The OG Snack Cake #TheCakeSliceBakers

June 20, 2022

The OG Snack Cake #TheCakeSliceBakers

My kids have never had a Twinkie.

I wish I could say that it was because they're too artificial and we don't eat that kind of stuff-- but the box of Little Debbie's Cosmic Brownies in my pantry would look me in the eyes and call me a liar.

My kids haven't had Twinkies...because I don't really like Twinkies.

In my opinion, there's a reason (other than the copious preservatives they contain) that they're in nuclear fallout shelters. It's because everyone would eat all the other treats first and Twinkies would be all that's left.

Since Twinkies are NOT one of my favorite snacks, it might seem strange that I chose to make these copycat OG Snack Cakes when the other choices looked delicious too.

(Check out the links at the end of this post to see what the other Cake Slice Bakers made!)

I don't love Twinkies, but I DO love the idea of making homemade, more delicious versions of famous snacks.

And I'm a sucker for bakeware. I used a ChefMade hotdog pan that worked perfectly #NotSponsored--I just love their bakeware (I have their canelé and financier pans too).

Boy, these Twinkles?

Blinkies?

Tweenkees? didn't disappoint!

They were ridiculously delicious! WAY better than the weirdly spongy, sweet-shortening-frosting-filled originals.

The cakes were a delicate chiffon sponge with just a hint of orange, and I chose to fill them with an almond vanilla American buttercream. Zoe, the author, listed several potential fillings but mentioned on her blog that this was her favorite. I might play around with flavor combinations, but seriously--it will be hard to improve on these.

*Fun fact: originally, the filling of snack cakes (invented in 1930 as a way to use the strawberry shortcake machine when strawberries were out of season) was originally banana. During WW2, bananas were rationed, and they changed the flavor to vanilla.

These were enough like the original to feel nostalgic but tasted 1000% better.

My 7-year-old took a bite and said, "Wow. That's impressive."

My husband (who is also not a Twinkie fan) said, "These are REALLY good!"

I agree!

If you don't have a pan the right shape, Zoe says you can also bake it in two 8' pans. Just make sure not to grease the pan--light sponge cakes need to be able to "climb" the sided to rise properly. They’d also make great cupcakes.

But seriously, give these a try! Even if you don't like Twinkies, these will win you over. But these definitely won't last forever--they taste WAY too good ;)

The OG Snack Cake

From Zoe Bakes Cakes by Zoe Francois

Sponge:

3/4 cup + 2 T all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar (divided)

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3 eggs at room temp, separated

1/4 tsp canola oil

1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1 tsp orange zest

1 tsp vanilla

2 egg whites

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

American Buttercream:

6 T room temp butter

1 1/2 cup powdered

1/2 T vanilla

1/4 tsp almond extract or emulsion

a pinch of salt

1-2 T heavy cream

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a hotdog pan (or don't grease 2 8" pans).

2. Whisk the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt until combined. In a separate bowl, mix the oil, OJ, orange zest, and vanilla. Add the dry mix to the egg yolk mix and whisk until smooth

3. In a stand mixer, whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar on high until medium peaks form (~2 minutes). Turn the speed to low and sprinkle in the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar. Once added, return to high speed and beat until you get a meringue with glossy, stiff peaks (~1-2 minutes).

4. Take 1/3 of the meringue and stir it into the flour/yolk mix to loosen the mixture. Using a rubber spatula, fold the remaining meringue into the yolk mixture.

5. Pour the batter into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip (I used a Wilton 1A). Pipe the batter into the prepared pan, filling each mold 2/3 full.

6. Bake until golden and a tester come out cleanly (15-20 minutes). Turn the pan over a cooling rack and gently tap to release. Cool completely.

Buttercream

1. With a whisk attachment on your mixer, mix the butter and sugar on low until a thick paste forms. Add the salt, vanilla, almond extract and cream, then beat until light, fluffy and white.

Assembly:

1. Fill a piping bag fitted with a Bismarck tip or a medium round (like a Wilton 12) with the buttercream. Poke the piping tip 3/4 of the way into the cake, and fill until the cake starts to bulge. Continue filling every 1/2 inch (mine had three frosting holes each).

2. Dust with powdered sugar or decorate as desired.

Enjoy:)

Each month The Cake Slice Bakers are offered a selection of cakes from the current book we are baking through. This year it is Zoë Bakes Cakes by Zoē François. We each choose one cake to bake, and then on the 20th - never before - we all post about our cake on our blogs. There are a few rules that we follow, but the most important ones are to have fun and enjoy baking & eating cakes!

Follow our Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest pages where you can find all of our cakes, as well as inspiration for many other cakes. You can also click on the links below to take you to each of our cakes. If you have a blog and are interested in joining The Cake Slice Bakers and baking along with us, please send an email to thecakeslicebakers at gmail dot com for more details.

The Cake Slice Bakers also have a new Facebook group called The Cake Slice Bakers and Friends. This group is perfect for those who do not have a blog but want to join in the fun and bake through this book.