Twinkies

By daiseyduck

Light, fluffy and spongy…these Twinkie cupcakes taste like everything a preservative and chemical-free Twinkie yearns to be. If you have a canoe pan, you can make authentic Twinkies at home. However, if you (like me) don’t have a fancy canoe pan you can also use cupcake pans and make Twinkie cupcakes.

Ingredients

• l 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup cold water
• 7 egg yolks
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 7 egg whites
• Twinkie Filling
• 2 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 Tablespoons salted butter, cold
• 4 Tablespoons shortening, cold
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

Details

Servings 1
Adapted from howtobaker.com

Preparation

Step 1

2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray two cupcake pans with nonstick cooking spray. Place egg whites in a medium bowl and beat with an electric mixer until very stiff.

Place all cupcake ingredients except for the egg whites in a large mixing bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer). Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Working in thirds, gently fold the egg whites into the cake batter. Be careful to not deflate the batter as you fold.

Using a small pitcher, fill each section of the prepared pans 3/4 full. The cakes will puff up quite a bit during baking but will shrink while cooling. Bake cupcakes in the preheated oven for 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown.

In a small saucepan, cook flour and milk over medium heat until they form a paste. Stir constantly and don’t let the mixture turn brown. Remove from heat and allow flour mixture to cool for 1 minute. Add vanilla extract and stir until smooth. Gently press a piece of plastic wrap over the surface of the frosting paste to prevent it from forming a skin.

In a large mixing bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer), beat butter, shortening and sugar until fluffy. Scrape sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and add the cooled flour mixture. Continue to mix on medium-high for 5 minutes, or until smooth and creamy.

Place the prepared frosting into a small zip-top storage bag or pastry bag fitted with a round pastry tip. Gently insert the tip into the underside of each cupcake, about halfway through the cake. Gently squeeze a small amount of filling into the cupcake. You should feel the cake expand under your fingers. Don’t overfill the cake or the frosting will burst through the top. Store cupcakes tightly covered at room temperature for up to 4 days.