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Homemade Twinkies Recipe

These homemade Twinkies look like the real deal but taste way better. And they're better cold or frozen!
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 25 people
Calories 3137.1 kcal

Equipment

  • 2 Jelly-roll Pans 10x15-inch, for baking the cake layers
  • 1 Electric Stand Mixer Or a hand mixer, essential for smooth batter and filling
  • 2 Large Mixing Bowls For cake batter and cream cheese filling
  • 2 Wire Cooling Racks For cooling the baked cakes completely
  • 1 Chef's knife For cleanly cutting the assembled bars

Ingredients
  

Main

  • 4 large eggs
  • ½ cup butter melted and cooled to lukewarm
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 5.1 ounce package instant vanilla pudding mix
  • 1 15.25 ounce package yellow cake mix
  • ½ cup butter room temperature
  • 1 8 ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
  • 5 cups confectioners' sugar sifted
  • 1 8 ounce container frozen whipped topping, thawed
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 10x15-inch jelly roll pans.
  • Make cake: Beat the eggs until combined; stir in the melted butter. Add the water, pudding mix, and yellow cake mix, stirring well to combine. The batter will be very thick. Divide the batter between the prepared pans, spreading evenly.
  • Bake in the preheated oven until the cakes spring back when pressed lightly with a finger or a tester comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely on wire racks.
  • Make filling: Combine butter, cream cheese, and confectioners' sugar in a large bowl. Beat until smooth. Stir in whipped topping and vanilla until incorporated.
  • Spread filling on top of one cooled cake layer. Place the second cooled cake layer on top and cut into bars. Wrap each bar in plastic wrap and store in the freezer.

Notes

Achieving a truly smooth, lump-free filling hinges on ensuring both butter and cream cheese are at proper room temperature. Beat them thoroughly before incorporating the sifted confectioners' sugar. The cake batter is intentionally thick; spread it meticulously evenly in the pans to ensure uniform baking and a consistent final product. For a more authentic 'Twinkie' aesthetic, consider using an oval pastry cutter to shape individual cakes before filling, though this will yield fewer servings and more trim. Chilling or freezing is crucial not just for firming the filling, but also for enhancing the dessert's unique texture and flavor profile.