You’ll love this homemade Twinkie recipe: Lemon Raspberry Twinkies made from scratch with simple, natural ingredients and none of the preservatives found in the commercial version.
If you remember the classic snack cakes filled with fluffy vanilla cream, you’ll enjoy making a fresher, lighter take at home. This recipe keeps the soft, tender cake and reproduces the creamy center with a bright lemon-raspberry filling. It’s approachable for home bakers and great to make with kids.
Equipment for making homemade Twinkie recipe
For authentic Twinkie shapes use a non-stick canoe or Twinkie pan. If you don’t have one, a muffin tin or a bundt pan will work—muffin tins make individual Twinkie-style cupcakes and a bundt pan yields a large Twinkie-style cake. Make sure the pan is non-stick or lightly greased.
You’ll also need an electric hand or stand mixer (whisk and paddle attachments), a cooling rack, and a piping bag or large plastic sandwich bag for filling.
Ingredients
This recipe is simple and fun to assemble. Below are the ingredients separated for the batter and the filling.
Twinkie batter: cake flour, all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, eggs (separated), unsalted butter, milk, lemon extract, vanilla extract, cream of tartar, salt, baking powder.
Filling: fresh raspberries, cream cheese (softened), unsalted butter (softened), fresh lemon juice, granulated sugar, powdered (confectioners’) sugar, cornstarch.
Note about cake flour: If you don’t have cake flour, make a substitute by measuring 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour, removing 1 tablespoon, and replacing it with 1 tablespoon cornstarch.
How to make Lemon Raspberry Twinkies
The process breaks into prep, batter, filling, and stuffing steps. Read through the steps and prep ingredients before you begin for best results.
Prep:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Combine cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside.
- Separate eggs into yolks and whites; place whites in the mixer bowl and yolks in a separate bowl.
- Warm butter and milk briefly (microwave or stovetop), then stir in lemon and vanilla extracts; set aside.
- Beat egg whites on medium-high until frothy, then add sugar and cream of tartar gradually and beat to soft peaks; set aside.
- Set softened cream cheese and butter out for the filling so they come to room temperature.
Combine the batter:
- Beat the egg yolks with half the sugar until pale and creamy.
- Carefully add the beaten egg whites on top of the yolk mixture—do not mix them together vigorously.
- Sprinkle the flour mixture over the eggs and mix on low speed just 10 seconds to combine.
- Make a well and gently fold in the butter/milk/extract mixture. Fold only about 8 times—do not overwork the batter.
- Fill each canoe or Twinkie pan slot about 1/4 full. Bake on the middle rack at 350°F for 18–20 minutes, until lightly golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove carefully while warm to a wire rack and chill in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes before filling.
Make the filling: The filling combines a fruity raspberry puree with a creamy, sweet base.
- For the raspberry puree, simmer raspberries with granulated sugar, cornstarch, and fresh lemon juice until the fruit breaks down. Strain through a fine mesh to remove seeds and cool.
- Cream together the softened cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer, then gradually add powdered sugar until smooth and fluffy.
- Fold in the cooled raspberry puree until evenly combined. Transfer the filling to a piping bag or large plastic bag with a corner snipped off.
Stuff the Twinkies:
- Working with cooled Twinkies, place them upside down on wax paper (they may stick to parchment unless lightly greased).
- Use a straw or piping tip to poke 4–5 holes into the bottom center of each cake.
- Pipe the lemon-raspberry filling into the holes until each Twinkie is filled. Dust lightly with confectioners’ sugar if desired and arrange on a serving platter.
Recipe Tips
- Do the prep steps first so everything is ready when you assemble the batter.
- Fresh or frozen raspberries both work. You can swap other berries or omit fruit altogether for a plain cream filling.
- When adding beaten egg whites to the yolk mixture, avoid mixing them in; fold gently to preserve airiness.
- Bake the batter immediately after combining; the batter performs best when fresh.
- The cakes are delicate—handle gently when removing from the pan and filling.
- They fill more cleanly when chilled briefly in the refrigerator.
Variations
Turn this recipe into a Twinkie cake or Twinkie cupcakes by using a cake pan or muffin tin. Spread or pipe the filling into cut layers, or fill individual cupcakes using the same method. Extra filling makes great frosting or a dip for other desserts.
Kids love helping with these—surprise them with homemade Twinkies instead of store-bought snacks.
Storage and make ahead
Because these are made with fresh ingredients, store finished Twinkies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5–7 days. Bring to room temperature before serving if you prefer. You can bake the cakes ahead and keep them refrigerated, then fill them just before serving for the freshest texture.
More dessert recipes
- Flaming Banana Split
- No Bake Lemon Icebox Pie
- Orange Creamsicle Icebox Pie
- Scandinavian Almond Cake
- Foolproof Peach Cobbler
- Classic Southern Pecan Pie
- Classic Buttermilk Pie
If you make this recipe, please leave a comment and rating below — I love to hear your feedback!
Lemon Raspberry Twinkie Recipe
Equipment
- Stand or hand mixer
- Non-stick canoe pan or Twinkie pan (or muffin tin/bundt pan alternative)