Secrets from the Cookie Princess: Homemade Twinkies

Yup. I made them and they are awesome. I'll ignore the whole Twinkie shortage outrage of 2013 and just say, I'm glad I stumbled across this pan at Bed Bath and Beyond for $4. Yup, I bought the pan for cheaper than an actual box of Twinkies. And they are easy. Plus I can pronounce everything in them. Oh, yeah, and they taste good. Better than the real thing, I think. The cakes are light and fluffy with just about nothing to them and the filling is sweet and creamy, slightly thinner than the store-bought version but perfect for these homemade treats. I'm so excited to have this pan. If you follow me on Facebook, then you might have seen me suggest running to the clearance department of your nearest Bed Bath and Beyond with your 20% off coupon for the ultimate baking equipment score. Hopefully they still have some left!

So the pan is from Wilton and called the delectoval pan. And this recipe is actually right from the packaging. I followed the recipe instructions, but did note the amount of time it took to beat some of the ingredients to acquire the proper texture. I didn't realize exactly what a Bismarck 230 tip was when I made these (it's this), so I just used a small piping tip. While I could feel the twinkies swell in my hand when I filled them, it wasn't the even tunnel of filling that we know and love from Hostess. So I bought the right tip to make sure next time they are properly filled. Totally worth the few bucks. I'm so happy I got this pan. I'm thinking chocolate and peanut butter might be next!

Homemade Twinkies

Ingredients

1/2 cup cake flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, divided
3 Tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
2-3 teaspoons milk

In a small bowl, sift flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Separate eggs, placing whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat until the egg whites begin to foam, then add cream of tartar and whip on high speed for 3-5 minutes until soft peaks form. Gently transfer whites to a clean bowl. Clean and dry work bowl. (Or if you're crazy like me and have a second work bowl for your stand mixer, leave whites as is and use second bowl.)

Beat egg yolks for a minute, then add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and continue beating. Gradually add sugar and beat for another 2-3 minutes until pale in color and double in size.

Use a large spatula to fold about a third of the egg whites into the egg yolks. Fold in remaining egg whites until combined.

Fold in flour mixture just until fully incorporated.

Divide batter among greased cavities in the twinkie pan, about 3/4 full and smooth over the tops.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 6-8 minutes until tops spring back and cakes are golden in color.

Remove from oven and transfer to wire rack to cool. While cakes cool, prepare filling.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat butter on high until creamy, about 2 minutes, scraping bowl as needed.

Reduce speed to low and gradually add powdered sugar. Once added and incorporated, increase speed to medium. Add remaining vanilla and milk, increase speed to high and beat until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.