Twinkie Cake (No Bake Recipe)
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This easy Twinkie cake recipe starts with a layer of soft and creamy Twinkies before you add sweet vanilla pudding, refreshing fruit pieces, fluffy whipped topping, and crushed nuts to make the ultimate no-bake summer dessert.
I have one of my dear readers, Miss Mary Anne, to thank for sending me this Twinkie cake recipe. This isn’t a cake that tastes or looks like a Twinkie. It’s in fact made with Twinkies, which is even better, am I right?
A little look at the history of Twinkies
Did you know Twinkies have been around since 1930? They were invented by bakery manager, Jimmy Dewer at Continental Baking Co. in River Forest, Illinois. He named them Twinkies after being inspired by a “Twinkle Toe Shoes” billboard. The American snack cake is famous for its airy golden sponge cake and fluffy vanilla cream filling. But the first Twinkies actually had a banana cream filling, before changing to vanilla during WWII when they rationed bananas. Today, about 1,123 Hostess Twinkies are produced every minute and you can get them with vanilla, chocolate, and banana filling year-round.
This easy Twinkie cake recipe is a no-bake refrigerator cake, making it the perfect summer dessert. It includes a layer of halved Twinkies, which is topped with vanilla pudding, crushed pineapple, banana slices, whipped topping, and crushed nuts. It’s so easy to make as all you have to do is construct the layers, which takes no time at all. Then you pop it in the fridge to set and let the flavors mingle together.
I don’t think you’ll find a more refreshing summer cake. The combination of the sweet vanilla pudding, fruit pieces, fluffy whipped cream, and soft cake just melts in your mouth, leaving you wanting a second slice… and a third. Trust me, I know! Luckily, this no-bake Twinkie cake is so simple to make that you can enjoy the fruits of your labor sooner.
Recipe Ingredients
- Twinkies
- Bananas
- Frozen whipped topping (like Cool Whip)
- Vanilla instant pudding mix
- Crushed pineapple
- Maraschino cherries
- Chopped nuts
How to Make Twinkie Cake
Slice each Twinkie in half lengthwise.
Place the cream side up in a 9×13-inch baking dish.
You’ll only need nine Twinkies for this and the box comes with ten.
Miss Mary Anne says that the last one is to enjoy with your coffee and I say Miss Mary Anne is wise beyond her years 😉.
Next, you’re going to mix up your pudding.
We just do this according to package directions.
Spread that pudding over the top of your Twinkies.
Drain your pineapple and spread it over the top of your pudding.
Slice up a WHOLE BUNCH of bananas over the top of that.
Isn’t it pretty? If you only have a few bananas that’s fine, use as many or as few as you want.
Now spread whipped topping over the top of that.
Cover and refrigerate for several hours.
If you want, sprinkle the top with chopped nuts.
I served each slice with a nut topping and cherry.
Isn’t it pretty?
Excuse me while I dig into this delicious layered Twinkie cake.
Storage
Store leftover cake covered in plastic wrap or in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Recipe Notes
- You can use any kind of chopped nuts on top of the cake, like the mixed nuts I’m using, chopped pecans, or chopped walnuts. Otherwise, omit them completely.
- If you’re in a rush, the cake only really needs to sit in the fridge for a minimum of an hour to set.
- To make a strawberry Twinkie cake, substitute the pineapple and banana for strawberry pie filling instead. I am SO trying this next time! I’d then serve it with a strawberry garnish instead of the cherry on top.
- Speaking of, you can use any kind of fruit you like in this Twinkie cake. Maybe you want to do just sliced strawberries? Or canned mandarin oranges? Let your imagination run wild!
Recipe FAQs
Can I substitute another cake for the Twinkies?
Yes, you can simply use a layer of pound cake, homemade vanilla cake, or a simple boxed yellow cake mix if you like.
Can I make my Twinkie cake ahead of time?
Absolutely! Feel free to make your Twinkie cake the day before and let it sit in the fridge overnight so all those flavors soak into the Twinkies. YUM.
