This 20th-century icon of junk food has been the king of snack cakes since its creation in the 1930's. An inventive baker created the product to utilize strawberry shortcake equipment that lay dormant when strawberries were out of season. The Twinkie was originally filled with banana cream, but was replaced with vanilla when bananas were rationed in World War II. Reintroduced in recent years, Banana Twinkies are enjoying a resurgence of popularity. Legend has it that the name was inspired by an ad for Twinkle-Toe Shoes. (Shoes don't exactly inspire my appetite, but hey, to each his own!)
Make these look-a-likes for your next bake-sale or birthday party, and be the envy of all the other oven jockeys!
Ingredients
- 6 eggs
- [3/4] cup sugar
- 1[3/4] cup cake flour
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 cup Simple Syrup (see recipe below)
- [1/2] recipe Sweetened Whipped Cream (see recipe below)
- [1/2] recipe Vanilla Frosting (see recipe below)
Method
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat 6 mini loaf pans with pan spray. Combine eggs and sugar in a large bowl. Set the bowl over a pot of simmering water, and whisk it continuously until the eggs are warmed and sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and continue whisking until thick, foamy and pale yellow.
- Sift flour and salt over eggs all at once, and fold together, being careful not to deflate. Transfer batter to prepared pans, filling [3/4] full. Bake until golden brown and firm, about 15-20 minutes. Cool cakes 10 minutes, and while still warm, invert to remove from pan. Brush each cake with simple syrup, then cool completely.
- Fold together whipped cream and vanilla frosting. Use a chopstick to make a hole at each end of each cake. Fit a pastry bag with a small plain pastry tip. Fill the bag with the cream mixture, insert tip, and inject cream until you feel the cake expanding. Repeat on each end, and with all cakes. Makes about 6 cakes.
Simple Syrup
This recipe is a pastry shop staple ingredient. It's used as a glaze, a base for sorbets, sauces and syrups, and a sweetener. As you probably guessed by the name, the recipe is super simple. Keep some on hand. It will last for weeks in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups water
Method
- Combine sugar and water in a large saucepan. Set over high heat and bring to a boil. At the boil, remove from heat, strain through a fine mesh strainer, and cool completely. Store in the refrigerator. Makes about 4 cups.
Sweetened Whipped Cream
The French name of this all-purpose topping is Crème Chantilly. The flavor should be subtly sweet, not cloying, because it is generally used to top desserts already sweetened. The flavor is easily changed to suit any recipe.
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream, well chilled
- 3 TB. sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Method
- In a large bowl, combine cream, sugar and vanilla. Using a whisk or an electric mixer, whip cream until soft peaks appear. Watch carefully as the cream continues to stiffen, and stop when it reaches medium peaks. Use immediately, or chill for up to 30 minutes. Makes 3-4 cups.
Vanilla Frosting
Ingredients
- 12 oz. (1[1/2] sticks) butter, softened
- 2 TB. vanilla extract
- 3[1/2] cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/4] cup heavy whipping cream
Method
- Cream butter in a large bowl with a sturdy spoon or electric mixer until smooth and lump free. Add vanilla. Slowly add half the powdered sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add half the cream, and mix well. Add the remaining sugar and beat until fluffy. Makes about 5 cups.
Leslie Bilderback - Leslie Bilderback, CMB Author of seven books in the The Complete Idiot's Guide and Everything series, a regular column in the Los ...
