Hostess Twinkie Sponge Cake Recipes

Steps:

• 1. TWINKIES: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray Twinkie pan(s) with baking spray. Separate egg whites & yolks into separate large bowls.
• 2. Pour sugar, baking powder & salt into a food processor & process for 15 - 20 seconds, until finely ground. Transfer to a medium bowl. Using a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat egg yolks on medium speed for about 20 - 30 seconds, until they start to froth, thicken, & lighten in color. Slowly add ground sugar mixture, dry pudding mix & vanilla & continue to beat until eggs are very thick & pale - almost off-white & creamy in color. Reduce mixer speed to low & stir in flour (see note). Set aside. * NOTE: (¾ C all-purpose flour + ¼ cornstarch - sifted 6 times)
• 3. Using a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment on medium-high, whip egg whites into soft peaks. Stir about a quarter of whipped egg whites into batter to loosen it up, then gently fold in remaining whites in 2 - 3 batches, working slowly to incorporate them without destroying their fluffiness.
• 4. Pour batter into prepared pan; if using a canoe pan, fill each well 2/3 full (about 1 lg cookie scooper + 1 medium cookie scooper). Save any remaining batter for a second batch. Bake until cakes are puffy & golden brown & a tester inserted into center comes out clean. Timing may vary, so watch carefully, but will be 10 - 15 minutes for canoe shapes, 13 - 15 minutes for cupcakes or mini loaf pans & 18 - 20 minutes for 8" square metal baking pans or hot dog pans.
• 5. Cool cakes in pan for 10 minutes on a wire rack; they will shrink & pull away from pan sides. Line wire rack with waxed paper & spritz paper lightly with baking spray. Invert pan to turn cakes out onto rack. Cool completely before filling.
• 6. FILLING: Stir sugar, corn syrup & water together in a small, high-sided saucepan over medium low heat just until sugar is fully dissolved & liquid no longer feels granular. Clip a candy thermometer to side of pan & bring liquid to a boil without stirring. Continue to heat until sugar syrup reaches 235 - 240 degrees F (soft-ball stage).
• 7. Meanwhile, using stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip egg whites on medium speed just until soft peaks form. Just before sugar syrup reaches soft-ball stage, restart mixer on low speed. When syrup is at temperature, carefully drizzle it into egg whites.
• 8. Increase mixer speed to medium-high & whip for 5 - 7 minutes, until filling is thick, shiny & white, forming stiff peaks. Add vanilla & stir for another 15 seconds to incorporate.
• 9. ASSEMBLY - USE 1 OF THESE 2 METHODS: a) HOLES: Fill a pastry bag fitted with #364 tip with filling. Boat or mini loaf pan = 3 holes or cupcake = 1 hole. Insert pastry tip into each Twinkie & squeeze gently to fill. Cakes will swell slightly as the holes fill up, DO NOT OVERFILL OR WILL SPLIT. b) CUT LINE: With a knife, cut a small slit in the top of the cake (being careful not to cut through totally). Using an pastry bag, pipe a thick line of filling into the cut, holding the shape of the cake with your hand to prevent splitting. Once filled, place cut side up on the cooling rack & continue filling the remaining cakes.
• 10. Store filled cakes in refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week; as with most sponge cakes, they taste better after resting overnight rather than if eaten fresh.
• 11. I bake & send our part-time neighbors some Twinkies. So I shrink-wrapped them (using a Food Saver) & overnight them.

Steps:

• Beat eggs til thick&lemon colored (about 5 minutes with an electric mixer on medium speed).
• Gradually add the sugar a few spoons at a time; beat another 3 minutes.
• Slowly add flour, baking powder, salt.
• Beat in milk in three equal portions till blended.
• Add Flavoring.
• Beat 2 minutes.
• Pour batter into greased & floured jelly roll pan.
• Bake in the center of a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 38-42 minute (or till toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
• Cool on rack, 1 hour.
• Cut into finger shapes to resemble the original Twinkie cakes.
• Spread with filling and form into sandwiches.
• Wrap and refrigerate or freeze to use as needed.
• Keeps for up to 3 weeks refrigerated. Freezes almost indefinitely if wrapped well.

Steps:

• For the cakes: Heat the oven to 350 degrees and adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position.
• To make single-use Twinkie molds, cut 12 pieces of aluminum foil 12 inches wide by 14 inches long. Fold each piece of foil in half lengthwise, then fold it in half again to create a rectangle that's about 6 inches long and 7 inches wide. Repeat to make a dozen rectangles.
• Place one sheet of folded foil on a work surface with a standard-size spice jar on its side in the center of the foil. Bring the long sides of the foil up around the jar, folding the sides and ends as necessary to make a tight trough-shape from which the jar can be removed. Repeat to make 12 foil molds. Spray generously with nonstick spray or coat with vegetable oil. Place the molds on a baking sheet.
• In a mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt. In a small saucepan over low heat, heat the milk and butter until the butter melts. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla. Cover to keep warm.
• Using a standing mixer, beat the egg whites on high speed until foamy. Gradually add 6 tablespoons of the sugar and the cream of tartar and continue to beat until the whites reach soft peaks.
• Transfer the beaten egg whites to a large bowl and add the egg yolks to the standing mixer bowl (there's no need to clean the bowl). Beat the egg yolks with the remaining 6 tablespoons sugar on medium-high speed until the mixture is very thick and a pale lemon color, about 5 minutes. Add the beaten egg whites to the yolks, but do not mix.
• Sprinkle the flour mixture over the egg whites and then mix everything on low speed for just 10 seconds. Remove the bowl from the mixer, make a well in one side of the batter, and pour the melted butter mixture into the bowl. Fold gently with a large rubber spatula until the batter shows no trace of flour and the whites and yolks are evenly mixed, about 8 strokes.
• Immediately scrape the batter into the prepared molds, filling each with about .75 inch of batter. Bake until the cake tops are light brown and feel firm and spring back when touched, 13 to 15 minutes. Transfer the pan containing the molds to a wire rack and allow the cakes to cool in the molds.
• For the filling: Using a mixer, beat together the butter, confectioners' sugar and Marshmallow Fluff. Add the cream and beat just until smooth.
• Just before filling the cakes, remove them from the foil. Using the end of a chopstick, poke three holes in the bottom of each cake. Wiggle the tip of the chopstick to make room for the filling. Transfer the frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch round tip. Pipe frosting into the holes in each cake, taking care not to overfill, until it gently expands. Unlike real Twinkies, these won't last indefinitely. They're best served still slightly warm.

Steps:

• Beat the mixture without stopping for 30 minutes. Sufficient to fill 24 cakes.