Giant Twinkie Bundt Cake

This homemade giant Twinkie Bundt Cake was born out of necessity. Necessity I tell you.

Remember a few years ago when there were going to be no more Twinkies ever?? ?

I never realized just how sad I’d be to see a favorite childhood snack gone. For-ev-er (or so I thought). Until it happened in 2012.

My two favorite extra lunch money indulgences, HoHos and Twinkies were reportedly being taken off the market. I remember people saying things like “Well, they just aren’t a healthy option. Americans are wising up.”

Hmmm… don’t think so. But that’s a nice optimistic thought.

Why did they stop making Twinkies for awhile?

The real reason was actually quite controversial and quite frankly, a little shady.

If you never got the full scoop or somehow missed this moment in history, you can read this article that talks about the behind-the-scenes politics that were at play when Twinkies (and their chocolatey friends, HoHos) were taken off the market.

Thankfully in 2013 balance to the universe was restored.  Twinkie and HoHo lovers everywhere rejoiced and the American level of health-conscientiousness remained relatively the same, somewhere between “I’m making healthy eating choices daily” and “YUM, that was delicious.”

It’s always best to know how to make something yourself, just in case. 😉

So, this homemade Twinkie bundt cake is for all of you still in fear that there might be another scarcity of Twinkies OR for the truly health conscious American who enjoys a good Twinkie but would like the ability to eliminate some of the “junk” ingredients typically found in super processed foods.

Watch step-by-step how to make this Giant Twinkie Bundt Cake!

What ingredients are in this Twinkie Bundt Cake?

All you need are 6 ingredients to make this fun cake! 7 if you want to finish things off with powdered sugar.

Here’s everything you  need: yellow cake mix, eggs, water, cooking oil, Pillsbury Fluffy Frost Vanilla Marshmallow Frosting, baking spray, powdered sugar (optional).

Tips for baking the perfect Twinkie Bundt Cake

You don’t need any special tools to inject the fluffy marshmallow icing inside other than a plastic sandwich bag and a clean finger, but you will need a bundt pan. Here’s the one I use: Nordic Ware Original Bundt Cake Pan

Also, ever wondered how to keep cake from sticking to your bundt pan? First, make sure the bundt pan is nonstick, then here’s the secret: Baker’s Joy. This stuff! It’s a game changer.

Thoroughly coat the bundt pan with Baker’s Joy spray not cooking spray. Baking spray contains flour. Use baking spray and the cake should come out easily looking perfect. It does help to loose up around the edges with a small spatula.

Never fear though, if your cake comes out in more than one piece, then sprinkle on some powdered sugar to cover up any cracks. 😉

and… TA-DA!! Perfect.

Helpful Tools for Making this Twinkie Bundt Cake:

• Bundt Pan
• Thin Rubber Spatula
• Cooling Rack
• Piping Bag
• Cake Stand
• Serving Knife
• Powdered Sugar Shaker

Could you use Marshmallow Fluff instead of Marshmallow flavored frosting?

This first time I made this I did use marshmallow fluff. It was yummy. So you can use marshmallow fluff. However, I prefer to use marshmallow frosting now. Specifically, Pillsbury Fluffy Frost Vanilla Marshmallow.

I’ll explain why. The Marshmallow fluff is sticky and dense and unless you let the cake completely cool, it tends to melt into the cake so you get the flavor but not much of the Twinkie-like creme filling that you’d expect.

So, when I found out there was a marshmallow flavored frosting, I switched to using that. I prefer it. You still need to let the cake completely cool or the same melting/absorbing issue can occur. I live in a rural area so my grocery store has a pretty limited selection of frostings, however they do carry this flavor.

If you can’t find it though, then a vanilla frosting would work well too.

Prefer to make your own marshmallow frosting?

You can. Here’s a well-reviewed recipe for a homemade version of marshmallow frosting: view the frosting recipe here. One reviewer of this recipe on Pinterest had success with Martha Stewart’s homemade marshmallow filling, saying it was, “simple and awesome.” Here’s Martha Stewart’s homemade marshmallow filling recipe.

I have not personally tried either of these filling recipes so please feel free to leave a comment if you have about whether it’s worth the extra effort and what it tastes like so other readers can decide what they want to do. 🙂

What kind of cooking oil works best?

Any cooking oil with a high smoke point works. You can use coconut oil if you’d like but you do end up with a little coconut flavor and it’s not quite as Twinkie-like. A more neutral cooking oil like vegetable oil or corn works best.

Enjoy a bit of coconut flavor?

If you enjoy a hint of coconut flavor and want to use coconut oil, I find it’s easier to measure in liquid form. I spoon the oil into a glass measuring cup and microwave it for about 30 seconds. Add more as needed until you get to the right amount. It blends a bit better into the batter when it’s in liquid form too.

Want more easy dessert ideas?

If you love this Twinkie Bundt Cake, I bet you’ll love this Boston Cream Bundt Cake!

Browse all my dessert recipes

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This Giant Twinkie Bundt Cake was featured on South Your Mouth as the most clicked recipe of the week. 🙂

Giant Twinkie Bundt Cake

4.5 from 23 reviews

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Course: Desserts

Cuisine: American

Skill Level: Easy

Recipe Type: Easter Recipes, Kid-Friendly, Party Recipes, Pastries, Vegetarian

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Servings: 8 Servings

Yield: 1 cake

Ingredients

 

• ▢ 1 box yellow cake mix
• ▢ 3 eggs
• ▢ 1 cup water
• ▢ 1/2 cup cooking oil
• ▢ 1 cup Pillsbury Fluffy Frost Vanilla Marshmallow Frosting*
• ▢ Baking spray
• ▢ Powdered sugar optional

Instructions

• Prepare cake batter by stirring together cake mix, eggs, water and cooking oil until well blended and only slightly lumpy. Pour batter into a bundt pan coated with BAKING spray (contains flour) or grease and sprinkle lightly with flour. Bake at 350˚for 25-35 minutes. Cook time varies by pan so when the top of the cake starts to firm up, insert a toothpick into the middle of the cake, AS SOON AS it comes out clean, remove the cake. Be sure not to overcook or cake will become dry. It will be nice and moist if you cook it just until it sets!
• Once the bundt cake is done, remove from oven and cool. To speed up cooling, you can put the cake in the freezer for 30 minutes. (Note: Make sure you let the cake cool completely or the marshmallow filling will melt and be absorbed into the cake after you add it.)
• Once the cake is cooled, leave it in the pan and poke the cake almost all the way to the bottom of the pan (which will be the top of the cake). Move your finger from side to side to widen the cavity and allow in more frosting. Keep poking making your holes about 1 and a half inches apart.
• Next, fill up a sandwich bag with marshmallow frosting and cut one of the corner tips of the bag to create a pea-sized hole. Seal the bag and squeeze the bag to dispense the marshmallow frosting into each hole. Tip: Make sure to put the tip of the fluff bag as far into each hole as you can get so plenty of fluff gets into each poked hole.
• Using a tiny rubber spatula or butter knife, separate the sides of the cake from the bundt pan as best you can without cutting into the cake. Once the cake is nice and loose, place a flat plate or cake stand upside down on top of the bundt cake pan. Then gently turn both the bundt pan and cake pan over and let gravity do its thing. Carefully lift the bundt pan while you peak around all sides to see if the cake dropped evenly onto the plate.
• Top with sprinkled powdered sugar for a festive look.

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