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So I woke up this morning all, “Let me make something healthy to share today!” and then ended up with this:
Very Vanilla Twinkie Bundt Cake.
True story. How that happened I’ll never know.
Well, that’s entirely not true. I do know. I baked something with coconut flour, tasted it, and decided it wasn’t worth sharing and making you go out and spend money on the ingredients. And then while I sat down to drink my morning cup of decaf {Yippee, right? Good grief, some of this pregnancy stuff is for the birds, y’all.}, I started flipping through one of my {many, many} cookbooks. Today, it happened to be Pure Vanilla, because I like a little food porn with my breakfast.
And then I flipped to the page titled, “Twinkie Bundt Cake.” And my heart skipped a beat. See ya, coconut flour.
I had all the good intentions of wearing my nutritional halo today. But it’s a Friday, so let’s loosen up a bit, ‘kay? Bundt cake. What does it remind you of?
Ok, maybe I’m just a little excited about it. But it’s really good, I promise. Better than anything I could have made with coconut flour today. Balance out the calories and share it with a bunch of folks you love!
“Twinkie” Vanilla Bundt Cake
Ingredients
- 3 cups cake flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons butter softened
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste {optional}
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 3 eggs + 4 egg yolks
- 1 cup buttermilk
For Marshmallow Filling
- 1 stick butter softened
- 1 7.5 ounce container of marshmallow creme
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract {OR vanilla bean paste if you like the little specks like I do.}
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325. Prepare a bundt pan by spraying with non-stick cooking spray or brushing with melted butter. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer {or a large bowl}, beat together butter, vanilla extract and vanilla bean paste until smooth. Slowly pour in sugar until well combined and fluffy.
- Add vegetable oil and beat until incorporated. One by one, add eggs and egg yolks, beating well after each addition.
- Carefully add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the wet mixture, then 1/3 of the buttermilk, alternating until all of the flour and buttermilk is added. Mix until just smooth and incorporated.
- Pour or spoon batter into prepared bundt pan evenly. Smooth out the top. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until the top is golden brown and a skewer or knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 45 minutes to an hour before attempting to remove from pan. There have been many a bundt cake casualty from impatient bakers trying to flip over a still-warm bundt.
- For Filling: Beat all ingredients together until well mixed. Transfer to a piping bag with a round tip, or a zip top plastic bag with one corner snipped.
- For Assembly:This cake isn't hard to assemble, but it is messy. Do yourself a favor and do this over a sheet pan so you don't have cake crumbs all over your kitchen. The idea is to create 6 or 7 deep holes in the bottom of the cake. I find that the easiest way is to use an apple corer. Be careful not to poke all the way through the cake.
- Once the holes are made, use the best kitchen tools you've got: Your hands! Burrow your fingers into the holes and create a tunnel from hole to hole. Do this carefully so you don't split the cake. {Like I might have.} Carefully flip the cake over to clear the holes. Flip back over again and get ready to fill.
- Using the marshmallow filling {you haven't eaten it all yet, have you?}, stick the piping bag into each hole and squirt the filling in until you get some resistance. Don't overdo it because, again, you can bust the cake open. We don't want that. Make sure that the filling is getting into the main tunnel and not just each hole.
- When you've used up all the filling, flip the cake over {carefully!!!} onto your serving dish. Sprinkle the whole bundt with powdered sugar before serving. Then sit back and watch your guests ooh and ahh over your surprise Twinkie cake!
Omg! This cake looks exactly like a twinkie! Only better because it's homemade 😉 LOVE those vanilla bean specks!
Though I'm sorry the original recipe didn't work out, can I say I am SO excited that this twinkie cake came to us instead! Is it bad if I eat the whole thing on my own? I mean, it's sort of just one giant twinkie…it can't be THAT bad, right? 😉
@Allie – Thank you! Doesn't vanilla bean just make everything even better?? 🙂
@Jess – I suppose one Twinkie is one serving… so one Twinkie cake should be the same, right? Gosh, we should have majored in logic. 😉
Dianna, love this cake!!! I haven't read Pure Vanilla yet but will check it out! Did you ever get my response to your email a few weeks ago? Just wanted to make sure it went through! take care!
what a great idea. i love the filling!
In the frosting it calls for a stick of butter are you referring to a half cup size?
@mrs.chelle – Yes! 1/2 cup, 8 tablespoons, 4 oz… I'm terrible about specifying because I always have the 1/2 cup sticks on hand. Thanks for calling me out! 😉
So what is the gluten-free equivalent of cake flour?
Hi Rose, I can’t vouch for this flour blend since I haven’t used it myself, but I just found this recipe for homemade gluten free “cake flour” — http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/articles/gluten-free-pastry-flour-mix
Hope that helps! If you use it, please report back and let us know!
we dont have marshmallow paste in the philippines…what can you suggest i would do wt the lack of the marshmallow paste? i want to try this recipe…i love baking n baking each day….
@Susie Saga – Hi Susie, You can make your own marshmallow creme using a recipe like this: http://www.brighteyedbaker.com/2013/03/15/diy-marshmallow-creme/ Or you could just use your favorite buttercream filling in place of the marshmallow type! Hope it turns out great!
Where can I get the vanilla bean paste from?
@ Christina & Rebecca – I bought mine from HomeGoods, but they don't always have it. Most specialty stores {like Williams-Sonoma & Sur La Table} carry vanilla bean paste. If you can't find it, you can simply scrape out the seeds from 2 vanilla beans or omit it altogether and just add another teaspoon of vanilla extract.
