Introduction: Organic Vegan Twinkie Recipe
The best of all the homemade Twinkie recipes we tried, these organic vegan twinkie cakes will knock even the most conventional meat-eater's socks off.
As you might remember from our Great Twinkie Taste Off, the following recipe comes from this review which was too provocative to ignore. As the winner of the challenge, these Twinkie cakes have earned their own complete Instructable.
It's no small undertaking, but the resulting cakes are so delightful, you won't begrudge a moment of effort, and your friends will be begging you for more.
Step 1: Necessities
This is no small list of ingredients. I, for one, had never used arrowroot before, and had to search three different stores for it before I realized I was searching in the entirely wrong section all along. (check in spices)
Cake:
* 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
* 1 cup unbleached white flour
* 6 tablespoons light organic cane sugar
* 1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
* 1/3 cup expeller pressed canola oil
* ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup, Grade A, dark amber
* ¾ cup vanilla soymilk or rice milk
* 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
* 2 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
Filling:
* 7 ounces firm tofu, drained (simmer in water for 5 minutes)
* 4 teaspoons expeller pressed canola oil
* 2 tablespoons maple syrup, Grade A amber
* 3 tablespoons raw light agave syrup
* 6 tablespoons light organic cane sugar
* 3/4 teaspoon very finely grated lemon zest
* 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
* 4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
* ½ teaspoon pure coconut extract
* 1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
* 1 1/2 ounces of vegan white chocolate melted
* 2 tablespoons arrowroot dissolved in 6 tablespoons soy creamer
You will need a food processor.
Step 2: Make Tiny Twinkie-shaped Molds
The trick for making a Twinkie mold is quite simple, and easy to get the hang of. Don't waste your money on fancy Twinkie making kits (which I understand do exist). And if you're making Twinkies for the legions, I recommend making the half-sized molds that I used. In fact, just do it that way. You don't need to be eating that much Twinkie! Then you can have two.
Cut a bunch of 9" sheets of aluminum foil (enough to suit the recipe you're using).
Fold each piece of aluminum foil in half twice.
Wrap the folded foil around a small spice bottle to create a mold.
Leave the top of the mold open for pouring in the batter.
Repeat.
Preheat the oven to 325oF (160oC)
Spray the molds with non-stick cook spray.
Arrange on a cookie sheet or in a shallow pan.
Step 3: To Make the Cake
Place a wire mesh strainer over a medium bowl. Add the pastry flour, white flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the strainer. Tap the strainer against the palm of your hand to sift the ingredients into the bowl. Stir with a wire whisk to distribute the ingredients.
Whisk the oil, maple syrup, soymilk, vanilla, and vinegar in a separate bowl until well blended. Pour into the dry mixture and stir with a whisk until the batter is smooth.
Step 4: Bake Those Cakes
Preheat the oven to 325oF (160C)
Spray the molds with non-stick cook spray.
Divide batter evenly among the molds, and bake until cakes spring back when touched, a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, and cakes are golden brown, about 20 to 22 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes; then remove from the forms by peeling away the foil. Cool completely on racks.
Once cakes are cool, flip each over, and with a straw or a skewer make two holes on the bottom of the cake (three for full sized Twinkies). The point of this is to dig out some space for the filling to be injected later.
Step 5: Make the Filling
Tofu based creams must be pureed until absolutely smooth and creamy. If properly made, there will be absolutely no taste of tofu.
Make sure you've prepped the ingredients as stated in the list:
Simmer the tofu in a pot of water for 5 minutes.
Dissolve the arrowroot in the soy creamer.
Crumble the tofu into a food processor and process for 1 minute.
Add the oil and process 1 minute.
Add the rest of the ingredients except the arrowroot (which is now mixed with the soy creamer), and process 3 to 4 minutes, until the mixture is very smooth and creamy.
Stop the processor a few times and clean the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
Stir the dissolved arrowroot to release any starch that has settled to the bottom.
Pour the arrowroot mixture into a small saucepan and cook, whisking frequently over medium heat until the mixture reaches a full boil. It will be very thick and gummy. Immediately remove the saucepan from the stove.
Add the thickened arrowroot to the rest of the filling ingredients and pulse to incorporate.
Process until the filling is smooth.
Spoon the filling into a container.
Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or longer to allow the flavors to blend.
Step 6: Pipe in the Filling
Scoop filling into a pastry bag fitted with a medium-size plain tip (or snip the corner off of a small plastic bag).
Place the tip into one of the holes you made on the bottom of the twinkie, and squeeze some filling into into until full. Like super full. Fuller than you think they should be - these cakes can hold a surprising amount of filling! Repeat with remaining holes.
Now they're ready to serve. Enjoy your organic vegan treats and be sure to share the love.
Leftovers can be stored and chilled in an airtight container.
76 Comments
10 years ago on Introduction
WOAH I am Vegetarian and I can NEVER even try to eat Twinkies. Nope to much gross stuff like Milk and nasty stuff like that. But YOU made the. Best. Idea. Ever. THANK YOU MAAM. Simply Genius!
Reply 3 years ago
I think Twinkies are glorious. But yes, they are very sweet, and I only eat Twinkies a few times a year.