Check out these other summer cake recipes:
Easy Mandarin Orange Cake (a.k.a. Pig Pickin Cake)
Ingredients
- 1 box Twinkies
- 4 large bananas
- 1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple, drained
- 1 5.1-ounce box vanilla instant pudding mix mix with milk according to box directions
- 1 12-ounce container frozen whipped topping, thawed
- maraschino cherries and chopped nuts for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Remove Twinkies from wrappers and cut each in half lengthwise from top to bottom.1 box Twinkies
- Place Twinkie halves in a 9x13 baking dish with the cream side facing up. Prepare pudding according to package directions and spread over Twinkies.1 5.1-ounce box vanilla instant pudding mix
- Spread pineapple over pudding, top evenly with banana slices, spread whipped topping over all, and sprinkle with nuts if you like.4 large bananas, 1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple, drained, 1 12-ounce container frozen whipped topping, thawed
- Cover and refrigerate for several hours.
- To serve, top each slice with a cherry if you like. Enjoy!maraschino cherries and chopped nuts for garnish, optional
Nutrition
This post was originally published in 2010. I updated the photos in 2020.
Most folks are about as happy
as they make up their minds to be
~Abraham Lincoln
This recipe is featured on Meal Plan Monday and Weekend Potluck 😁
So funny you post about Twinkies today… I was at a farm stand today and they they had the cutest chocolate covered Twinkies for sale. They were completely covered in chocolate and had colored sprinkles on top. They were in individual baggies with ribbon ties. Wouldn’t that make the cutest little Christmas gift?? Or, I bet it would sell great at a Bake Sale. I wonder how hard it is to get them covered in chocolate?? I’m thinking you might put them on a wire rack, bottom side up and cover the bottom in chocolate & let cool. Then, turn them over and pour chocolate over the top?? I don’t know how you would hold on to them if you dipped them in a bowl of melted chocolate. Christy, why don’t you figure out how to do this and post it? 🙂
This looks like my kind of recipe! 🙂 I can’t wait to try it…just wish I could grab a bite thru the computer!
I just came from Wal-Mart where I went to get the ingredients to make this for tomorrow night’s covered dish dinner at church. They had Limited Time Only Twinkies with strawberry filling. I’m going to try it this time and see how it works. The strawberry creme on the box looked so good. I will let you know how it tastes. I hope everyone enjoys the Twinkie Cake as much as we have through the years.
Oh how neat with strawberry filling on twinkies. I had been thinking about putting chopped cherries inside to give it more color but the strawberry would do the same. Great idea. The puding definitely on the bottom in that case I think. only problem is I sure like pudding next to bananas like in banana pudding. but they might be better on top where the whipped “cream” is. This sounds very similar to banana split cake.
Sure glad you reminded us to take the Twinkies out of the wrappers. 🙂
Looks like an easy and fun, cool and refreshing recipe! Thanks Miss Mary Anne for sharing with us and thanks Christy for the fun facial expression tutorial that I am sure I can put to immediate use with my bossy family members! Tee-Hee I can’t wati to make this one and looks like it will be a keeper for sure! 🙂
Oh my..I gained 5 pounds just reading the recipe! ?This is on my list to make for the end of bible school cookout next week. Thank you for sharing it with us.
So I have just made this dessert to take to my office tomorrow – I know it is going to be a HIT…..(did I mention I work in a Surgical Weight Loss Center?) Oh well, just because we work there don’t mean we can’t EAT it….Anyway, I put the dessert together from the printed recipe – then sat down and looked at the pictures and saw that I had not put it in the correct order. I agree with others after reading the comments – I don’t think it will matter. I will post later to let everyone know how the office staff enjoy it……thanks for the recipe – keep them coming…..
OK – so the cake was a total Hit at work yesterday. After eating it at lunch yesterday – I think that I would rather put it together the way the pictures show – rather than the way the printed recipe says. The reason for me saying this is because the moisture from the pineapple does seep into the cakes and they are not of cake texture by then. So the next time I make it – I will layer the pudding over the Twinkies, then start with the fruit and end with the Whipped Topping. Thanks again for the recipe – I had to share it with others in the office.
Yowser!!!! Going to Savannah this weekend to see our daughters,son-in-law, and 2 grands(other son-in-law is helicopter pilot in Afghanistan) and cannot wait to go to the store with the grands and make this for dessert. Love these recipes that 7-9-11 year olds can make with MooMoo. Thank you Miss Mary Anne.