This Ding Dong cake has two soft, moist chocolate cake layers, a light and creamy vanilla filling, and a rich dark chocolate ganache poured over the top.
Remember unwrapping a Ding Dong as a kid? This is that snack cake, just a whole lot bigger and a whole lot better.
The chocolate layers are mixed in one bowl, with hot coffee to make them extra dark and fudgy.
In the middle is a fluffy, not-too-sweet cream filling, and the whole thing gets a glossy coat of dark chocolate ganache.
It is pure nostalgia in every slice, and it never lasts long.
One reader, Jessie, commented: “Absolutely delicious. I made the cake part the night before and finished the cake in the morning. ★★★★★”
Another reader, Jane, commented: “I make a very similar recipe. It is foolproof! ★★★★★”
If you like copycat treats, try my Starbucks cheese danish, Starbucks dragon drink, and Starbucks sweet cream cold foam!
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Why this recipe works
- One Bowl Chocolate Cake: The batter is whisked together by hand in one bowl, so there's no mixer needed for the cake.
- Not-Too-Sweet Filling: The cooked flour filling is light and creamy, tasting just like the inside of a Ding Dong.
- Glossy Ganache: Just two ingredients make a rich, shiny chocolate coating that sets beautifully in the fridge.
- Extra Moist Layers: Oil, buttermilk, and hot coffee keep the cake soft and tender for days.
- Make-Ahead Friendly: Bake the layers the night before and finish the cake the next day.
Ingredients
Before starting, measure and prepare your ingredients so the baking process goes smoothly. You can find the exact measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
The chocolate cake
Flour: All-purpose flour gives the layers structure while keeping them soft. Spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off, or, even better, use a kitchen scale to weigh it.
Granulated Sugar: Sweetens the cake and keeps it moist. Caster sugar works great too.
Cocoa Powder: Gives the cake its deep chocolate flavor and dark color. Sift it to avoid lumps.
Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Leaveners that give the cake a light, even rise.
Kosher Salt: Balances the sweetness and brings out the chocolate.
Buttermilk: Adds acidity and moisture for a soft, tender crumb. You can make your own by mixing milk with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and letting it sit for 5 minutes.
Vegetable Oil: Keeps the layers moist and soft, even straight from the fridge.
Eggs: Large and at room temperature so they blend smoothly into the batter.
Vanilla Extract: Rounds out the chocolate flavor. I recommend using vanilla bean extract.
Hot Coffee: Blooms the cocoa for a richer chocolate flavor. You won't taste the coffee, and hot water works too.
The cream filling
Flour: Cooked with the milk and sugar to make a thick, pudding-like base.
Granulated Sugar: Sweetens the filling. It dissolves as the base cooks, so the filling stays smooth.
Milk: Whole milk makes the creamiest filling.
Butter: Unsalted and softened to room temperature so it whips up light and fluffy. If using salted butter, remove the salt from the recipe.
Vanilla Extract: Gives the filling its classic vanilla flavor. Clear vanilla keeps it extra white.
The chocolate ganache
Dark Chocolate: Chopped good-quality dark chocolate melts smoothly into a rich, glossy ganache.
Heavy Cream: Melts the chocolate and gives the ganache its silky, pourable texture.
Step by Step Instructions
Make the chocolate cake
1. Prep: Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) and line two 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper.
2. Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda, sift in the cocoa powder, and whisk together.
3. Wet Ingredients: Add the buttermilk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and eggs, and mix until almost combined.
4. Coffee: Add the hot coffee and mix just until no lumps of flour remain. The batter will be thin and smooth.
5. Bake: Divide the batter evenly between the pans, weighing it for even layers and using cake strips if you have them. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
6. Cool: Let the layers cool completely before assembling so the filling doesn't melt.
8. Cool the Base: Pour it into a shallow dish, press plastic wrap onto the surface, and chill for at least 1 hour, or 30 minutes in the freezer, until completely cool.
9. Whip the Butter: In a large mixing bowl, whip the softened butter and vanilla extract with an electric hand mixer for 2 to 3 minutes, until smooth and fluffy.
