This ding dong cake is a rich chocolate cake with a creamy filling! If you’re a fan of Hostess cupcakes or Ding Dong cakes then you’ll definitely love this moist chocolate cake recipe!
Quick Overview: Using a cake mix, canned frosting, and cool whip, to keep things easy, this great recipe can look difficult but is an easy one with a few little tricks!
Ding Dong Cake Recipe
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The next time you need a birthday cake or a last-minute dessert for a party, this can be your next go-to cake recipe!
It’s a crowd favorite, has a homemade ding dongs feel, and resembles the Hostess Ding Dong snack cakes that so many love!
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Ding Dong Cake Using Cake Mix & Cool Whip
If you’re wanting an easy ding dong cake recipe using cake mix and cool whip… this is the one for you!
Not only does it speed things up in the kitchen using these two ingredients, but the cake is also made with simple ingredients that you may already have on hand!
How to Make Ding Dong Cake
For this recipe, you’ll need the ingredients list (you can find the full printable recipe card below) but you’ll also need a few items to keep this cake super simple! But don’t worry… I’ve got you covered with tips and tricks along the way so make sure to keep reading!
Ingredients Needed:
- One box of devil’s food cake mix (and the following 3 items below to make the cake unless your cake mix calls for different ingredients)
- 1 – 1/4 cups water (only if your cake mix calls for it)
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil (only if your cake mix calls for it)
- 3 eggs (only if your cake mix calls for it)
- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 3 cups of powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup stick butter, softened
- 8 oz. Cool Whip
- 16 oz. container of milk chocolate icing (Or two containers if you want to ice the entire cake)
Preheat Oven to 350 Degrees
Before you begin mixing all of the ingredients together, go ahead and preheat your oven to 350° so it’s hot and ready when your cake batter is in the pans, ready for baking.
Two 9-inch Round Cake Pans
Next, grease two round, 9-inch cake pans with cooking spray and set them aside. This way when your cake batter is ready, you can pour it right in!
Bake Devil’s Food Cake
Using a cake mix, make the cake according to package directions. This usually includes the ingredients 1-1/4 cups water + 1/2 cup vegetable oil + 3 eggs, but double-check your boxed directions.
If you love tricks to make cakes more moist, you can mix in extra ingredients such as a box of instant pudding mix to do so, or follow your favorite tricks for making cake mixes better!
Divide batter between the two cake pans and bake cake according to package directions. Remove cakes from pan and place on a cooling rack to cool.
Cream Cheese Cool Whip Cake Filling
While the cake is baking, you can go ahead with this step:
The part of this cake that takes it to the next level is the creamy filling! Here’s how to make the cream filling:
In a mixing bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and softened butter.
Once that has been mixed, fold in (which means to use a silicone spatula or spoon to gently stir in) the Cool Whip until evenly mixed. Set aside.
How to Cut Cake in Half
When the cake has cooled, you can safely cut the cakes in half to create multiple layers for the cream cheese filling.
How to cut the cake in half: Using unwaxed dental floss, hold the floss in both hands, creating a tight, straight piece of floss. Place straight floss on the farthest side of the cake from you, in the middle of the side. Carefully pull the floss toward you, creating an even split, which will turn one cake in to two thinner cakes.
Or… if you want it to be even more accurate, you can follow these steps for split layers:
- Measure the thickness of the cake layer and divide the number in half.
- At the halfway point, stick a toothpick part way in to the sides, to mark that height. (Picture looking down over the cake and it looks like a sun with the toothpicks inserted in to the sides.)
- Continue measuring and adding in toothpicks around the cake (I used 4 toothpicks).
- Then, using a long piece of dental floss, place the floss on top of the toothpicks circling the whole cake and bring the ends to the front.
- Cross them over and gently pull until the cake is split.
- It will cut your cake exactly in half in a straight line!
Repeat on the other cake, leaving you with FOUR layers of cake.
How to Apply Cream Filling on Cake Layers
The key to spreading the whipped cream filling on the cake layers is to make sure you don’t spread the filling all of the way to the edge of the cakes. If you do, the weight of the stacked cakes can make the cream filling push out too much, causing it to overlap the edges of the cake.
