Twinkie Cake

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.

  • 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.
cream filling for twinkie cake
  • 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.

square of Homemade Twinkie Cake with a bite out of it
square of Homemade Twinkie Cake with a bite out of it

Twinkie Cake

4.60 from 44 votes
Twinkie Cake: Two layer homemade yellow sponge cake with sweet cream filling.
Servings 12
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes

Ingredients
 

For the cake:

For the filling:

Instructions
 

Make the cake:

  • Preheat the oven to 325º Fahrenheit for dark pans or 350º Fahrenheit for light or glass pans. Spray the bottom of 2 9” square cake pans with cooking spray, then line the pans with parchment paper to ensure the cake comes out cleanly.
  • 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.

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.
  • 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.
  • Then place the second cake layer on top.
  • Dust with powdered sugar.
  • Slice and serve.
  • Store in the refrigerator.

Notes

The calories shown are based on the cake being cut into 12 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of cake. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information.**

Nutrition

Calories: 535kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Cholesterol: 127mg | Sodium: 459mg | Potassium: 113mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 844IU | Calcium: 160mg | Iron: 1mg
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Calories 535
Keyword easy homemade cake, yellow cake

About Julie Clark

We are Julie, Maddie, and Kinslee – a mother and daughter team sharing with you the best cakes to satisfy any need or sweet craving that you may have. Welcome to our family’s kitchen!

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Can this be frozen

I don’t have 2 square pans. Can this be made in a 9×13″ pan and cut in half?

What shortening do you use ?