10. Combine: Add the cooled base a spoonful at a time and whip on high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until the filling looks like whipped cream.
Make the chocolate ganache
11. Heat: Place the chopped dark chocolate and heavy cream in a bowl and microwave for about 1 minute.
12. Stir: Let it sit for 10 minutes so the chocolate melts, then stir until smooth and glossy.
Assemble the cake
13. Anchor: Pipe a small dollop of filling onto your cake board and place the first cake layer on top.
14. Fill: Spread the cream filling evenly over the first layer with a spatula.
15. Stack: Top with the second cake layer and smooth out the filling around the sides. Chill for 10 to 15 minutes.
16. Ganache: Pour the ganache over the top and spread it with an offset spatula so the entire cake is coated. Chill for at least 30 minutes so it sets before slicing.
Expert Tips
- Cool the Base Completely: The filling base must be fully cool, or it will melt the butter and turn runny.
- Same Temperature: Soft butter and cool base whip together smoothly without curdling.
- Level the Layers: Flat layers keep the soft filling from sliding.
- Chill Before the Ganache: A quick chill firms up the filling so the ganache coats it cleanly.
- Slice Cold: Serve the cake chilled for the neatest slices.
Troubleshooting
Why does my filling look curdled?
The butter and filling base were different temperatures. Keep whipping, and if it doesn't come together, chill the bowl for 15 minutes and whip again.
Why is my filling runny?
The base was still warm or the butter was too soft. Chill the filling for 20 minutes, then whip it again before assembling.
Why are my cake layers sliding?
The filling was too soft or the layers were domed. Level the cakes, chill the filled cake before adding the ganache, and keep the cake in the fridge.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a giant version of the classic Hostess Ding Dong snack cake: chocolate cake with a creamy white filling, all covered in chocolate.
It is an old-fashioned style of frosting. Cooking the flour, sugar, and milk into a thick pudding and then whipping it into butter makes a light, silky filling that is much less sweet than buttercream.
Pourable but not runny, like thick chocolate sauce. If it slides right off the cake, let it cool for 10 more minutes. If it is too firm to spread, warm it in the microwave for 5 to 10 seconds.
Storing
Because of the cream filling, store the cake covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. It is best served chilled.
Freezing
Whole cake: Freeze uncovered for 1 to 2 hours until the ganache is firm. Wrap in plastic wrap and foil, and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
Cake slices: Wrap each slice in plastic wrap and freeze in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge for a few hours.
Make It Ahead Of Time
Bake the Layers Early
Bake the chocolate layers the night before, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap, and keep them in the fridge.
Make the Filling Base in Advance
Cook the filling base up to 1 day ahead and keep it in the fridge with plastic wrap pressed onto the surface. Let it come to cool room temperature before whipping it into the butter.
Substitutions
Heavy Cream: Use the same amount of evaporated milk in the ganache.
Gluten-free: Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend in both the cake and the filling.
Dairy-free: For the cake, use almond or oat milk mixed with lemon juice instead of buttermilk. Make the filling with plant milk and plant-based butter, and use dairy-free dark chocolate and full-fat coconut milk for the ganache.
Variations
Whipped Cream Filling: Fill the cake with stabilized whipped cream instead of the cooked filling.
Peanut Butter: Whip 2 tablespoons of creamy peanut butter into the filling.
Mint Chocolate: Add ½ teaspoon of peppermint extract to the filling.
Mini Ding Dongs: Bake the batter in a 9x13-inch pan, cut out rounds, and sandwich them with the filling before dipping in ganache.
How to Scale This Recipe for Different Pans
Multiply all the cake, filling, and ganache ingredients by the amount below.
- Two 9 Inch Pans: As written, for thinner layers. Bake for 22 to 26 minutes.
- Three 6 Inch Pans: As written, for a taller cake. Bake for 25 to 28 minutes.
- 9x13 Inch Sheet Cake: As written. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, spread the filling over the top, and finish with ganache.
- Cupcakes: As written, for about 24 cupcakes. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, fill the centers, and dip the tops in ganache.
