Introduction: Organic Vegan Twinkie Recipe

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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

While the cakes are baking, 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.