THE MOST TRUSTED COPYCAT RECIPES
THE MOST TRUSTED COPYCAT RECIPES
Hostess Lights Low-Fat Twinkie copycat recipe by Todd Wilbur

Hostess Lights Low-Fat Twinkie

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Howdy Doody peddled them on his 1950s TV show. Archie Bunker got one in his lunchbox every day. Even President Jimmy Carter was a fan, supposedly ordering a Twinkie vending machine installed in the White House. Yes, Twinkies are an American favorite. And if the oblong little snack isn’t being eaten, it’s being talked about: usually by talk show hosts joking about the snack food's supposedly long shelf life.

The crème-filled cakes we know today are not exactly the same as the early Twinkies. When the snack cake was first conceived by Hostess plant manager James Dewar in 1930, it was as a way to use the cake pans for the strawberry “Little Short Cake Fingers,” which sat idle for all but the six-week strawberry season. The filling in those original cakes was flavored with bananas, and they were called “Twinkle Fingers.” When bananas got scarce during World War II the filling was changed to the vanilla flavor we know today, and the name was shortened to “Twinkies.” 

The latest reformulation of the Twinkie came in 1990, when a low-fat version was first introduced. Now Twinkie lovers could have their cakes and eat ‘em too, with only half the fat of the original.

You should know that these clones are twice the size of the Hostess version, with the fat and calories double as well. By weight, though, this clone’s nutrition stats are right on track with the original. 

Nutrition Facts
Serving size–1 snack cake
Total servings–12 
Calories per serving–280 
Fat per serving–3g

Source: Top Secret Recipes Lite by Todd Wilbur.

Get This

Cake
  • 1 cup egg substitute
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon lemon extract
  • 2 cups unsifted cake flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup fat-free milk
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
  • 12 12x12-inch pieces of aluminum foil
  • Nonstick cooking spray
Filling
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons water
  • 1 7-ounce jar marshmallow creme
  • 1/3 cup shortening
  • 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Do This

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

2. In a large glass or metal bowl, beat together the egg substitute egg white until thick and lemon-colored. Add the sugar, vanilla, and lemon extract and beat until smooth.

3. In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt.

4. Fold the dry mixture into the wet. Don't overmix.

5. In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine the fat-free milk with the oil. Heat this mixture in the microwave on high for 1 ½ minutes, or until it is very hot, but not boiling.

6. Fold the hot milk mixture into the batter. Do not beat and don’t overmix.

7. Prepare the cake molds by folding each square of foil in half and then in half again, so that each piece is a 6-inch square. Wrap each of these foil pieces around a spice bottle. Fold the ends and leave the side open, so that when the foil is removed it makes a small pan. Spray the inside of each mold with nonstick cooking spray. Then, arrange the molds in one or two baking dishes so that they can’t tip over when baking.

8. Fill each mold about halfway with batter. Bake the cakes for 25 to 30 minutes or until the tops of the cakes turn light brown. Remove the cakes from the oven, and when they have cooled enough to touch, peel the foil off of each one and place then flat (the top when baking) down onto wax paper or a cooling rack.

9. As the cakes cool, prepare the filling by combining ¼ teaspoon salt with 1 teaspoon water in a small microwave-safe bowl or cup. Microwave for 10 to 20 seconds on high, then stir until the salt is dissolved.

10. Beat the marshmallow crème with the shortening in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, salt, water and vanilla and beat well.

11. When the cakes have cooled. Use a toothpick to poke three holes along the flat side of the cake (the top when baking). Swirl the toothpick around inside the cake to make room for the filling.

12. Squirt crème filling into each of the three holes in each of the cakes. Be careful not to overfill the cakes or they will burst. Funny? Yes. Pretty? No. 

Makes 12 snack cakes. 

Tidbits: If you want the cake to be yellow, like the original, you will have to be selective when choosing egg substitute. Scramblers brand egg substitute seems to make the cake the deepest yellow. Or, if you don’t use Scramblers, you can add a couple drops of yellow food coloring. These snack cakes are best if eaten within a couple days of filling.

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I'm Todd Wilbur, Chronic Food Hacker

For over 30 years I've been deconstructing America's most iconic brand-name foods to make the best original copycat recipes for you to use at home. Welcome to my lab.

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