Looking for the best Ding Dong Cake recipe? This copycat version is better than Hostess with chocolate cake layers, lots of fluffy cream filling, and covered in rich chocolate ganache.
Learn how to make ding dong cake with a cake mix or from scratch with easy step-by-step instructions!
Was there really anything better than opening your packed school lunch to find a Hostess or Little Debbie’s snack cake?
When I was little, special treats like Hostess cupcakes or Little Debbie’s oatmeal cream pies were reserved field trip lunches. Those desserts, paired with a foil wrapped can of Big Red, meant I pretty much hit the epic lunch jackpot.
Now this ding dong cake recipe is heavily requested for birthday cake celebrations. We can’t get enough of this heavenly chocolate layer cake filled with a thick layer of fluffy vanilla cream filling.
It tastes like you’ve hit the epic cake jackpot!
How to Make Easy Ding Dong Cake
Making layered ding dong cake is a three part process. First make and cool homemade chocolate cake layers or cake mix layers.
This recipe uses a two layer chocolate cake recipe made from scratch, but cake mix may be substituted. I prefer to make homemade cake so I can prepare it gluten free. Gluten free cake adaptations are included in the recipe card below.
Making the cake, regular or gluten free, is very simple though! All the ingredients are mixed together in one bowl in under 5 minutes. Pour the batter into two 9 inch layer pans and bake.
If you prefer to make ding dong cake using a cake mix, instructions are also included in the recipe card.
While the cakes are baking and cooling, prepare the filling. The filling also needs time to cool, so plan ahead accordingly.
Lastly, mix together the two ingredient chocolate ganache. The ganache will also need time to cool and thicken before pouring over the cake.
Below I go into more detail about each component, answer any potential questions, and describe how the cake is assembled.
Ding Dong Cake Filling
A drawback of store bought Ding Dongs, Ho Hos, or Twinkies is the skimpy layer of cream filling. 😟Homemade ding dong cake solves that problem with a thick layer of identically tasting filling. 😋
Some ding dong cake recipes use cream cheese or marshmallow fluff in the cake filling. While, delicious, these flavors don’t mimic the taste of the nostalgic ding dongs.
A filling commonly used in gluten-free whoopie pies, known as ermine frosting, has the familiar taste and texture of ding dongs.
Making ermine filling involves a couple steps, but is actually quite easy. The biggest tip to remember is to make sure all the ingredients are room temperature before mixing!
- Whisk together half and half or whole milk with flour in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until very thick, almost the consistency of pudding. Remove from heat, add vanilla, and set aside to cool completely.
- Once the boiled milk is cooled to room temperature, beat together softened butter and sugar until very light and fluffy. This will take about 3 minutes.
- Add the cooled milk mixture to the butter / sugar bowl and beat on high until the filling is the consistency of whipped cream. This takes 5-7 minutes.
Ding dong cake filling can be mixed with an electric mixer or stand mixer. Using a stand mixer is easier since there is so much mixing involved, but either equipment works!
Ding Dong Cake with Cake Mix
Simplify ding dong cake recipe by using a cake mix instead. Use your preferred store bought chocolate cake mix or devil’s food layer cake.
Mix together the cake mix according to the package directions. Pour into two 9 inch prepared pans that are greased and lined with parchment paper cut to size on the bottom.
Bake according the time and temperature listed for layer cake. Once a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, cool in the pans for 5 minutes. Turn cakes onto a wire rack to cool completely before filling.
How to Make Chocolate Ganache for Cake
Making chocolate ganache requires only two ingredients – heavy cream and semi sweet chocolate chips.
Measure the chocolate chips into a heat proof bowl. Then warm the cream in a small saucepan until it starts to bubble around the edges and simmer gently.
The heavy cream may be heated in the microwave as well, but I find the stove top method more reliable. If the cream boils or overheats, it could burn the chocolate, which causes the mixture to separate.
Slowly add the hot cream to the chocolate chip bowl. Let the cream sit for 2-3 minutes so the chocolate softens. Stir until completely smooth.
At this point the mixture will be runny, so it needs time to cool and thicken. Let the ganache sit for 20 – 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, before pouring over the assembled cake.
Salted Chocolate Ganache
This recipe was initially inspired by Bon Appetit’s ding dong cake, which uses a homemade salted caramel sauce mixed with bittersweet chocolate.
While fantastic tasting, it’s complex and more laborious to make. Luckily I figured out a shortcut to mimic the salted chocolate ganache taste without the extra steps and time!
Prepare simple chocolate ganache, but add 1 teaspoon fine sea salt or fleur de sel to the hot mixture.
