This cake is essentially an enormous from-scratch version of the iconic American snack cake made with pronounceable ingredients. It’s golden and terrifically moist and its cream filling is an instant joy-inducer.–Shauna Sever
Twinkie Bundt Cake
Equipment
- 12-cup Bundt pan
Ingredients
For the Twinkie cake batter
- 6 tablespoons (3 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pan
- 3 cups cake flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup mild vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs plus 4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
- 1 cup buttermilk, (either low-fat or full-fat) at room temperature
For the Twinkie cream filling
- One (7 1/2-ounce) jar marshmallow crème
- 1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting (optional)
Instructions
Make the Twinkie cake batter
- Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C). Coat a 12-cup Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray or butter and dust it lightly with flour, tapping out any excess.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and vanilla on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar and beat until evenly mixed, about 1 minute.
- With the machine still running, slowly pour in the oil and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add the eggs and egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low. Alternately stir in the flour mixture and buttermilk in 3 additions each, ending with the buttermilk. Mix on low speed just until the batter is smooth and no lumps remain. Turn off the mixer and gently fold the batter several times by hand with a spatula to ensure everything is incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- 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 the pan on a wire rack and let cool completely, about 2 hours.
Make the Twinkie cream filling
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the marshmallow crème, butter, and vanilla until smooth. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip or spoon it into a large resealable plastic bag with a bottom corner snipped off.
- While the cake is still in the pan, use a paring knife or an apple corer to make 6 or 7 deep, evenly spaced notches or holes in the flat surface of the cake, each about 3/4 of an inch in diameter, being careful to cut no more than halfway through to the top of the cake. Discard—that is, nibble—any cake scraps. Using your fingertips, gently forge a horizontal tunnel through the cake that connects the vertical holes.
- Insert the tip of the pastry or plastic bag into each hole and squeeze in some of the filling, tilting the bag back and forth as you work to encourage the filling to make its way into the horizontal tunnel. When the cake is filled, use a spatula to scrape away any excess filling from the bottom of the cake.
- Quickly and carefully invert the cake onto a platter. Dust with confectioners’ sugar, if desired. Slice and serve.
Notes
Giant Twinkies Variation
Follow the recipe but divide the batter between 2 buttered and floured 5-by-9-inch loaf pans. Bake for the same amount of time as directed above. After the cakes have cooled, gently turn them from the pans onto a work surface and turn them top-side up. You may need to loosen the sides of the cakes from the side of the pan with a knife. Starting at 1 short side of the cake, use a small serrated knife to carve a channel about 3/4 inch in diameter that runs through the cake to the other short side. Repeat on the other end, saving the end cake pieces to use as plugs and nibbling any crumbs from the inside of the cake. Pipe the cream filling into the center of the cake, then replace the cake plugs, if desired. Your end result should be 2 loaves, each with a channel of cream filling running through the center.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
A lovely, simple Bundt cake on its own but the buttery marshmallow filling is a nice surprise. I love the texture—it’s not delicate but hearty. This is a very sweet cake.
I think this could easily serve 12. I used a 12-cup Bundt pan, although I think a 10-cup would be adequate.
I love recipes that recreate favorite childhood foods. Think of this Twinkie Bundt cake as a highly elevated Twinkie. The vanilla flavor is pronounced. The marshmallow cream filling is amazing. I used a marshmallow cream that I found at Whole Foods made by Tiny Trapeze Confections.
The cake itself was denser than I’d have preferred, as I was hoping for light and airy, not pound cake.
I think that next time I’d increase the number of holes in the cake to ensure that each bite has some filling with it.
Could you use a small melon baller to create a channel in the bundt cake? Seems like it might be easier than the apple corer. Then you’d have lovely little cake balls to pop in your mouth! 🙂
Dona, I don’t see why not. Write us and let us know how it goes.
Would this be ideal for a mature bridal shower?
Krystal, I think it depend upon how playful the attendees are and the mood you’re trying to set. If it’s a very Martha Stewart-like shower, probably not. But if it’s a gathering of lifelong friends set on celebrating love and friendship, then, I say it would.
Do you know the weight per cup of cake flour? I find I get much better results when I weigh…. If not, how did you get the flour into the measuring cup—fluff it up in the container then gently spoon into measuring cup and level? Or dip and sweep?
Thanks!
Hi Mary, I usually use King Arthur cake flour and the per cup weight equivalent is 4 1/4 ounces.