If you have my book, Zoë Bakes Cakes, you likely know from the intro that the story of my life with sweets started with an auspicious meeting with the humble Twinkie. I would never presume to create anything as iconic as the original, but these homemade Twinkies are freakin’ delicious.
My son, when tasting these for the first time, declared, “These taste way too good—you didn’t get it quite right!” Love that kid. The chiffon cake is baked in a Twinkie-shaped pan (it’s actually a hot dog-bun pan) to give it the essential look. It is super-tender and has the squish that is so beloved in the original cake snack.
Depending on your preference, you can inject these with Ermine Frosting, Italian Meringue Buttercream, or American Buttercream. My recipe below calls for my favorite.
I sometimes use a small start tip to pipe a bit of frosting on the tops of the cakes before dusting with confectioners’ sugar and decorating with edible flowers, just to jazz them up for a special occasion.
I hope you enjoy this homemade Twinkies recipe from my book, Zoë Bakes Cakes!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp (110g) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar divided
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 3 eggs, separated* at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60ml) mild flavored oil such as vegetable (or olive oil if you want a stronger flavor)
- 1/4 cup (60ml) fresh squeezed orange juice
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 egg whites* at room temperature
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
American Buttercream
- 1 1/2 cups (180g) confectioners’ sugar
- 6 tbsp (83g) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
- pinch kosher salt
- 1-2 tbsp (15 to 30 ml) heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C. Lightly grease a nonstick hot dog-bun pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, 1/2 cup / 100g of the sugar, baking powder, and salt until combined. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, stir together the egg yolks, oil, orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients to the egg yolk mixture and whisk together until smooth. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the egg whites (5 total) and cream of tartar and beat on high speed until medium peaks form, about 2 minutes. Turn the speed to medium-low and slowly sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup / 50g sugar to create a French meringue. Turn the speed to high and beat until stiff, glossy peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes more.
- Stir 1/3 of the meringue mixture into the egg yolk mixture to loosen it up. Then, using the whisk attachment or a rubber spatula, fold the remaining meringue into the yolk mixture.
- Fit a 16-inch / 40cm pastry bag with a large round tip (Ateco #9807), pour the batter into the bag, and then pipe into the prepared pan, filling each mold only 2/3 full.
- Bake until golden and a tester comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes. Invert the pan and tap gently to remove the cakes onto a sheet of parchment paper. Let cool completely.
American Buttercream
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the confectioners’ sugar and butter and beat on low speed until combined.
- Turn the mixer speed to medium and beat until a thick paste forms. Scrape down the bowl and paddle, then add the vanilla, almond extract and salt and beat for a few seconds more.
- With the mixer on low speed, add enough of the cream, a little at a time, to make the frosting spreadable. Use immediately.
Assembly
- Fit a 12-inch/30-cm pastry bag with a Bismark piping tip (Ateco #230) and fill with the frosting. Inject the frosting from the bottom of each cake by poking the tip into it about 3/4 of the way through—fill until the cake begins to bulge. Repeat injecting the frosting every 1/2 inch / 1.3 cm.
- Serve the cake immediately or store in the refrigerator, covered, up to 24 hours. If refrigerated, bring the cake to room temperature before serving.
Fantastic! I’ve made other Twinkie recipes that use marshmallow fluff for the filling, but these are way better!
Are you able to tell us what Wilton tips we would use as opposed to Ateco? That would be so helpful! Thank you! Zoe mentions Ateco 9807 and Ateco 230. Thank you so much!
Zoe, I can’t wait to try this Twinkie recipe – it’s right up my alley. Please tell me, though, where you got your hot dog bun pan – and did you have to bake your Twinkies one batch right after the next? I haven’t found a pan that makes 16 at one time. Thanks for your help.
Hi Penny, It looks like you can find the pan Zoë uses at Walmart. Here is a link. You will want to make them one batch right after the other or the batter will lose its air bubbles. Cheers!
Thank you so much! I really appreciate your help!
This may be odd, but why the orange juice? I don’t think a Twinkie has an orange taste.
Hi Loretta,
You are absolutely correct, I just like the flavor better with the hint of orange juice. It is by no means a strong flavor but it give the cake more dimension than without.
Enjoy! Zoë
I bought a silicone hotdog bun mold to use for this recipe and also use it for my banana bread and pumpkin bread recipes too. It was an inexpensive and nice addition to my kitchen. I have the Zoe bakes cakes, and the Holiday book. My 12 yr old Granddaughter and I baked our way thru the Holiday book together and she made the raspberry braided recipe on her own! The OG cake is one of many that I have baked from the cake book for our neighbor ladies covid Thursday get togethers. The rich flavor and moist pretty little cakes were a big hit! Beverage in one hand and snack cake in the other!
Maggie, thanks so much for taking the time to rate the recipe. We’re so glad you enjoy it!
Twinkies…but elevated! These put a smile on everyone’s face. So yummy. Here are a couple comments for what they’re worth…
-buy a pan that yields 16 (what the recipe makes) or 2 that yield 8. I only had a pan for 8 so had to bake in batches (not as ideal)
-Use a LARGE bowl for egg yolks or else there isn’t enough room to fold in all the whites
-gently tap on pan after the batter is piped in to take care of any large air bubbles that might have formed
-15 or 16 minutes to bake
Thank you Zoe, for another stellar recipe!!
Thank you for taking the time to share additional tips! We’re so happy you enjoy this recipe. Cheers!
Love this Recipe! It is whimsical, light and always brings a smile to everyone’s face when served.
Here are a couple of things I learned while making:
– My pan only bakes 8 so had to wait to add second batch of batter. Best to buy a pan that has 16 or another pan of 8 so they can bake altogether
-Make sure to use a LARGE bowl for the egg yolks otherwise it is tight to mix in all the whites
– I gently tapped pan after adding batter to make sure there were no large air pockets
-My baking time was 15 min
Thank you Zoe! You are the BEST!!!!
Hi. When do you add the remaining 1/4 cup +2 tablespoons of flour?
Hi Christy, the flour all goes in at once in step 2. The sugar is divided out between steps 2 and 5. Happy baking!
How many does this recipe make?
Hi Christy! Thanks for the question. It makes about 16 individual cakes. Enjoy!
Any thoughts about doing these in a regular cupcake pan? Thank you.
Hi Madeline, you can definitely do this, they just won’t have that classic Twinkie shape. They will also likely take a few more minutes to bake. If you try it, please come back to let us know how it went!
Sorry if I am missing something, is it 5 total egg whites for the Swiss meringue? You 3 separated and then later 2 egg whites…?
Hi Laura, yes! It’s 3 egg yolks + 5 egg whites for this recipe. Happy baking!
Can you add a link for the pan you used please.
FYI: The sugar amount on ingredient list does not add up to the amount of sugar added within the recipe instructions
You are absolutely correct! Thank you for calling this out. We have updated the recipe.
How do youasseble the “twinkie”? Like a cream puff or ?????
It isn’t in the instructions
Zoe, do you have directions/advice/video for getting the cream successfully into the cake?? Thank you!
Hi Nicole! You make a great point that information is missing 🙂 We have updated the recipe to include assembly instructions. Sorry about that!
Sorry if this sounds dumb, but how do I get filling inside? I remember the old school Twinkie’s had 3 “holes” on the bottom where they were stuffed.
Would love to make these for my 10 year old who was asking what Twinkie’s were after reading an older book
Thanks!
Hello! Yes, we accidentally omitted some of the instructions and they have been added now. Happy baking!