Walmart has vanilla bean paste. It’s with the Wilton cake decorating items. It’s the exact one I was buying from the kitchen gourmet stores but it’s $3. cheaper at Walmart.
Good to know, Genie! I’ve never seen it at our Walmart but it’s worth taking a look. Thanks for sharing the info!
Hobby Lobby and Michael's has vanilla bean paste for 6.99. That is where I get mine.
Cut the cake in half,spread the filling over it,put top back on. Save yourself a lot of work.
@Pamela Jern – You could certainly do it that way, but then it would be more like a regular vanilla cake than a "Twinkie". The tunnel of frosting is what makes it unique, but it would be delicious either way!
We made this Bundt but with strawberry flavor, so yummy!!! Thanks for the recipe!!!
You can see it in our blog I love Bundt Cakes.
This looks and sounds delicious! Just wondering if you've tried the cake recipe as cupcakes, and if so, whether it came out with the right consistency. Thanks!
@I Love Bundt Cakes – Thanks for giving it a try! Glad you enjoyed it! Yours looks great as well!
@Natalie Reilly – I haven't tried it as a cupcake recipe, but I think it would work out! My only concern would be that the texture is a bit more dense than a traditional cupcake, but if you're ok with that then I say go for it! 🙂
I am having problems understanding how to dig the tunnel thru an apple corer. The tunnel is certainly bigger then an apple corer hole – I know you used two fingers, I think. Did you stick two fingers down the apple corer hole to dig the tunnel?
@Anonymous – Hi there! I can see how that sounds confusing. I used the apple corer to create a few vertical "wells" from which to dig the tunnels, making sure not to go all way through the top of the cake. I stuck my fingers into each well and then "dug" horizontally between them to connect the tunnel holes throughout, creating a hollow area for the filling. The wells also allow for a place to scoop out the cake as you make the tunnel. I hope that makes more sense!
"Oh… It's a KEHK!
…There's a hole in this kehk."
I love that movie and this Twinkie monstrosity looks like something that needs to happen to me, please and thank you.
@Sarah – The best scene ever! And yes, make this happen! You won't regret it. {Unless you try to eat it all by yourself.} Enjoy!
looks sinfully delicious!
Just made this…beautiful and my son loves it, especially the filling!!!!
Does this need to be in the fridge if not served right away?
@Amy – I think it would be fine at room temp for a day or so, but I'd refrigerate it if it's going to be an extended period of time before it's consumed. {I tend to err on the side of caution when it comes to food safety!} Just make sure to bring to room temp before serving.
Ok, so here's what I did, that I thought would make the assembly easier… I poked holes in the cake while it was still in the pan, I then inverted the cake onto a cooling rack. When the cake was completely cooled, I inverted it back in to the cold pan, using the pan as a secure holding area while I filled the cake holes. I used a 3" long filling tip and filled all the holes nicely. I then inverted the cake onto a cake plate. Voila!!
Thanks m trying that next time!
This cake is wonderful!
@Karen Baker – Thanks for sharing your filling strategy! I'm all for anything that avoids a mess and makes it easier! Glad it worked out for you, hope you enjoyed the cake. 🙂
The batter is very runny, is it suppose to turn out like that?
@Anonymous – I haven't made this recipe in a while, but I don't remember the batter being unusually runny. Did it turn out ok after baking? Hope the recipe came together for you!
Thanks for sharing this recipe! One of my favorite ways to make strawberry shortcake is with twinkies…. this will be so much better, by itself &
with fresh strawberries! ?
I LOVE your cake plate. Where did you get it? Thanks.
Hi Cheryl, I bought this cake plate years ago at Target! It was also a chip/dip server when you flipped it over. They probably don’t have the same one, but I’d check around the springtime to see if they have something similar. Target never disappoints! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
My even easier way to get the filling in place!! Carefully, using a serrated knife or dental floss, cut off the bottom 1/4 to 1/2 inch of the cake and set aside. Then scoop out your tunnel with your fingers and/or a fork. Fill the tunnel with the ooey gooey cream and place the bottom back in place. Don’t worry if it has cracked or broken, it’s on the bottom once the cake is flipped over and no one will notice.
Place your serving dish on the cake and flip them over. Voila!!! Perfect tunnel of yummy love surrounded by cake. Try this with your favorite chocolate bundt recipe to make a ding dong cake. Just have to pour a little ganache over the top for chocolate icing. YUUUM
Thanks, Marna! Sounds like a great alternative to excavating a cake tunnel for those who don’t want to take on the task. 🙂
I took a Wilton Cake class years ago and the secret to getting the filling into a cupcake or cake is to push the piping tip into a very warm cake and squeezing the frosting in. When a cake is hot it will expand when the filling is pushed into it. Worked when we did this in the class, don’t see why this won’t work with this. Thought I would share.
Very interesting! Wouldn’t the hot cake melt the frosting though? I’ll have to try this one day! Thanks for the tip!
I have this in the oven right now, would it be best to let cool entirely in the pan and then digging the frosting tunnel while cake is still in pan?
Hi Kaitlyn, You could certainly try! My only concern would be trying to turn the cake out of the pan once you’ve dug the tunnel might affect the structure and stability of the cake since its tender. Let me know how it turns out!
How about splicing the cake in half add the marshmallow
You could do that, too! Again, it would be more like a regular layer cake instead of a “tunnel” like a Twinkie, but it should still taste great.
I made a cake like this years ago using a chocolate filling. To fill the cakecut a slice off the BOTTOM of the Cate. Using a spoon, hollow out the center of the cake. Place the filling in the channel you made. Replace the BOTTOM slice. Invert on to the serving platter. Enjoy.
Lovely, Mary! Thanks for sharing!