Twinkies- gluten-free, top 8 allergen free
We have a brand new recipe for gluten-free, Top 8 Allergen Free Twinkies! Growing up in the 80's we ate Twinkies and loved them. It never occurred to us that having an eternal shelf life was bad. Ha ha. We just loved the spongey tube shaped cakes with cream in the middle. They were only special treats for us though, not a regular treat so they felt even more special.
As you know, we love to recreate any and everything to be gluten-free and Top 8 Free so these eventually made it on our list. Our kids didn't even know what Twinkies were so they didn't have a reference point for them. That didn't stop us from making them knowing our kids would love them. Twinkies are a fun little treat to make at home with real and organic ingredients. They sure beat the ones with no expiration date that we ate as kids. These Twinkies have the perfect sponge cake and the most amazing cream filling. We added a chocolate ganache on top which makes these even more incredible. Of course the ganache isn’t necessary, but we do suggest trying it! If you don't have a Twinkie pan or mini hotdog bun pan, we have given you an option to make this as a cake. Head on over to grab one of our Rustic Scoop™ Pancake Mixes so you can make these fun treats!
Twinkies
Ingredients
1 Cup Granulated sugar of choice
1 ¼ Cup Egg whites, 15 Tablespoons of Aquafaba, OR powdered egg replacer for 5 eggs
⅔ Cup Oil of choice
⅓ Cup Plain yogurt of choice
¾ Cup Milk of choice
1 teaspoon Vanilla
2 teaspoons White vinegar
Filling Ingredients
¼ Cup Butter of choice
2 ¾ Cups Powdered sugar
1 ½ Cups Marshmallow fluff (if you can’t eat store bought, here is our recipe)
1 teaspoon Vanilla
Ganache Ingredients
1 ½ Cups Chocolate chips
2 teaspoons Coconut oil or shortening
6-9 Tablespoons Milk of choice (depending how thick you want it)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray twinkie pan with nonstick spray (avocado oil doesn’t work). If you do not have a Twinkie pan, you can make tin foil boats using a spice jar to mold the boats, or you can just make two small sheet cakes and put the fluff in the middle.
In a mixing bowl, place your Rustic Scoop™ Pancake Mix and sugar of choice together. Mix until well combined. Next, add the milk and yogurt to the mixing bowl and mix until just barely combined. Now add the rest of the liquid ingredients to the bowl and mix on medium speed until well combined and smooth.
Fill each section of the Twinkie pan, or foil boats with batter until about ⅔ full. Be sure to not overfill or you will end up with a strange shaped twinkie that will be difficult to fill and set nicely. If you are making two cakes, either use two 8 inch round pans or two 8 inch square pans.
If using a Twinkie pan or foil boats, bake on 350°F for 18-20 minutes. Don’t overcook or these will be dry. If you are baking cakes, bake for approximately 25-35 minutes at 350°F. Use a toothpick in the middle to be sure the cake is done. The toothpick should come out clean when the cake is done.
While your cakes are baking, make the filling. In a mixing bowl put the powdered sugar, vanilla, and butter, Mix on medium until combined. Next, add the marshmallow fluff and mix on medium speed until smooth and well combined.
Once your cakes are done, take them out of the pan and place them on a cooling rack. After they have cooled, use a chopstick to make an open center of your cakes. You will want to gently push the chopstick into the end of the twinkie. On your way back out, gently rotate the chopstick making the inside as hollow as you can without breaking the sides of the cake. Prepare a piping bag or ziplock bag with a piping nozzle tip, fill half way with filling. Insert the nozzle as far in the twinkie cake as you can without breaking the cake. Gently squeeze filling into the cake, being sure to fill the cavity without breaking the cake. You can feel the cake getting full if you hold it with one hand while piping with the other. Fill all the way by squeezing as you gently pull the nozzle out of the cake. Repeat until all of the cakes are filled.
If you made an 8 inch round or square cake, smother filling on the top of one cake half evenly, then place the other half on top.
To make your ganache, place all ingredients in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second increments until the chocolate chips begin to melt. At this point, stir with a spoon until the rest of the mix is melted. Drizzle over the top of your Twinkies. Enjoy!