Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Margarita Twinkies!



Summer is coming. Dessert is already here. Using this––my original recipe––cake & cocktails come together with the help of a twinkie pan!



I made these for the Sacramento Bee photo shoot and interview. I hope you try them out at home. You don't need a twinkie pan, as the recipe also works in a cupcake pan.





A fun purchase, I admit...



I tossed out the pastry bag that came with the Twinkie Bake Set. I used a marinade injector for the crème filling instead. I am not messing around! :)



The Cake Part:

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, + 3 Tbs

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

2 cups sugar + 1 Tbs

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1/4 cup half and half

3/4 cup margarita mix (NOT the bright toxic green kind)

1 tsp Tequila

1 tsp Triple sec

1/4 lime juice

Zest of two limes


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Prepare the twinkie pan with shortening and flour and set aside.



Next, combine the flours in a small bowl and set aside.



In a large mixer bowl, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until well combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.



Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the half and half, margarita mix, and alcohols. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are just combined. Scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Pour the batter into the twinkie pan wells, filling them about 2/3 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the cakes are golden and bounce back when touched lightly.



Cool the cakes in the pan for about 10 mins. Invert on a wire rack to complete cooling when the pan is just cool enough to touch. Let cool completely while preparing the filling.




The Crème Filling:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

3 cups powdered sugar

2 Tbs instant lemon pudding mix

2 tsp lime jello mix, dissolved in 2 Tbs tequila

1 Tbs lime juice

1/2 cup margarita mix

1 tsp triple sec

Squeeze of lemon

Teeny bit of salt


To make the creme filling, mix the butter and vegetable shortening in a mixer bowl and add part of the powdered sugar. (maybe one cup or so to start). Then add in the pudding and jello mixes and the liquids all. Mix together and then add powdered sugar to get to the creme filling consistency that you like, as well as the taste you prefer. Experiment with the amounts of alcohol or use extracts/juices in their place. Fill your tool of injection with the mixture once you have something thin enough to go through the needle, yet thick enough to avoid simply being absorbed into the cake. Fill each cake on their undersides--I did mine with the three standard twinkie injections. Set them injection side down on parchment and get ready for the finishing touches. You could eat them as they are with the filling, but these next few steps really put them over the top flavor wise!



The Syrup:

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup lime juice

1/8 cup lemon juice

1/4 Torani syrup (you can plug in whatever flavor you like here. I recommend Vanilla, Lime, Orange, etc)

Pour all ingredients in a small bowl and brush onto each cake with a BBQ or pastry brush once they have cooled. Then prepare the icing glaze.




The Glaze Part:

1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

1 Tbs Tequila

2 Tbs Triple Sec

2 Tbs Lime Juice

1/4 cup Melted White Chocolate

2 Tbs butter


In a small bowl, melt the white chocolate and butter together. You can do this SLOWLY in the microwave a few seconds at a time. Then stir in the confectioner sugar, the tequila, triple sec, and lime juice. Drizzle over the filled cakes to finish and set aside to allow glaze to dry.





For the photos, I decorated the tops with candy fruit slices and buttercream frosting. Serving recommendation: Vanilla bean ice cream and lime sherbet. Salt the rim of the bowl. I think Twinkie the Kid will approve...


8 comments:

Elise said...

Hi Kristy,
Oh my gosh, I'm getting a sugar rush just thinking about these twinkies. Great article in the Bee today, congratulations!

cakegrrl2007 said...

Hi Elise,
Thanks for the kind words and your email today! :) LOVED your recent pie post.
-K

Anonymous said...

Hey Kristy, Great Pic!! How are you? I was reading my morning Bee and saw this. The Twinkies look great, how difficult are these to make?

Marcia

cakegrrl2007 said...

Hi Marcia,
They aren't difficult at all. Just maybe a little time consuming. :) You can also use your favorite cake mix with margarita mix substituted for the water you normally add. Add lime zest in the mixture as well for extra flavor. Hope you are doing well!

Jennifer said...

How cute is that? I'm drooling over those pictures! I was actually considering getting one of my friends the twinkie pan and recipe book for her wedding gift (as a gag gift). She was obsessed with them when we were in high school!

Kim R. said...

I had the privilege of sampling one of these twinkies and they were amazing. A perfect bled of sweet yet tangy. Super yum!

cakegrrl said...

That is only the beginning. I have a ton of Twinkie ideas swimming around in my head that I cannot wait to make!

Unknown said...

Wow. :)