Name: Twinkie Cake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 box yellow cake mix; 4 large eggs; 1 cup unsalted butter ((melted)); 1 ¼ cup 2% milk; 5 tablespoons all purpose flour; 1 cup 2% milk ((or whole milk)); 1/2 cup shortening; ½ cup unsalted butter; ½ teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon vanilla; 1 cup granulated sugar; Powdered sugar (for dusting)

Here’s a twinkie like you’ve never had before! Homemade Twinkie Cake with soft, yellow sponge cake and a creamy cooked flour frosting.

Did you grow up eating twinkies? I usually chose other snack cakes over twinkies in the school lunchroom (hello swiss cake rolls!). But twinkies are a classic.

A few years ago a friend handed me a twinkie so I opened it and tried it. Ya know what? It wasn’t great. I mean the idea was there, but the artificial flavor was definitely not amazing.

slice of twinkie cake with cream filling

So today we’re sharing a homemade Twinkie cake. Soft yellow cake with a lightly sweet cream filling that you know and love…but fresh from your oven. It’s amazing.

April 6 is National Twinkie Day. And remember back in 2012 when they stopped making Twinkies for about 6 months? Yeah, those were rough days.

What in the world is a twinkie?

Twinkies are a classic, oblong yellow sponge cake stuffed with vanilla cream filling. It’s a traditional American dessert made by the Hostess company that became popular for kids to take in their school lunches.

two layer twinkie cake with whipped cream filling

How to Make a Twinkie Cake

Make the cake:

Preheat the oven to 325º Fahrenheit for dark pans or 350º Fahrenheit for light or glass pans. Grease 2 9” square cake pans with shortening, then dust with flour (or line the pans with parchment paper). You can also use 8″ square pans but they might need a minute or two longer to bake since they will be thicker.

Note: By putting shortening and flour up the sides of the pan, the cake did not cling to the pan and the sides slightly sunk in as it cooled. This actually worked well to make the cake layer nicely, but if you don’t want that to happen, you could just grease the bottom only so it clings to the side better.

cake mix with eggs and butter in a mixing bowl

Mix cake mix, eggs, butter and milk in a large bowl using a mixer on medium speed. Scrape the bowl as needed. Beat for about two minutes.
Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans. Bake for 30 minutes or until the center of the cake springs back when you touch it.
Allow the cakes to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.

two square yellow cakes cooling on a wire rack

Make the frosting:

In a small saucepan over medium low heat, cook the flour and milk together, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens to a pudding consistency.

Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool completely. (Move the mixture to another bowl and place it over a bowl of ice for it to cool more quickly.)
Using a mixer, cream the butter, shortening, salt and vanilla until smooth. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.

Add in the sugar and beat for 2 minutes.

flour milk roux for cooked flour frosting

Add in the cooled flour mixture. Use a mixer and beat until the mixture becomes fluffy like whipped cream. This may take a couple of minutes.

Assemble the cake:

If the cakes have domes, use a large knife to level them off so they are somewhat even.
Place one cake layer on a plate.
Spread all of the whipped frosting over the first cake layer.

square yellow cake with dollop of frosting on it

Then place the second cake layer on top.
Dust with powdered sugar.

How to Store This Cake

Store this cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It’s ok at room temperature for a couple hours, but because of the milk based cream filling it is best to keep it cold.

two layer yellow cake with cream filling on a plate

Can you freeze Twinkie Cake?

Yes! This cake freezes well. You can wrap individual pieces in plastic wrap, then put them in a zippered bag or a storage container. Freeze up to 2 months.

Defrost the snack cake in the refrigerator before serving.

Twinkie Cake

4.55 from 22 votes

Twinkie Cake: Two layer homemade yellow sponge cake with sweet cream filling.

Servings 12

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

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Ingredients

For the cake:

1 box yellow cake mix
4 large eggs
1 cup unsalted butter (melted)
1 ¼ cup 2% milk

For the filling:

5 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 cup 2% milk (or whole milk)
1/2 cup shortening
½ cup unsalted butter
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup granulated sugar
Powdered sugar for dusting