If you aren’t a fan of “salted” desserts, omit the salt and stick with traditional ganache.
Assembling Layered Ding Dong Cake
- Place the bottom layer cake, top down, on a cake platter or serving plate. Tuck strips of parchment or wax paper under the cake edges to “catch” drips and excess ganache.
- Top the bottom layer with all the cream filling. Use an offset spatula to smooth to edges.
- Place second cake layer, top down, onto filling. Press down gently so the filling pushes all the way to edge. Use an offset spatula to smooth sides.
- Refrigerate cake for at least 30 minutes while ganache is prepared and cooled.
- For a perfectly smooth frosting finish, pour a thin layer of ganache on top of the cake, reserving at least half. Smooth the ganache over the top and down the sides. Use offset spatula to pull the ganache around the cake sides. It doesn’t matter if the cake isn’t completely covered at this point.
- Refrigerate the cake for 5 minutes for the ganache to harden and solidify.
- Repeat process with another layer of ganache, making sure top and sides are covered completely.
- If desired, sprinkle additional sea salt or fleur de sel on top of cake. Gently remove wax paper strips. Refrigerate for 10 minutes for ganache to set completely before cutting and serving.
Does Ding Dong Cake Have to Be Refrigerated?
Since the filling has butter in it, ding dong cake should be refrigerated if you aren’t planning on serving it within 6 hours.
The cake does not need to be covered (unless you have a cake dome. Just pop the whole cake in the refrigerator.
However, this is very important to remember! The filling will solidify upon refrigeration and lose its light, fluffy, and heavenly texture.
For maximum tastiness, remember to set the cake out at least 5-6 hours to come to room temperature before serving!
Freezing Hostess Ding Dong Cake
Ding Dong Cake may be made ahead and frozen whole or individual pieces.
Freezing whole cake: Place cake in freezer, uncovered, to solidify. Once frozen, wrap cake securely with plastic wrap, then cover with foil.
To thaw, unwrap the cake and thaw up to 2 days in the refrigerator. Sit out at room temperature for 6 hours before serving.
Freezing leftover cake pieces: Slice leftover cake and wrap individual pieces in plastic wrap. Place pieces on a baking sheet and freeze until firm. Transfer frozen pieces to ziplock freezer bag.
To thaw, place wrapped cake pieces on counter for 2-3 hours, or until cake reaches room temperature.
Important Tips for Making Layered Ding Dong Cake
- Line bottom of cake pans with parchment so layers release easily.
- Assemble the cake layers with filling and refrigerate to set. During this time prepare and cool ganache.
- Placing the cake layers top down makes the cake layers even and smooth on top.
- Allow time for ganache to cool and thicken for 20-30 minutes before pouring over cake.
- To make “salted” chocolate ganache add 1 teaspoon fine sea salt or fleur de sel to the hot mixture and stir.
- For a perfectly smooth frosting finish pour ganache on in two layers, refrigerating for 5 minutes in between.
- If the ganache becomes too thick between frosting layers, heat on very low heat until pourable again.
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Ding Dong Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour for gluten free adaption I highly recommend Cup4Cup gluten free flour
- 2 cups sugar
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder optional
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup vegetable or canola oil
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling water
Chocolate Ganache:
- 2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
- 1 ⅓ cups heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon Fleur De Sel (or fine sea salt), optional
Filling:
- 5 Tablespoons flour, for gluten free adaption I used Cup4Cup gluten free flour
- 1 cup half and half or whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350º F. Prepare two 9-inch cake pans by spraying with cooking spray, lining pans with cut-to-size parchment on bottom, and then spraying the parchment. Set aside.
- In a large bowl add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and (optional) espresso powder. Whisk to combine or, using your paddle attachment on stand mixer, mix until combined.
- Add milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture. Mix on medium speed until well combined. Reduce speed to low and slowly add boiling water to the cake batter. Once the water is mixed in, increase to high speed and mix for 1 minute.
- Distribute cake batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and cool in pans for 10 minutes. Turn cakes onto wire rack to cool completely.
Filling:
- In a medium saucepan whisk together flour and half and half. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until very thick and the consistency of pudding. This will take about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Set aside to cool completely. Mixture will become very thick.
- In a mixing bowl, beat together 1 cup softened butter and granulated sugar until very fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add cooled flour/milk mixture to butter/sugar mixture. Beat on high until light and fluffy, about 7 minutes. Beating the filling for a long time makes is fluffier and removes any potential graininess from the sugar. It should be the consistency of whipped cream.
