Snack Cake Recipes

SWEET-AND-SALTY SNACK-FOOD CAKE

Steps:

• Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350˚. Butter the bottom and sides of two 9-inch round cake pans. Dust with flour and tap out the excess; set aside. Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl.
• Beat the butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed, scraping down the bowl as needed, until very light and fluffy, 5 to 7 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until combined; continue beating until well blended, 1 to 2 more minutes. Reduce the speed to medium low; beat in the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk and vanilla in two batches, until just smooth (it's OK if the batter looks curdled at first-it will smooth out). Stir the batter a few times with a rubber spatula to make sure it's blended.
• Divide the batter between the prepared pans. Bake until the cakes are browned, the edges begin to pull away from the pans and the centers spring back when pressed, 35 to 45 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool 10 minutes in the pans, then remove the cakes to the rack to cool completely.
• While the cakes cool, make the crumble: Toss the potato chips, cookies, coconut, melted butter and brown sugar in a medium bowl until well coated. Spread on a baking sheet and bake until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Let cool, then stir in the chocolate-covered raisins and/or nuts; set aside.
• Make the frosting: Mix the brown sugar and 2 tablespoons heavy cream in a small microwave-safe bowl; microwave, stirring once or twice, until smooth, 45 seconds to 1 minute. Let cool slightly. Beat the butter and salt in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the confectioners' sugar in two batches until smooth and fluffy. Add the brown sugar mixture; beat on medium-high speed until fluffy and spreadable, 1 to 2 more minutes.
• Make the ganache: Combine the remaining 1/3 cup heavy cream and the chopped chocolate in a microwave-safe measuring cup or bowl; microwave, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted, about 1 minute. Let the ganache cool until it's thickened but still spreadable.
• Put 1 cake layer on a cake stand or serving plate. Top with 1 cup frosting, spreading it to the edges. Sprinkle with a heaping 1/2 cup of the crumble, gently pressing it into the frosting. Top with the second cake layer. Cover the top and sides of the cake with a thin layer of frosting (this is the crumb coat-it doesn't have to be perfect). Refrigerate until the frosting is set, 15 to 20 minutes. Cover with the remaining frosting. Press some of the remaining crumble around the bottom of the cake. Spoon the ganache over the top of the cake and gently spread, letting it drip down the sides. Sprinkle with the remaining crumble.

THE BEST CHOCOLATE SNACK CAKE

Steps:

• Set oven to 350 degrees F.
• Set oven to second-lowest rack.
• Grease an 8 x 8-inch square baking pan.
• In a bowl mix together the first 6 dry ingredients.
• In another bowl whisk the water or milk with oil, egg, vinegar and vanilla; add to the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
• Transfer/spread into prepared baking pan.
• Sprinkle chocolate chips and walnuts over batter, swirl with a knife to mix into batter.
• Bake 30-35 minutes or until cake tests done.

CHOCOLATE SNACK CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom and side of 9-inch round pan or 8-inch square pan with shortening; lightly flour.
• In medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. In small bowl, stir oil, vinegar and vanilla until well mixed. Vigorously stir oil mixture and coffee into flour mixture about 1 minute or until well blended. Immediately pour into pan.
• Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes. Serve warm or cool with ice cream.

THE SNACK CAKE

Steps:

• Make the cake. Make a mold that is the shape of half of a 3- to 4-inch wide spice jar. Rip aluminum foil into strips that are about 4 x 12 inches. Fold each piece in half so you have a double layer. Shape the foil around the spice jar and tuck it in the sides so that you have a half-cylinder mold that is as smooth as possible on the inside. Set it into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and repeat until you have 12 little boat-shaped molds. Spray the inside of the molds with cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl and stir until thoroughly combined. Put the egg whites in a stand mixer bowl and beat with the wire whip attachment until the whites hold soft peaks. Gently transfer the beaten whites to another bowl and set aside. Rinse the mixer bowl and dry it thoroughly.
• Put the butter in the mixer bowl and beat with the paddle until the butter starts to get light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat again until fluffy, about 2 more minutes. Add the egg yolks and vanilla, and beat to combine.
• Add a third of the flour mixture to the mixer bowl, beat for a moment, then add half the milk and beat for a moment. Add one more third of the flour, beat, then the rest of the milk, then the rest of the flour. Make sure that the flour and milk are entirely incorporated. Then stir a third of the beaten egg whites into the batter. When that is fully incorporated, gently fold in the rest of the beaten egg whites.
• Use a pastry bag to pipe the batter into the prepared molds, filling each one just under halfway. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cakes start to turn golden and a cake tester or toothpick, when inserted, comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool entirely.
• Unwrap the foil from each cake, and use a knife to make a 2- to 3-inch cut in the bottom of each twinkie. The cut should go about halfway into each cake. Wash the pastry bag and the mixer bowl.
• Make the filling. Combine the shortening, butter, salt, powdered sugar, and vanilla in the stand mixer bowl. Beat with the paddle attachment until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
• Scoop the filling into a pastry bag and stick the tip into the cut at the bottom of each cake. Keep squeezing the pastry bag until the filling begins to leak out around the tip of the pastry bag. Then it's ready.

FRAISIER (STRAWBERRY CREAM CAKE)

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, vigorously whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until lightened. Whisk in the cornstarch. In a saucepan, warm the milk, then slowly pour it into the egg mixture while whisking constantly. Pour the combined mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until very thick, about 5 minutes. Cover the surface with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper.
• Make the sponge cake. Sift the flour. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and one-third of the sugar until lightened. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites into stiff peaks, adding the remaining sugar a little at a time halfway through the beating time. Fold the beaten egg whites into the yolk mixture, then fold in the flour. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared sheet pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool completely.
• Carefully peel the parchment paper from the cake.
• Using the cake ring, cut out two circles from the cake.
• Add the butter to the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat until light and creamy.
• Add the pastry cream and beat until well incorporated. Transfer the mixture to a bowl.
• Place the cake ring on a serving plate and place one cake circle on the bottom.
• If necessary, briefly rinse the strawberries and pat them dry on paper towels.
• Set aside one dozen of the most attractive strawberries for the top decoration. Hull and cut similarly sized strawberries in half and place them next to each other around the perimeter of the ring with the cut side touching the ring.
• Cover the strawberries with a little of the pastry cream to seal them against the ring.
• Hull the remaining ones and place in the center of the cake.
• Cover the layer of strawberries with some of the pastry cream.
• Place the second cake disk on top.
• Evenly spread a thin layer of the pastry cream on top.
• Hull the remaining whole strawberries then set them on top of the cake, pointed ends up.
• Scrape the remaining pastry cream into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/3-in plain pastry tube and pipe pointed mounds of cream on top of the cake between the strawberries.
• Refrigerate overnight. Just before serving, carefully remove the ring.

SNACK CAKE

Steps:

• In a bowl, cream butter and sugar; beat in egg until light and fluffy. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, combine buttermilk and vanilla. Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk mixture; mix well. Fold in marshmallows and chips. Pour into a greased and floured 13x9-in. baking pan. Combine topping ingredients; sprinkle over batter. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

EASY SNACK CAKE

Steps:

• Beat eggs with sugar.
• Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
• Pour into well greased 8 x 8-inch pan.
• Bake at 325°F for 30 minutes or until tests done.