = 450g = 5 cups = 5 1/2 dozen large marshmallows
.
Hi, I live in New Zealand as well and i buy my cake flour from Korean shops. I am in Auckland but I guess there are plenty of Asian supermarkets everywhere.
Also you can make marshmallow creme like this:
Place 125 g marshmallows with 2 tbsp water in a microwave safe bowl and melt them on high in the microwave for ~40 sec ( check after 20 sec).
The marshmamlows will turn to a fluffy , spreadable mass :-)
Oh Rosie! In love!!
I couldn’t agree more, when I heard the news about Twinkies going under I thought “as long as we still have Lune Moons” even though I haven’t had one in probably 35 years. I just loved them as a kid. Vanilla is my favourite flavour!
Carol in Toronto
Aww this is so fun!! Love this idea!
This looks so delicious and light! And I bet, tastes way better than a real twinkie!
I have never been a Twinkie fan. Or even a hostess fan for that matter. This cake however looks so soft and delicious! I’m going to have to keep this in mind to make later :)
Ho Rosie, I live in the US and can never bring myself to eat a twinkie. I am not a fan of industrial food, but I will make this cake definitely this weekend. Thanks for posting!!
You’ve brought back so many childhood memories for me! I always walk by them in the grocery aisle and think of all the chemicals and preservatives in them that I always walk away. Thanks for sharing…now I can still have some childhood treats!
I love vanilla and so this cake is a complete winner in my book. It looks like it is just so fluffy and light and delicious!
Is it wrong to want a piece of that cake at 9pm? I just recently made a batch of your sugar cookies and they are absolutely, as you say, perfect!
YUM! Now I don’t have to mourn the loss of twinkies forever! I think I’ll make this this week!
I currently have Pure Vanilla on loan from the library, and it’s been on my Amazon wish list for a while……definitely plan to add it to the cookbook collection; it is such a luscious book. This cake looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it!
now I want a passion flakey :) and maybe a 1/2 moon too. Loved getting those in my lunchbox!
I’d never heard of Jos Louis but holy cow it sounds awesome.
This is what childhood dreams are made of! Making this now.
Being a proud quebecer ; ), I can only agree with you regarding your favorite childhood treats: Vachon’s cakes were originally created in Quebec’s province, where this company owned many factories for a long time.
I once visited one with my family: seing barrels of whipped cream and frosting is one of the most impressive (and mouth-watering) things I have ever seen!
Isabelle B.
Oh wow, Isabelle–what a sight that must have been. And smell too, I imagine!
Oh, Rosie! I’m so in love with your creations and your cakes amazes me. But, I live in Argentina and we don’t have marshmallows creme.. So, any advice or something I can replace it with? Or how can I make it?
Really…you’ve never had a twinkie! They are one of my all time favorite childhood treats! I grew up in Toronto…are they not available everywhere in Canada?
This cakes looks perfect! Can’t wait to make it!
Another wonderful recipe. Thanks Rosie.
I haven’t tried Twinkies as I live in Sri Lanka. Also, we don’t get cake flour and marshmallow creme either.
Thanks to Rachel Blackett for those explanations on what they are.
Now I can’t wait to make this cake
As a Canadian (from Quebec) we wallowed in our “Mae West” which were French-Canada’s cake of choice…similar to a Twinkie, i guess…like a pattie, valilla cake with a lucious cream center but the entire thing dunked in a thin, dark chocolate coating…oh my! That being said, your cake looks and I’m sure tastes fabulous…but imagine….the entire bundt …drizzled in a chocolate ganache! Ooo! lal! la!
I never really liked twinkies but it’s nice to be able to say we have them still;p
I had never had a twinkie either until just a year or two ago. I realized that I had never tried them so my friend and I bought a few. We only had two bites and decided that we didn’t like them.. it just makes me think of gas station counter cake :(
But this bunt is an entirely different story! Need that in my mouth!
I totally agree, Stephanie! :)
God bless you for filling the void! : – )
Hi! I don’t think I exactly understand the directions “With the cake still in the pan, use a paring knife or apple corer to cut 6 or 7 deep holes into the bottom of the cake, each about 3/4 inch in diameter; be careful not to cut through top of cake”. That seems thoroughly impossible! How can I cut into the bottom of the cake if it’s still in its pan? (I’m a visual learner, so that’s probably where I’m getting hung up.) Thanks!
