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Are Twinkies Back?

Danielle Tarasiuk |
January 25, 2013 | 2:02 p.m. PST

Executive Producer

Photo by Calgary Reviews/Creative Commons
Photo by Calgary Reviews/Creative Commons
It looks as though Twinkies will live on for at least one more generation of bagged school lunches, but they may be coming back with a hipster twist. C. Dean Metropoulos & Co, the company that owns PBR, the ultimate beer in quenching hipster thirst, is planning to buy Hostess Brands Inc.

Daren Metropoulos, the co-owner of Pabst Brewing Company told Bloomberg News that, “We continue to be very engaged in the bidding process. We are working diligently to get a deal done.”

People went on a Twinkies shopping spree last November when Hostess announced its bankruptcy, but now will the sugary snack that is rumored to be able to survive a nuclear war survive bankruptcy? And if the deal does fall through here are some homemade Twinkie recipe options to satisfy the craving.

From The New York Times:

FOR THE CAKES:

Nonstick cooking spray or vegetable oil

60 grams (1/2 cup) cake flour

30 grams (1/4 cup) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons milk

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

5 large eggs at room temperature, separated

12 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

FOR THE FILLING:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

165 grams (1 1/2 cups) confectioners’ sugar

3/4 cup Marshmallow Fluff

2 tablespoons heavy cream.

Directions

1. For the cakes: Heat the oven to 350 degrees and adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position.

2. To make single-use Twinkie molds, cut 12 pieces of aluminum foil 12 inches wide by 14 inches long. Fold each piece of foil in half lengthwise, then fold it in half again to create a rectangle that’s about 6 inches long and 7 inches wide. Repeat to make a dozen rectangles.

3. Place one sheet of folded foil on a work surface with a standard-size spice jar on its side in the center of the foil. Bring the long sides of the foil up around the jar, folding the sides and ends as necessary to make a tight trough-shape from which the jar can be removed. Repeat to make 12 foil molds. Spray generously with nonstick spray or coat with vegetable oil. Place the molds on a baking sheet.

4. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt. In a small saucepan over low heat, heat the milk and butter until the butter melts. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla. Cover to keep warm.

5. Using a standing mixer, beat the egg whites on high speed until foamy. Gradually add 6 tablespoons of the sugar and the cream of tartar and continue to beat until the whites reach soft peaks.

6. Transfer the beaten egg whites to a large bowl and add the egg yolks to the standing mixer bowl (there’s no need to clean the bowl). Beat the egg yolks with the remaining 6 tablespoons sugar on medium-high speed until the mixture is very thick and a pale lemon color, about 5 minutes. Add the beaten egg whites to the yolks, but do not mix.

7. Sprinkle the flour mixture over the egg whites and then mix everything on low speed for just 10 seconds. Remove the bowl from the mixer, make a well in one side of the batter, and pour the melted butter mixture into the bowl. Fold gently with a large rubber spatula until the batter shows no trace of flour and the whites and yolks are evenly mixed, about 8 strokes.

8. Immediately scrape the batter into the prepared molds, filling each with about

3/4 inch of batter. Bake until the cake tops are light brown and feel firm and spring back when touched, 13 to 15 minutes. Transfer the pan containing the molds to a wire rack and allow the cakes to cool in the molds.

9. For the filling: Using a mixer, beat together the butter, confectioners’ sugar and Marshmallow Fluff. Add the cream and beat just until smooth.

10. Just before filling the cakes, remove them from the foil. Using the end of a chopstick, poke three holes in the bottom of each cake. Wiggle the tip of the chopstick to make room for the filling. Transfer the frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch round tip. Pipe frosting into the holes in each cake, taking care not to overfill, until it gently expands. Unlike real Twinkies, these won’t last indefinitely. They’re best served still slightly warm.

Yield: 12 homemade Twinkies.

 

From Allrecipes.com:

Ingredients:

Cake:

4 eggs

1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled to lukewarm

1 cup water

1 (5.1 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix

1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix

Filing:

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature

5 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

  1. 1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 10x15 inch jelly roll pans.
  2. 2. Beat the eggs until combined; stir in the melted butter. Add the water, pudding mix, and yellow cake mix, stirring well to combine. The batter will be very thick. Divide the batter between the prepared pans, spreading it evenly.
  3. 3. Bake until the cakes spring back when pressed lightly with a finger or a tester comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely on wire racks.
  4. 4. To make the filling, combine the room-temperature butter, cream cheese, and confectioners' sugar. Beat until smooth. Stir in the whipped topping and vanilla extract.
  5. 5. When the cakes are cool, spread the filling mixture on top of one cake layer. Place the second cake layer on top of the first, and cut into bars. Wrap each bar in plastic wrap and store in the freezer.
Email Danielle Tarasiuk here or follow her on Twitter.


 

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