Ganache:
- Place the chocolate chips into a heat proof bowl. Warm the heavy cream in a small saucepan until it starts to bubble around the edges and simmer gently.The heavy cream may be heated in the microwave as well, but I find the stove top method more reliable. If the cream boils or overheats, it could burn the chocolate, which causes the mixture to separate.
- Slowly add the hot cream to the chocolate chip bowl. Let the cream sit for 2-3 minutes so the chocolate softens. Stir until completely smooth. Stir in salt, if making salted chocolate ganache.
- At this point the mixture will be runny, so it needs time to cool and thicken. Let the ganache sit for 20 – 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, before pouring over the assembled cake.
Assembly:
- Place the bottom layer cake, top down, on a cake platter or serving plate. Tuck strips of parchment or wax paper under the cake edges to "catch" drips and excess ganache.
- Top the bottom layer with all the cream filling. Use an offset spatula to smooth to edges.
- Place second cake layer, top down, onto filling. Press down gently so the filling pushes all the way to edge. Use an offset spatula to smooth sides.
- Refrigerate cake for at least 30 minutes while ganache is prepared and cooled.
- For a perfectly smooth frosting finish, pour a thin layer of ganache on top of the cake, reserving at least half. Smooth the ganache over the top and down the sides. Use offset spatula to pull the ganache around the cake sides. It doesn't matter if the cake isn't completely covered at this point.
- Refrigerate the cake for 5 minutes for the ganache to harden and solidify. Repeat process with another layer of ganache, making sure top and sides are covered completely.
- If desired, sprinkle additional sea salt or on top of cake. Gently remove wax paper strips. Refrigerate for 10 minutes for ganache to set completely before cutting and serving.
- If not serving within 6 hours, refrigerate cake. However, the filling will solidify upon refrigeration and loses its light, fluffy texture.For maximum tastiness, remember to set the cake out at least 5-6 hours to come to room temperature before serving!
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?? DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE FEEDBACK AND RATE BELOW!
Recipe Notes
Important Tips for Making Layered Ding Dong Cake
- Line bottom of cake pans with parchment so layers release easily.
- Assemble the cake layers with filling and refrigerate to set. During this time prepare and cool ganache.
- Placing the cake layers top down makes the cake layers even and smooth on top.
- Allow time for ganache to cool and thicken for 20-30 minutes before pouring over cake.
- To make “salted” chocolate ganache add 1 teaspoon fine sea salt or fleur de sel to the hot mixture and stir.
- For a perfectly smooth frosting finish pour ganache on in two layers, refrigerating for 5 minutes in between.
- If the ganache becomes too thick between frosting layers, heat on very low heat until pourable again.
Kelly Charbula says
The cake was delicious. It was very moist. Not sure if it tasted like a ding dong. I did not care for the frosting. I think milk chocolate chips would have been better than bittersweet. The taste didn’t meld with the richness of the cake.
Elizabeth Beene says
I love this cake it was a big hit at thanksgiving.and it really taste like a ding ding.
Melissa says
Hey Elizabeth,
I like how you think! I always have some sort of cake at Thanksgiving too. Glad it was such a hit and thank you for letting me know!
Best,
Melissa
Anonymous says
Substitute for fleur de sol is morton sea salt or kosher salt, both much cheaper then fleur de sol
Melissa says
Hello! Yes, sea salt would be a great, cheaper, substitution. The kosher salt you could use in the ganache to make it salted, but not for decorating. Fleur de sel doesn’t “melt” into toppings when garnishing. Sea salt holds up, but not as well. Thanks for writing!
Best,
Melissa
Karra says
This looks great! Any ideas on how to make the full peanut butter flavored? Thanks!
Melissa says
Looks like there might have been a typo, but I think you’re asking about making the filling peanut butter flavored? I haven’t adapted that filling to make it peanut butter, but here’s one I found that I think would go great with the cake. http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2013/04/peanut-butter-chocolate-mousse-layer-cake-recipe.html In fact, this seems like a phenomenal idea and I might have to give it a try…
Vanessa says
Hi, Melissa!
I recently made this cake for my family on Christmas day and everyone absolutely loved it (to the point where I only got a forkful of the cake, turned around, and the whole thing was gone). The ganache is absolutely heavenly and this whole recipe is most definitely a keeper! Thanks so much 🙂
Melissa says
Hi Vanessa! Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know. I’m so glad your family enjoyed it!