No worries, Ashley! Because it’s a Bundt pan, the top (exposed side) is actually the bottom. So when it says to carve the holes into the bottom of the cake, it means the side that’s exposed (which, again, is going to be the bottom of your cake when you serve it). I hope that helps!
Well that simplifies everything quite a bit! (It would’ve really helped if I could remember the last time I baked a Bundt cake.) Thanks for replying :)
Vanilla-vanilla half moons ROCK!!! If my mom ever dared purchase the chocolate ones, the box would take refuge in the panytry FOREVER! Thanks for this recipe. The book looks divine and this recipe…irrisistible!!
Now this is a Twinkie that I would love to take a bite out of.
Oh. My. Gosh. I’m drooling!!!
—Now,
that is a TWINKIE. OMggggosh.
And the cupcake looks Deeelish. I wish I could put on my frosting like that.
Rosie, I am literally smiling ear to ear. I had my share of twinkies growing up and to think of one giant twinkie in cake form? Genius. I’ll start with two pieces, kindly. Lovely as always!!
Rosie! My oh my! This looks amazing! I’m dying to try it, but dont know where to get the marshmallow stuff in a jar from. I live in Toronto, which store do you get yours from?? Thanks so much!
I’ve seen marshmallow fluff in Loblaw stores. Check the area where they sell chocolate syrup, caramel sauce and other ice cream toppings.
Thank you for your help! I cant wait to make this!
Passion Flakies and 1/2 Moons were a constant presence in my house, growing up! I haven’t thought of those in forever! I just received this cookbook and I can completely relate to wanting to bake everything from it and being unable to stop!
I’d also prefer homemade Twinkies over the store-bought. I’m just not comfortable eating it knowing that it’s stuffed with preservatives.
I just received the book and I immediately made the Twinkie cake. Actually, that was the reason I originally bought the book. It is delicious and a brilliant idea! Can’t wait to try more from the book!
I’m not a fan of Twinkies (too many questionable ingredients), but this bundt cake looks awesome! Plus, the vanilla cookbook is on my list and moving up quickly!
Haha, this is awesome! I used to love twinkies. Haven’t had one in ages though.
I’m from the UK and i’ve never tried a twinkie. Always intrigued me though as I often hear Americans talking about them and sometimes they appear as props in US films. I’m gluten free so am going to try this recipe with a substitute flour and see if it works. It looks lovely so am hoping it will turn out well! :)
In my memory, I have never had a twinkie either!
I would love to try these as cupcakes! Such as with no wrappers, then i would flip them upside to cover the cream hole! Like mini bundts!
An entire cookbook devoted to vanilla? I may have to purchase it despite my no-more-cookbooks-ever self imposed restriction. I love vanilla baked goods. Don’t get me wrong, I love my chocolate – but only in dark chocolate form (alone or around nuts or marzipan).
You have some seriously amazing ideas, girl! Bundt cakes are always tons of fun and I’ve never had one stuffed with anything. Creamy gooey stuffed bundt sounds delightful!
I am a huge fan of your site and have made many of the cakes and goodies. I made this cake today but I used regular 8in cake pans . The cake came out a little dry. But still very good. Do you have any suggestions I can use to make it better next time? I would appreciate any suggestions you have. Thank you again .
Rosie, I’m with you on never having a twinkie. Do we even have them in Canada? Anyhow, your cake looks about 100 times better, and I wouldn’t mind a slice. Lovely photos as always!
This is a great cake and the pictures are drool worthy!
Just made these, but in cupcake form! DELICIOUS! Twinkie’s don’t hold a candle to these babies!
Hi! Thank you for such a great recipe! I just have one question. I weigh all of my ingredients and as I was making this cake I quickly realized that something is wrong with the butter amounts for the vanilla cake. 6 tablespoons of butter does not weigh 170 grams, it weighs roughly 85 grams. I am bit confused. Is it supposed to be 6 tablespoons or 170 grams?
Hi Lynsee! Thanks so much for the comment. It was an error–so sorry about that. It is exactly that, about 85-90 grams worth of butter. I appreciate you pointing that out. I’ve fixed it up and I hope you enjoy this incredible cake! xo
Hi Rosie! A huge fan of twinkie, and my jaw literally dropped wide open when I saw this cake. It’s so light and crumble.. and love the creme filling. Delish! Have a wonderful HAPPY HOLIDAYS!! cheers, Jo
It does look really really yammie, being a sucker for all cakes I would definitely eat that but I am a little scared to make it!
