Are you mourning the news of Hostess closing last week? I honestly haven’t had a Twinkie in years, but the thought of a company that has been around since 1930 closing its doors is quite sad. Not to mention that Twinkies, Ding Dongs, and Ho Hos all fuel childhood memories for most of us. And who hasn’t had a PB&J on Wonderbread once in their life? Well, I’m not sure I have actually. I grew up in more of a “whole wheat” kind of household. But that’s okay. If you didn’t snag a box of Twinkies off the shelves last week when the new of Hostess closing was annouced, don’t be too sad. This bundt cake is better than any Twinkie I’ve ever had!
The filling is what makes this cake. Who knew that butter, marshmallow creme and vanilla extract could come together and produce such deliciousness. I could have just eaten the filling by itself, it’s that good. I must come up with some more uses for it!
This recipe is from Shauna Sever’s new book, Pure Vanilla. It’s a compilation of recipes that are all an ode to this classic ingredient. As a vanilla lover myself, I have bookmarked about a dozen or so recipes to try. I am especially excited to make the homemade Butter Mints, Salted Vanilla Chip Oatmeal Cookies, Vanilla Bean Dutch Baby, and the Vanilla Cloud Cake. Shauna’s recipes are thorough, and easy to follow for any home cook. I look forward to making more of her recipes!
Twinkie Bundt Cake, adapted from Pure Vanilla by Shauna Sever
- 3 cups cake flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temp
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup canola oil
- 3 large eggs + 4 large egg yolks, room temp
- 1 cup buttermilk, room temp
For the cake:
Grease and lightly flour 10-12 cup Bundt pan. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Sift together flour, baking powder and salt.
In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with paddle, beat butter and vanilla on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add sugar and beat until evenly mixed, about 1 minute. Turn mixer to stir, and slowly pour in oil. Increase speed to medium and continue beating until light and fluffy. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl and add egg and egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition.
Add flour mixture, alternating with the buttermilk, in three additions – starting with flour/ending with buttermilk. Stir on lowest speed until batter is smooth and no lumps remain. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a rubber spatula to fold any remaining flour (on the bottom/sides of the bowl) back into the batter and pour into prepared pan. Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven, place on wire rack, and cool completely – at least 2 hours.
While the cake is still in the pan, use a paring knife to cut 6-8 deep holes into bottom of cake (about 3/4 inch in diameter – careful not to cut through to the top). Gently use your fingers to burrow a horizontal tunnel around the center of the cake, connecting the vertical holes.
For the filling:
Beat together 1 stick of room temperature, unsalted butter and 1 jar (7.5 ounces) marshmallow creme (aka Fluff) until smooth. Add 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract and beat until incorporated.
Transfer filling to pastry bag fitted with large round tip or a plastic bag with large round pastry tip. Insert tip of pastry bag into each hole 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 excess filling from the bottom of the cake. (Then lick the spatula clean.) Quickly and carefully invert cake onto a serving platter. Dust with confectioners sugar (if you like) and serve.