Melissa
Sojourner says
Hi there! I’m from the UK and I just wanted to check what consistency the filling is supposed to be at each stage of the process? I’ve made it at least 3 times and I’m having real trouble with making sure that the consistency is fluffy before putting it on the cake. I’ve made this without the filling and it is an absolute dream, so any tips on getting the filling right would be amazing! Thanks a million
Melissa says
Hello! Thanks for reaching out. When you combine the half and half with the flour and cook it, it should be like a very thick pudding. If you put this in the fridge to speed up the cooling before you add it to the butter / sugar, just make sure it’s back at room temperature. Room temperature ingredients is key for achieving a fluffy consistency. Beat the butter and sugar together until they are fluffy and begins to pale. I use my stand mixer for this, but if you are using a handheld you may have to do a few minutes longer. Then add the room temperature flour/half and half and beat again for 7-10 minutes. It should be very fluffy at this point, like whipped cream.
I’m not exactly sure why yours isn’t coming out fluffy unless you aren’t beating it long enough, or the ingredients aren’t at room temp. You can also give the filling in this recipe. http://www.mamagourmand.com/gigantic-little-debbies-oatmeal-cream-pie-cake/ It’s a different process, but they are very similar tasting. Good luck!
Lisa Gabos says
I am attempting to make this yummy looking desert for my son who is Gluten free for his birthday. The cake batter is very watery and flew all over the place when my stand mixer was mixing. Of course I reduced the speed but is this consistency normal? I was expecting something more similar to cake batter.
Melissa says
Hi Lisa, Yes, you’ll have to be very careful when drizzling the water in at low speed. Once it’s mixed in all the way, then you can increase the speed on your mixer. I’m not sure what type of gluten free flour you are using, but I usually use Cup 4 Cup. It has a very thick consistency, a lot more so than regular flour, but when it is baked you can not tell the difference at all. Hopefully your son will enjoy it!
Saskia says
Hello Melissa,
I came across this recipe and it looks to good so i have to make it. But i’m from Holland and i have no idea what you mean by 1 cup half and half…?!
Can you please help me with this?!
Sincerly,
Saskia
Melissa says
Hi Saskia, Thanks so much for asking because I can see how that can be confusing! I’m not familiar with how they sell dairy in Europe, but in the States we more or less have milk, half and half, and heavy cream. They all have different fat contents, so they are used for different things. I found a helpful article for you so you can find what your equivalent is in Holland. Let me know how it turns out! Melissa
Julie says
Thanks! Can’t wait to make it ?.
Julie says
Hi there!
This cake looks absolutely delicious and I look forward to making it BUT…I am not a fan of ‘salted’ anything. Can I delete the salt from the ganache and get the same result in texture? Do I need to substitute it with something? Thank you so much!
Melissa says
That wouldn’t be a problem at all. The salt is only for the taste, so it wouldn’t affect anything if you just omitted it. No need to substitute!
Darlene says
Kind of you Melissa. I am going to my panty now. This lush cake needs to be sitting on the cupboard waiting to be ravished by hubby and as soon as possible. Gosh that filling looks like something one could gobble up by the spoonful. YUMMY.
Thanks for sharing.
Darlene
Darlene says
That is hilarious Melissa. Thanks so much. I will be chuckling about that for the rest of the day.
Other probably recognize that brand, I have never seen it hear in NS.
Thanks so much Melissa.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Darlene
Melissa says
No worries at all! If you had the question, I’m sure others will too. Always better to be safe than sorry when baking. Nothing worse than being disappointed with a something you were really looking forward to devouring 😉
Darlene says
Hi, this looks fantastic. I was about to whip this up but noticed your G F substitutes. One question please. In the cake you replaced 2 C F for 4 cups G F F – makes sense, however, in the filling you replaced 5 Tbls F with 4 cups G F F. How does that work?
Can’t wait to make this. Looking forward to hearing from you.
Thanks
Darlene
Melissa says
Hi Darlene! Thanks for reaching out! The brand name of the gluten free flour I use is called “Cup 4 Cup,” meaning you can replace regular flour in recipes interchangeably with their product, “Cup 4 Cup.” Sorry, didn’t realize the two different numbers are confusing in the recipe. 🙂 So you do use 2 cups of flour in the cake (regular or gluten free) and 5 tbsp. of flour in filling (regular or gluten free).
Lexi Less says
I made it for a friend’s birthday over the weekend. It was INCREDIBLE!! Cake was very moist and the filling and ganache turned our perfectly. Thanks for a great recipe!
Melissa says
I’m so glad you liked it Lexi! It is the perfect cake to make someone for their birthday!
Loreto nardelli says
This cake looks downright dangerous. I don’t know if I could stop at one piece. Looks so moist and chocolaty, throw in the ganache at goes decadent.
Beautifully done!
Loreto
Melissa says
Thanks, Loreto! It definitely goes in the record books as one of the best cakes ever 🙂
Robin Sizemore says
I enjoy your stories as much as your recipes!