Ding Dong Cake

Just when you think chocolate cake can't get better, we stuff it with creamy marshmallow filling and top with a silky chocolate frosting. This homemade Ding Dong Cake is the ultimate kid-friendly dessert (that adults will adore, too).

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 4 5

Total Time 4 20

Servings servings

Calories 915kcal

Author Meggan Hill

Ingredients

For the cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar packed
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup freshly brewed coffee cooled and lukewarm
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the filling:

1 cup butter (2 sticks) room temperature
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
12 or 13 ounces store-bought marshmallow creme or fluff (size varies by brand)

For the frosting:

4 cups powdered sugar sifted
1/2 cup whole milk
4 teaspoons light corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 ounces 60% cacao dark bittersweet chocolate

For the squiggle icing:

1 cup powdered sugar sifted
2 teaspoons whole milk
2 teaspoons light corn syrup

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

To make the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat the sides, bottom, and center of a tube pan with a removable bottom with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with a round piece of parchment paper with a hole cut out in the middle. Set the pan on a rimmed baking sheet.
In a large bowl, whisk together the the flour, cocoa powder, both sugars, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until uniformly combined. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, beat together the eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil, and vanilla. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the liquid into the well. Stir with a large spatula until a soft batter forms.
Pour into the prepared baking pan (it should only come about one-third up the side of the pan). Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 50-55 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for at least 3 hours, or up to overnight.

To make the filling:

In the bowl of an electric mixer, add butter and vanilla extract and beat until creamy. Add the marshmallow creme (or fluff) and beat until incorporated.
Remove the cake from the cake pan and set it with the rounded side up. To create a tunnel for the filling, using a small paring knife, cut a curved rectangle, 2 inches long and 1 inch wide, into the top of the cake about halfway between the center hole and the outside edge of the cake, following the curve of the cake.
Cut into the cake about two-thirds deep, and use the knife to lift the rectangle out from the cake. If the hole isn't deep enough, use the knife to scrape out more cake, but don't cut all the way through to the bottom.
Repeat working around the cake, cutting out rectangular pieces to make a continuous tunnel. Set the cake pieces right next to where they were cut so they can be put back when the time comes.
Once the tunnel has been cut around the entire cake, fill it slightly just over halfway with the marshmallow filling. Any extra fluff may be reserved for another use.
Cut off half of each rectangular piece of the cake from the rough side. Place the removed cake pieces in the tunnel over the marshmallow filling to plug up the cake. Repeat all the way around the cake.
Turn the cake over so the "flat"side of the cake is up, and the plugged side is on the bottom, and place on a baking rack set over a rimmed baking sheet.

To make the frosting:

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the powdered sugar, milk, corn syrup, and vanilla and stir to combine. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture starts to bubble on the sides of the pan.
Reduce the heat to low and add the chocolate, stirring until the frosting is smooth. Quickly spoon the warm frosting over the cake. The frosting will begin to harden and crust immediately as it cools (if this becomes a problem, spoon as much as you can where you want it, and wet your fingers and use them to smooth out the frosting).

To make the squiggle icing:

In a small bowl, add the powdered sugar, milk, and corn syrup and mix until a thick paste forms. Scrape it into a pastry bag with a small round tip or a zip-top bag and cut off a corner.
Make some test squiggles on a piece of paper to get the feel of it, then squeeze squiggle loops over the top of the iced cake.

Video

Notes

Dutch-process cocoa powder: Dutch-processed cocoa lends a darker color and slightly richer flavor, but natural cocoa will also work.
Buttermilk: You'll need 1 cup from a carton. Alternatively, to make your own buttermilk, for every 1 cup of whole or 2% milk, stir in 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or vinegar. Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes, then proceed with the chocolate cake recipe.
Freshly brewed coffee: 1 cup of brewed and cooled coffee helps accentuate the chocolate flavor in the cake batter.
Light corn syrup: This helps the white squiggle score its easy-piping consistency.
Yield: This recipe makes 1 luscious chocolate cake with 12 slices (depending on how you cut it).
Storage: Store any extra cake at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Nutrition