Love Those Twinkies


Do any of you remember Elaine busting a move on Seinfeld?  Her "twinkle toes" make me want to dance when I think of eating Twinkies as a kid. You guessed it! For this week's bake, Rob chose to make Twinkies.  Described as a "golden sponge cake with a creamy filling," the treat was invented by the Continental Baking Company in Illinois in 1930.  The name "Twinkie" is said to have been inspired by a billboard for "Twinkle Toe Shoes" near the bakery. Originally, the treats were created to utilize shortbread pans that were no longer in use at the bakery. One of the bakers created banana cream-filled cakes using the small shortbread pans. However, during World War II banana imports all but ceased, so the company switched the banana cream for vanilla, and the Twinkie we know today was born.

Rob chose the recipe found below, which is from Cooking - The New York Times 

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/12328-homemade-twinkies

Homemade Twinkies  By Jennifer Steinhauer

Yields 12 homemade Twinkies

Ingredients

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
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 5 large eggs at room temperature, separated
  • 12 tablespoons sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

FOR THE FILLING:

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 165 grams (1 1/2 cups) confectioners’ sugar
  • ¾ cup Marshmallow Fluff
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream

Preparation

  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 .75 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.

Bake up some Twinkies.  Put on some music and move your twinkle toes.  Find some peace with food and music. Thank you for spending time with us. - Linda



Comments

Post a Comment