Divide the fluffy cream filling in to three equal amounts. (This doesn’t have to be perfect, just eyeballing the amounts should suffice.)
Starting with one of the layers, place a third of the cream filling in the center. Carefully spread the filling evenly across the top, making sure to not put it right on the edges.
Stack another layer of cake on top of the cream filling you just spread on.
Carefully spread out the second portion of cream filling across the 2nd layer of cake.
Repeat this process on the chocolate cake layers until you place the 4th layer of cake on top.
How to Frost the Cake
To make the cake just like you see in the photos, you only need to frost the top of the cake with a can of chocolate frosting. We do this so you can see the beautiful filling on the sides of the cake.
However, if you prefer frosting the entire cake and like lots of chocolate frosting, and let the cream filling be a surprise when sliced, you can! It may take a little more than one container of frosting so be prepared to use at least some of a second container!
What to Serve with Cake
If you’re looking for different toppings or items to serve with this ding dong cake, these are some of our favorites:
- vanilla ice cream
- nuts (peanut, walnuts, pralines)
- caramel drizzle
- sliced fruit such as strawberries, raspberries or cherries
- extra whipped cream
- chocolate chips
- toffee pieces
- glass of cold milk
- chocolate ganache (poured over the top of the cake)
- substitute cream filling with marshmallow filling
More Chocolate Dessert Recipes
Ding Dong Cake
Ingredients
- 1 box Betty Crocker devil's food cake mix If you use another brand of cake mix, the water, vegetable oil and eggs listed below, may differ. Follow your cake mix instructions instead and leave out the water, vegetable oil and eggs below, as those are recommended for Betty Crocker cake mix.
- 1 1/4 cups water If using Betty Crocker cake mix (may differ for other cake mix brands)
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil If using Betty Crocker cake mix (may differ for other cake mix brands)
- 3 eggs If using Betty Crocker cake mix (may differ for other cake mix brands)
- 8 oz. cream cheese softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup stick of butter softened
- 8 oz. Cool Whip
- 16 oz. container of milk chocolate frosting or 2 containers if you want to frost the entire cake, instead of just the top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Grease two 9-inch cake pans and set aside
- Using a devil's food cake mix, make the cake according to package directions. This usually includes the ingredients 1-1/4 cups water + 1/2 cup vegetable oil + 3 eggs, but double-check your boxed directions. If your box mix calls for different ingredients, you can omit the water, vegetable oil and eggs that are included in the ingredients list.
- Bake cake according to package directions.
- While cake is baking, mix the cream cheese, butter and powdered sugar in a bowl.
- Fold in the Cool Whip until evenly mixed.
- When cake has finished baking, place on cooling rack to cool.
- When cake has cooled completely, begin splitthing the cakes in half, in to thinner layers. See notes for tips.
- Divide cream filling in to 3 equal portions. (You can do this right inside of the bowl, and it doesn't have to be perfect.)
- Take one portion of cream filling and spread on top of one of the cake layers, being careful not to spread to the edges as the weight of the stacked cakes would press down and squeeze the filling over the edges if so.
- Once evenly spread on the first layer, place another layer of cake on top and spread the 2nd portion of cream filling across that layer.
- Repeat these steps until the last cake layer is placed on top.
- Once cake has been completely assembled, frost the top of the cake with the amount of milk chocolate frosting desired. If you prefer to frost the entire cake, instead of only the top, you may need the whole container and part of a 2nd container.
Toni says
Such an amazing dessert! My kids couldn’t stop eating this cake!
Jessica says
Haha! It’s definitely a kid favorite in our house too, thank you!
Heather says
This brings me back to my childhood with the hostess ding dong treats! I love this!
Jessica says
Right!? Me too! It’s so easy to make and way better than the little snack cakes because you can cut these slices way bigger. Haha!
Betsy Carney says
Holy cow, this is AMAZING! I had to hide the leftovers from my kids!
Jessica says
Haha… I’m not going to lie. I’ve done this too! Haha!