Ding Dong
intro
Rich, moist mini chocolate cakes filled with fluffy vanilla marshmallow creme and coated in a snappy chocolate shell: the nostalgic, handheld American snack cake made fresh from scratch.
Ingredients
Steps
Bake chocolate cake base
Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F), then grease a 9x13 inch rectangular baking pan. In a large bowl, whisk flour, cocoa powder, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined. Add melted butter, room temperature milk, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla, then mix with a hand mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes until smooth with no remaining lumps. Pour batter into the prepared pan, spread evenly, and bake for 18-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let the cake cool completely in the pan for 30 minutes on a wire rack before assembling.
Cut individual cake rounds
Once the cake is fully cooled, use a 2.5 inch (6cm) round cookie cutter to punch out 16 even circular cake discs; reserve leftover cake edges for snacking. Carefully slice each disc horizontally through the middle to make two thin, equal cake layers, then set all layers on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Whip vanilla creme filling
In a medium bowl, beat the 57g of softened butter with a hand mixer on medium-high speed for 2 minutes until pale and fluffy. Add marshmallow creme, remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla, and powdered sugar, then beat on low speed for 1 minute before increasing to medium speed for 2 more minutes, until the filling is smooth, light, and holds soft peaks. Transfer the finished filling to a piping bag fitted with a ½ inch round tip.
Assemble filled cake stacks
Pipe 1 tablespoon of creme filling evenly onto the center of 8 of the thin cake layers, leaving a ¼ inch border around the edge. Top each filled layer with a second thin cake layer, press gently to spread the filling almost to the edges without oozing out the sides. Place the assembled cake stacks on the parchment-lined tray, then freeze for 15 minutes to firm up before coating.
Melt chocolate coating
While the cake stacks chill, combine chopped semi-sweet chocolate and coconut oil in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of gently simmering water (double boiler, ensure no water touches the bottom of the bowl). Stir constantly over medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes until the chocolate is fully smooth with no lumps, and reaches 32°C (90°F). Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes before using.
Coat cakes in chocolate
Remove chilled cake stacks from the freezer. Working one at a time, place a cake stack on a fork, lower it fully into the melted chocolate to coat every side, then lift and let excess chocolate drip off for 10 seconds. Place the coated cake back on the parchment-lined tray. Once all cakes are coated, refrigerate for 20 minutes until the chocolate shell is fully set and firm to the touch. For the classic look, pipe a thin 1-inch zigzag of leftover creme filling across the top of each cake, then chill 5 more minutes to set.
Tips
2.Use refined coconut oil for the chocolate coating instead of unrefined to avoid a strong coconut flavor that overpowers the chocolate and vanilla creme.
3.Store finished Ding Dongs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 1 month for an easy, make-ahead treat.
OMG, these homemade ding dongs are a GAME CHANGER! I made them for my son’s 4th grade class party and every single kid asked for seconds, even the picky eaters who turn down every store-bought treat. The creamy filling is way better than the original, no weird aftertaste at all. Took me a little over 2 hours total, totally worth the effort.
Tried these last weekend for a football watch party with the guys, and they were gone in 10 minutes flat. I messed up the chocolate glaze the first time (heated it too fast, seized up) but the second batch came out perfect. Will definitely make again, even if it’s a little more work than picking up a box at the gas station.
SO excited to try this recipe! Quick question before I dive in this weekend—has anyone swapped the all purpose flour for a 1:1 gluten free blend with success? My sister has celiac and is coming for a visit, I’d love to surprise her with these since ding dongs were her favorite snack as a kid.
My kids loved it! I packed these in their lunch boxes all last week as a special treat and they said all their friends were jealous. I will say, the first time I tried piping the filling I made a huge mess, so next time I’m using a bigger piping tip.
I grew up eating ding dongs after school every day, so I was super skeptical a homemade version could live up to the nostalgia. Let me tell you—this is BETTER than the ones I remember. The chocolate shell has that perfect snap, the filling is fluffy not overly sweet, and the cake is so moist. 10/10, no notes.
Uh oh, I’m a total beginner and this is marked medium difficulty—should I even attempt this? I’ve only ever made boxed brownies before, but my boyfriend is obsessed with ding dongs and I want to make them for his birthday.
Made these for my office potluck yesterday and I’m pretty sure I got 3 different job offers from people who loved them that much. Joking, but seriously, people were coming up to me for the recipe an hour after the potluck ended. I added a tiny pinch of sea salt to the chocolate glaze and it elevated everything so much, highly recommend that little tweak.
These pair SO good with a hot cup of black coffee in the morning, no shame. I made a batch on Sunday and have been grabbing one on my way out the door for work all week, they hold up really well in an airtight container in the fridge. Way better than the sad granola bars I usually keep for quick breakfasts.
Full transparency: I burned the first batch of cake circles because I got distracted watching my dog chase a squirrel in the backyard. Don’t be like me, set a timer! The second batch came out flawless though, and even the slightly burnt edges got eaten by my roommate who has zero standards for sweets.
Has anyone tried freezing these? I do big Sunday meal prep sessions for my family of 5 and would love to stash a bunch in the freezer for quick after school snacks if they freeze well.
I used dark chocolate (70% cacao) for the glaze instead of semi-sweet and it was *chef’s kiss*. I’m not a huge fan of super sweet desserts, so this cut the sweetness perfectly and paired so well with the vanilla cream filling. Will absolutely be making these on repeat.
I made mini versions of these for my daughter’s slumber party last weekend and the girls went wild. I used a 2-inch round cutter instead of the 3-inch the recipe calls for, and they were the perfect bite-sized snack for a bunch of hyper 12 year olds running around the house. Even the other moms were asking for the recipe!
I was so nervous to make these for my first ever dinner party, but they were a total hit! The only note I have is that my glaze was a little thinner than the photos in the recipe, did I do something wrong? It still tasted amazing, just dripped a little down the sides more than I expected.
Help! My filling came out runny no matter how long I whipped it. Did I use the wrong kind of shortening? I used butter instead because I didn’t have shortening on hand, maybe that’s the issue? They still tasted good, just oozed out the sides every time someone took a bite.
I swapped the dairy for coconut cream and vegan chocolate chips to make these vegan for my cousin’s birthday, and even the non-vegan people at the party said they were incredible. You couldn’t even tell they were dairy free! Definitely a make again recipe, even for people who don’t eat vegan.
I’ll be honest, I thought these would be way too fussy to make on a Saturday afternoon, but the steps are way simpler than I thought they’d be. The cake is so moist, the filling is fluffy, the chocolate coating has that perfect crunch just like the store bought ones but without all the weird preservatives. My wife said these are better than any dessert I’ve ever grilled (which is a high bar, let me tell you).
These taste exactly like the ding dongs I used to trade my Lunchables for in middle school, I’m not even kidding. I was worried they wouldn’t live up to the hype, but the first bite took me straight back to 1998 sitting in the school cafeteria. I did add a little extra vanilla to the filling because I’m a vanilla fiend, and it was perfect.