7 years ago
In reply to "jamesfiddler" below: You might want to give up milk when you learn that, in order to give milk, cows are artificially inseminated, initially and every two years. The calves are, then, killed next to the same barns where their moms are and thrown into huge piles; I'm talking 15 feet high by 50 around for a small dairy operation. Then the calves are ground up for animal food. I've seen this and it's the main reason I became a vegan. You can get the same or similar nutirients in plant-based foods or products.
8 years ago on Introduction
Looks awesome, posted on twitter for my tribe!!
13 years ago on Step 1
If vegan wasn't a priority, was there another choice of filling from one of the other recipes that you'd recommend? Not that there's anything wrong with the vegan lifestyle choice, but I can't in good conscience use tofu in a twinkie.
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
Actually, Tofu being just a Protein Base product has very little of it's own taste, so it would take on whatever flavors are combined with it. Seeing the amount of extras that are listed with that cream base. Besides, what do you think they put in the real twinkies?
Reply 10 years ago on Step 1
Tofu always gets a bad rap. It is a fantastic source of protein, and it does take on whatever flavor you give it. If you had one of these vegan Twinkies made with tofu and nobody told you beforehand that it had tofu in it, you would never know.
Just make sure that when you do use it, to use the non-GMO tofu - Soybeans are a top crop (along with wheat and corn) to be genetically altered to keep the megalocorporations rich. They don't care about people, the animals, or the planet-all they care about is profit.
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
I'm with you. I try to avoid soy, as it can act like estrogen in the system. I like being a man. Besides, I cannot in good conscience give up my raw milk. Too many nutrients.
Reply 10 years ago on Step 1
The phytoestrogens in soy are different than mammalian estrogen... they don't react the same way in a plant system as they would when consumed by humans and will not have an impact on your manhood, despite what you might read ...
I do also have to add that in good conscience I could not use milk from any animal species - the way that animals are treated on factory farms is inexcusable. Dairy is a by-product of the veal industry, and I cannot support such a cruel and inhumane practice. Even if the raw milk you are consuming is from a small family farm where animals may be treated humanely, the point is, that cow's milk is designed and intended for baby cows (goat's milk for baby goats, sheep's milk for baby sheep, etc), not humans... Despite all the available nutrients available in raw milk, the human digestive system can't process dairy effectively enough to reap the benefits of these nutrients that are designed perfectly for whatever species they originated from.
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
nevermind, i answered my own question in the other instructable. p.s. mmmmmmmmmm
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
Yeah, if you go with that combo, you will not be disappointed!
10 years ago on Step 1
For those avoiding soy, you can make the cream filling with coconut milk (the kind in a can), vanilla extract, and agave nectar - Refrigerate a can of full-fat coconut milk overnight in the back of your fridge - open it from the bottom with a triangular hand can opener ("Church key") and drain off coconut water; (discard or use for something else) Open it from the top and scoop out the resulting coconut cream and place into a bowl. The amount will vary, but you can usually get anywhere from 1/4 c to 1 c, depending on various unknown factors. Whip in vanilla (~1 tsp) and agave (to taste; may use other sweeteners if desired) . Only mix for a minute or so-just long enough to incorporate the ingredients and to make it fluffy. Transfer to a piping bag or icing injector to get the cream inside the cakes. (something like this http://www.ebay.com/itm/CUPCAKE-FILLING-INJECTOR-CAKE-PASTRY-ICING-DECORATING-/350451870677 )
11 years ago on Introduction
I totally missed out on that competition :( I make my own version of vegan Twinkies (aka Vinkies, as my sister calls them). I make my crerne filling from coconut milk (full fat), agave nectar, and pure vanilla extract (all organic). The recipe can be found in my book, Recipes From The Kitchen Of A Self -Proclaimed Veganista ( but I'll post it here too at some point)
12 years ago on Introduction
I just saw this. It looks amazing! I haven't read through all the comments, because there are so many, but in case this was missed - SILK hasn't been organic in a couple of years. It was bought by Dean Foods, which promptly moved to Chinese non-organic soybeans (yikes), and they relabeled it "natural" instead of "organic." People who were used to the product didn't necessarily notice the new labeling. I informed my co-op, which now carries So Delicious creamers made from coconut instead. They are tasty AND organic.
Love the recipe, will try it when sweets are permissible again! I would love to know if someone has successfully adapted it to work with powdered stevia.
12 years ago on Introduction
my grandfather is diabetic and i planned on making these for him. i'm already subbing the sugar for splenda, is there anything i can sub the maple syrup for?
and if anyone could tell me where to find vegan whit choc. i've checked like three stores already!
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
also at the end it says, leftovers can be stored and chilled. does that mean it HAS to be refrigerated?
13 years ago on Step 6
Oh I see. In a previous section, where you said to "make an incision," I thought that meant a cut down the length of the cake. But from this picture it looks like you actually meant, "make two holes on the bottom of each cake (one hole at each end)." I'm assuming the holes should be no deeper than halfway through the cake?
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
I've updated the instructions to try and be more clear. Thanks for the input!
Reply 12 years ago on Step 6
How do you fill the cakes the way Twinkies are filled with just the 2 holes?
Doesn't the "dug out" part have to connect the two holes so that you have a tube of filling in the middle rather than filling in 2 spots?
13 years ago on Introduction
Why organic? Organic is just an overhyped type of food and farming that has no benifits at all. It is no better than conventional farming, in fact, It is actually worse.