This Hostess Cake is just like the classic nostalgic Hostess Cupcake. Rich chocolate cake is filled with whipped cream frosting and topped with dark chocolate ganache and that signature white squiggle.
If you love nostalgic desserts, try some of my other favorites like my Mini Mounds Bars, Homemade Worms in Dirt, or my Homemade Vanilla Oreo Cookies.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Hostess Cupcakes were a thing of dreams when I was a child. My mom despised Little Debbie and everything she stood for and never once bought the classic treats of the eighties that all my classmates had each day at lunch. On the rare occasion I was lucky enough to get one, I savored every bite!
So, this Hostess Cake is an ode to the nostalgic Hostess Cupcakes because it will remind you of exactly that. Rich chocolate cake, whipped cream filling, dark chocolate ganache, and that signature white squiggle. But, it's also an ode to my mom because this cake is completely organic and one you can feel good about indulging in!
Tips for Making a Hostess Cake
• Make the Chocolate Ganache ahead of time, so it has time to cool to room temperature. You want the ganache to be room temperature so it just coats the top of the cake and doesn't run down the sides too much. I prefer to use my Vegan Dark Chocolate Ganache recipe for this cake, as I feel the richness of the dark chocolate ganache is more similar to a Hostess Cupcake. But, if you don't want to make the vegan version, you can use my traditional Chocolate Ganache recipe as well.
• Make sure the cake is completely cooled before assembling. The filling is a whipped cream frosting, so it will suffer if the cake is warm at all. It also has to be stored in the fridge because of this filling.
• The decorating frosting is completely optional. It's only to make it look like the iconic Hostess Cupcake, it really serves no other purpose than that! So, if you want to skip this step, that's totally okay! Or if you bake frequently and have any sort of icing, cookie decorating frosting or writing frosting around – that will do too!
Ingredients for a Hostess Cake
Costco Kirkland Organic Cane Sugar
Lafaza Organic Ground Vanilla Bean
NuNaturals Organic Dutch Cocoa Powder
Organic Valley Heavy Whipping Cream
Florida Crystals Organic Powdered Sugar
Simply Organic Vanilla Extract
Why Organic
Why use organic ingredients in this recipe? You all know I’m a huge organic advocate, and I bet you may be thinking sometimes, Why would I even bother to use organic ingredients in something that is so sweet and indulgent? But, that is the exact reason why you should use organic ingredients! Sweet things need to have flavor in order to be good, otherwise they are just sweet and they don’t taste like much else. Organic ingredients are more pure than conventional ones, therefore they actually have more flavor than the non organic options. Say it with me, organic means more flavor! And not just more flavor but a more true and pure flavor. And organic ingredients are much healthier for you to eat in general as they do not contain GMOs or anything artificial. Plus, you are being environmentally friendly when you choose organic ingredients!
So, I highly recommend that you buy the best organic ingredients for this recipe! You can also shop my Amazon Storefront for all my favorite organic ingredients here. Tip – hover over each ingredient to see the name. And if you want to learn more about organic foods and the difference, read my post here on Food Labels and What They Mean.
The iconic Hostess Cupcake turned into one giant cake. This Hostess Cake is made of rich chocolate cake, filled with whipped cream, topped with chocolate ganache, and a signature squiggle.
Ingredients
- Batter
1/2 cup organic salted butter, softened
170 grams (3/4 cup) organic cane sugar
2 organic large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup organic milk, room temperature
1/4 cup organic heavy whipping cream, room temperature
1/4 cup organic sour cream, room temperature
127 grams (3/4 cup plus 2 1/2 tablespoons) organic cake flour
43 grams (1/2 cup) organic Dutch cocoa powder, sifted
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon organic ground vanilla bean
- Filling
1 cup organic heavy whipping cream
71 grams (1/2 cup) organic powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
- Topping
- Decorating Frosting
1 tablespoon organic salted butter, softened
71 grams (1/2 cup) organic powdered sugar, sifted
2 teaspoons organic milk
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two 6-inch cake pans with parchment paper.
- To make the batter: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter and cane sugar and mix on low until combined and there are no butter chunks.
- Add the eggs, milk, heavy whipping cream, and sour cream and mix on low to combine. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix so there are no butter chunks on the bottom or sides.
- In a separate bowl, add the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and sea salt and whisk together. With the mixer on low, slowly add in the cake flour mixture and mix on low until combined and you have a smooth cake batter.
- Divide evenly into the two cake pans, about 368 grams each.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely in the cake pans.
- To make the decorating frosting: In a medium mixing bowl, add the butter, powdered sugar, and milk and whisk until you have a smooth frosting. Transfer to a piping bag with decorating tip #6.
- To make the filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or using a hand mixer), add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Whisk on low and gradually increase speed until stiff peaks form.
- To assemble the cake, place the first cake layer on a cake plate or spinner. Add the filling on top and spread evenly. Place the second cake layer on top. I went around the sides with a cake spatula as well to smooth it.
- Add chocolate ganache on top, enough to cover the top of the cake. Pipe squiggles on top in one line down the middle of the cake.
- Serve immediately or store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Gluten Free – Replace the cake flour with 127 grams (3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon) organic gluten free flour blend.
- High Altitude – Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
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