THE MOST TRUSTED COPYCAT RECIPES
THE MOST TRUSTED COPYCAT RECIPES

Hostess Twinkie

Score: 4.42 (votes: 26)
Reviews: 26
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The Twinkie was invented in 1930 by the late James A. Dewar, then the Chicago-area regional manager of Continental Baking Company, the parent corporation behind the Hostess trademark. At the time, Continental made "Little Short Cake Fingers" only during the six-week strawberry season, and Dewar realized that the aluminum pans in which the cakes were baked sat idle the rest of the year. He came up with the idea of injecting the little cakes with a creamy filling to make them a year-round product and decided to charge a nickel for a package of two.

But Dewar couldn't come up with a catchy name for the snack cake—that is, until he set out on a business trip to St. Louis. Along the road he saw a sign for Twinkle Toe Shoes, and the name Twinkies evolved. Sales took off, and Dewar reportedly ate two Twinkies every day for much of his life. He died in 1985.

The spongy treat has evolved into an American phenomenon. Today the Twinkie is Continental's top Hostess-line seller, with the injection machines filling as many as 52,000 every hour.

You will need a spice bottle, approximately the size of a Twinkie, ten 12x14 -inch pieces of aluminum foil, a cake decorator or pastry bag, and a chopstick.

Watch Todd's video demonstration of this classic hack.

If you're a fan of Hostess powdered Donettes, or cupcakes, check out these recipes

Source: Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

Get This

Cake
  • Nonstick spray
  • 4 egg whites
  • One 16-ounce box golden pound cake mix
  • 2/3 cup water
Filling (see Tidbits)
  • 2 teaspoons very hot water
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups marshmallow creme (one 7-ounce jar)
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 1/3 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Do This

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2. Fold each piece of aluminum foil in half twice. Wrap the folded foil around the spice bottle to create a mold, then take the bottle out.

“hostess-twinkie-step1..jpg
Leave the top of the mold open for pouring in the batter. Make ten of these molds and arrange them on a cookie sheet or in a shallow pan. Grease the inside of each mold with a light coating of nonstick spray.

3. Disregard the directions on the box of cake mix. Instead, beat the egg whites until stiff. In a separate bowl combine the cake mix with water, and beat until thoroughly blended (about 2 minutes). Fold egg whites into the cake batter and slowly combine until completely mixed.

4. Pour the batter into the molds, filling each one about 3/4 of an inch. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean.

5. For the filling, combine the salt with the hot water in a small bowl and stir until salt is dissolved. Let this mixture cool.

6. Combine the marshmallow creme, shortening, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl and mix well with an electric mixer on high speed until fluffy.

7. Add the salt solution to the filling mixture and combine.

8. When the cakes are done and cooled, use a skewer or chopstick to make three holes in the bottom of each one. Move the stick around inside of each cake to create space for the filling.

9. Using a cake decorator or pastry bag, inject each cake with filling through all three holes.
 
Makes 10.
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Reviews
Maria
Apr 4, 2015, 22:00
PERFECT! Seriously if you think this recipe is not exactly like a store bought Twinkie then you have made it wrong. Mine turned out so soft and spongey and delicious just like a Twinkie should be. This recipe makes a real Hostess Twinkie. Amazing!!!! I have some store bought twinkies at home and after making these my kids and I compared them and we could barely tell the difference. I love this recipe. I make it all the time now. The Kids get twinkies everyday for school. I also made a choc chip version.
Sandralee
Mar 20, 2015, 22:00
These are excellent! Note: if you are using a Wilton Twinkie pan, bake for 12 1/2 min. Baking for 30 min turns out very dry. And I found that if you whip the egg whites too long, also adds to dryness. Have made these a number of times and everyone loves them!
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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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