Equipment
- Two 8-inch cake pans
- Parchment paper
- Large mixing bowls and whisk
- Saucepan
- Electric hand mixer
- Offset spatula
- Cake strips (optional)
More Chocolate Desserts
Craving more chocolate? Try my Matilda's chocolate cake, chocolate fudge cake, and chocolate rice krispie treats!
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📖 Recipe
The BEST Ding Dong Cake
Ingredients
For the chocolate cake
- 1 ¾ cups Flour
- 1 ¼ cups Granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon Baking powder
- ⅔ teaspoon Baking soda
- ½ cup Cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ cup Buttermilk
- ½ cup Vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 2 Eggs
- ¾ cup Coffee hot
For the cream filling
- 5 tablespoon Flour
- 1 cup Granulated sugar
- 1 cup Milk
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 cup Butter unsalted, room temp
For the chocolate ganache
- 7 oz Dark chocolate
- ¾ cup + 2 tbsp Heavy cream
Instructions
Make the chocolate cake
- Prep: Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) and line two 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper.
- Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda, sift in the cocoa powder, and whisk together.
- Wet Ingredients: Add the buttermilk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and eggs, and mix until almost combined.
- Coffee: Add the hot coffee and mix just until no lumps of flour remain. The batter will be thin and smooth.
- Bake: Divide the batter evenly between the pans, weighing it for even layers and using cake strips if you have them. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool: Let the layers cool completely before assembling.
Make the cream filling
- Cool the Base: Pour it into a shallow dish, press plastic wrap onto the surface, and chill for at least 1 hour, or 30 minutes in the freezer, until completely cool.
- Whip the Butter: Whip the softened butter and vanilla extract with an electric hand mixer for 2 to 3 minutes, until smooth and fluffy.
- Combine: Add the cooled base a spoonful at a time and whip on high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until the filling looks like whipped cream.
Make the chocolate ganache
- Heat: Place the chopped dark chocolate and heavy cream in a bowl and microwave for about 1 minute.
- Stir: Let it sit for 10 minutes so the chocolate melts, then stir until smooth and glossy.
Assemble the cake
- Anchor: Pipe a small dollop of filling onto your cake board and place the first cake layer on top.
- Fill: Spread the cream filling evenly over the first layer with a spatula.
- Stack: Top with the second cake layer and smooth out the filling around the sides. Chill for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Ganache: Pour the ganache over the top and spread it with an offset spatula so the entire cake is coated. Chill for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
Notes
- Baking Soda: ⅔ teaspoon is about ½ teaspoon plus a heaping ⅛ teaspoon.
- Thin Batter: The batter is very thin because of the coffee. That is normal.
- Even Layers: Weigh the batter and use cake strips for flat layers.
- Cool the Filling Base: It must be completely cool before whipping it into the butter, or the filling will be runny.
- Add It Slowly: Add the base a spoonful at a time so the filling doesn't curdle.
- Ganache Consistency: It should be pourable but not runny. Cool it longer if it slides off the cake.
- Chill Before Slicing: The cake slices best cold.
- Evaporated Milk: Works in place of heavy cream in the ganache.
- Make Ahead: Bake the layers the night before and keep them wrapped in the fridge.
- Storage: Keep covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. Freeze the whole cake or slices for up to 2 months.
Jessie says
Absolutely delicious. I made the cake part the night before and refrigerated it in plastic wrap. Finished the cake in the morning. My only complaint is the 1/3 teaspoon measurement ha! Guess I need to get some off sized measuring spoons :).
Jane says
I make a very similar recipe. It is foolproof! But I fill it with whipped cream.
For the ganache I often use evaporated milk instead of heavy cream! Honestly, I don't notice a difference!
Ella says
Hi! This recipe looks delicious 🙂 If I were to half it, could i use a 6 inch pan?
RichandDelish says
Hi! I would recommend making 2/3 of the recipe. You can use the recipe card in the end of the post. Also, lower the baking time to about 25 minutes. Let me know how it turens out 🙂