Once again or I should say twice again’ your reeipcs have been a hit with our family.The Quick Apple Kuchen went fast at an evening meeting for church, and the Caramel Apple Bundt Cake is getting rave reviews as it is delivered to neighbors. Thank you.I thought I had coconut, but didn’t so made it without and they were both great.Saved the Buttermilk Whip recipe, but I am a whipped cream lover, so haven’t ventured there yet. For busy times, I make stabilized whipped cream, since it doesn’t separate, and can be done earlier in the day.I think you would enjoy a stop at the Miracle Mansion in Wadena, if you haven’t been there yet. Thanks again for the wonderful reeipcs!!
Too late and too wet to go shopping tonight, but I know what I’ll be doing tomorrow. Rosie’s cake and Rachel’s fluff. Then accept the love and admiration from my family! Gotta get that shopping list ready…..
Thanks for the recipe. I made this cake for a dinner party and everyone loved it. I love your site. Thanks for the inspiration :)
Sorry for having negative comments but this cake was not anything like a Twinkie, which is soft and spongy. It was rather dry and tasted nothing like a Twinkie. I will not be making it again. Very disappointing.
It sounds like something didn’t go the way it should, Pamela. This cake should taste very much like a Twinkie, and is extremely moist — even after several days. I make it often for that very reason!
Tasted great! Very easy to make, thanks for sharing…
Om Nom Nom! YUM! I love me some TWINKIES!
hi rosie! i am in great need of some advice on this cake (the twinkie bundt). i have made it 3 times now and every time it has deflated into a sad lump of tastiness. the flavor keeps me trying it again and again to try and be more exact or to see what i can do to maybe fix it. it overflowed the first and third times and the second time it didn’t, but still collapsed. i made sure before everything that it was indeed a 12 cup bundt pan i was using, but it is a little more decorative than yours pictured. i usually use plain yogurt instead of buttermilk, but i tried it also with buttermilk to no avail. is there a high altitude tip or anything to try differently? could i be over mixing it even though it says to be sure everything is well mixed? please help : )
I might be able to help with the high altitude question, Sara. I’m in Colorado, so have to adjust all my recipes. If it’s deflating it’s almost definitely an altitude issue. I have three foolproof tweaks: extra flour, less leavening, and lower temperature. So for this cake, try an extra quarter cup flour, a half a teaspoon less baking powder, and bake at 300 instead of 325. Hope that helps!
I’m DROOOOOLING for this!!! Will definitely try this weekend! ^_^
Like lots of people here, I don’t think I’ve ever actually eaten a Twinkie, but I made this cake yesterday for my Dad’s birthday – he’s always been a Twinkie fan – and we all loved it! The cake was rich and moist – like a lighter pound cake – and the filling was just wonderful. Shauna’s “Pure Vanilla” is going next on my Amazon wish list!
I made this cake at the weekend and it was delicious. The marshmallow cream filling is beautiful and the cake itself is light, moist and full of vanilla flavour! Another winner!
Jo – UK
Hi!!! could I make this cake in a regular cake pan? it looks so delicious
I just found your site. So. I decided to make this. I have a bunt pan that you can’t cut out the middle. But I made this anyway. WHAT YOU DID BY WRITTING THIS RECIPE IS SOOOOO WRONG! I used the filling as a frosting. Made a double batch of the filling. This cake is insane. Sooo wrong, but sooooo right. I grew up eating twinkles. This cake? Wayyyyy better. Thank you for ruining my diet.
I don’t like Twinkies find them tasteless compared to our Canadian Vachon cakes but I made this cake anyway. I found it to be a lighter version of a pound cake with a really nice filling. I really like the filling but next time I would double the filling recipe and I would absolutely recommend icing sugar for the top as I almost found that the cake itself wasn’t sweet enough but with additional filling it might be. I think it comes down to preference; if you like a lot of frosting normally then doble the filling recipe if you don’t then don’t but if you don’t serving it with a raspberry coulis helps.
Regards,
Madonna
This looks so, so, so good. I want.
Wow! Cake looks so delicious.