Real Snacks (5 page)

Whether you call them Ring Dings or Ding Dongs, these chocolate snack cakes may just win the award for snack cake with the silliest name. Still, these chocolate hockey pucks are one of my favorite junk food sweets. Adding teff flour to the flour mix increases the complexity of the flavor, making these cakes deserving of a far less silly name
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Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a 9-by-9-inch cake pan with parchment and set aside.

Sift the white spelt flour, teff flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together and set aside.

In a dry mixer bowl with dry beaters, beat the egg whites until very stiff, about 1 minute. Transfer the beaten egg whites to a clean bowl and set aside.

In the same mixer bowl, add the sugar, honey, water, oil, egg yolks, and vanilla and beat for 1 minute. Add the flour mixture and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. Fold in half of the beaten egg whites; once the first half is fully incorporated, fold in the second half.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the cake springs back slightly when touched and a skewer inserted comes out clean, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan for 5 minutes before inverting it onto a flat surface and peeling off the parchment. Let the cake cool completely.

With a cookie cutter, cut out 3-inch-diameter rounds. To fill the cakes, use a piping bag fitted with a Bismarck (#230) tip or a very small star-shaped tip to inject each snack cake from the bottom with 3 evenly spaced squirts of Snack Cake Crème.

Place the filled cakes onto baking sheets and freeze for about 15 minutes.

While the cakes are freezing, place a piece of waxed paper onto the counter or a baking sheet. Temper the chocolate, and place it in a bowl next to the waxed paper. Dip each chilled cake into the chocolate to coat and let set on the waxed paper until firm.

While any homemade cupcake is a pretty good cupcake, there’s just something about those cream-filled, chocolate-frosted ones from Hostess that makes people happy. These tender, chocolaty cakes are just as delicious, but without the high-fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated vegetable oil
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with baking papers and set aside.

Sift the white spelt flour, teff flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together and set aside.

In a dry mixer bowl with dry beaters, beat the egg whites until very stiff, about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the beaten egg whites to a clean bowl and set aside.

In the same mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, add the sugar, honey, water, oil, egg yolks, and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla and beat for 1 minute. Add the flour mixture and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. Fold in half of the beaten egg whites; once the first half is fully incorporated, fold in the second half.

Fill each muffin cup ⅔ of the way full. Bake until the cake springs back slightly when touched and a skewer inserted comes out clean, about 10 minutes. Allow the cakes to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack and cool completely.

While the cupcakes are cooling, prepare the frosting. In a heavy pot, heat the heavy cream and butter until the butter melts and the cream is slightly steaming. Remove the pot from the heat and add the chocolate. Do not stir; let the mixture stand for 5 minutes. Then whisk in the remaining 2 teaspoons of vanilla and continue whisking until smooth. Let the frosting cool to room temperature.

Once the cupcakes and frosting have cooled, use a small knife to remove a 1-inch-deep pyramid from the top of each cupcake. Cut the tip off of each pyramid. Fill each cupcake with a dollop of Snack Cake Crème and then replace the tops of the cupcakes. Spread each cupcake with the chocolate frosting. For the classic Hostess look, pipe little loop-de-loops on the top with White Icing.

Donettes are tiny little rounds of deliciousness that really don’t bear that much resemblance to bakery doughnuts but are somehow still satisfying. You can make your own in a flash with the aid of a mini doughnut pan. While it may seem strange, the addition of rye and barley flours into the batter makes for an exceptionally flavorful treat. To make Chocolate Mini Cake Doughnuts, simply add two tablespoons of cocoa powder to the flour mixture
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Preheat the oven to 400°F and lightly grease a mini doughnut pan.

Sift the white spelt, rye, barley, and baking powder together. Whisk in the sugar, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, milk, vanilla, and egg. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Do not overmix or your doughnuts may be rubbery.

Fill each doughnut cup ½ to ¾ of the way full with the batter. You can do this with a spoon, but I prefer using a piping bag to fill each cup evenly and cleanly. It’s important not to overfill or as the doughnuts rise, you’ll lose the hole. Bake until the doughnuts spring back when touched, 6 to 10 minutes depending on the size of your doughnut pan. Let cool completely on a wire rack; then dip in melted chocolate or dust with powdered sugar.

For me, the perfect brownie is equal parts crusty and fudgy. These one-bite brownies, made in a mini muffin tin, fit that bill perfectly
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Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly grease a mini muffin tin.

Sift the teff flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt together and set aside.

Bring a pot of water to a simmer. Place the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl over the simmering water and stir to melt. If you prefer, you can melt the chocolate in the microwave; using 50 percent power, heat the butter and chocolate, stopping to stir every 30 seconds, until they are melted. Set aside.

With the mixer on low speed, stir together the espresso, vanilla, and sugar. Add the egg and mix until combined. Stream in the chocolate mixture and mix until combined. Add the flour mixture and beat until smooth and slightly thickened, at least 1 minute. Stir in the nuts, if you are using them.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin. Bake until just set, 10 to 12 minutes. Set the pan on a wire rack and cool the brownies completely before serving.

These cinnamon rolls are quick to make and far more pleasing than the ones that come in a can. By using a quick bread instead of a yeast dough, you can be eating these tender, cinnamony sweets in less than an hour
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-inch square cake pan with baking spray and set aside.

Sift the whole-wheat pastry flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into a small bowl and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the ricotta, buttermilk, vanilla, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, and 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add the flour mixture and stir just until blended.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead 4 or 5 times to form a smooth dough. If the dough is sticky, knead in a bit more flour. Roll the dough out to a 6-by-8-inch rectangle about ¼ inch thick and brush with 1½ tablespoons of the remaining butter.

Mix the remaining 4 tablespoons of sugar with the cinnamon and pecans, if you are using them. Sprinkle evenly onto the dough, reserving about 1 tablespoon. Starting at a short end, roll the dough into a log and pinch the seam to seal. Trim the ends and slice into 6 even pieces. Place them, cut side up, into the prepared cake pan with their sides just touching.