Ding Dong Cake is a decadent treat that is a recreation of the classic Ding Dong, a chocolate whoopie pie with a creamy filling. My cake version combines rich chocolate cake, a light and creamy filling, and a heavenly chocolate ganache to create a dessert that will leave you wanting more. Perfect for chocolate lovers and cake enthusiasts, this recipe is sure to be a hit. You will also love my Ding Dong Sheet Cake! Make sure to try my 50 Best Cake Recipes for even more dessert inspiration!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Cake: The chocolate cake in this recipe is my Perfect Chocolate Cake. The batter is very runny and it is designed to be made in two 8-inch by 3-inch round cake pans. You could also use a boxed chocolate cake mix.
Coffee: Adding brewed hot coffee to the cake batter enhances the chocolate flavor of the cake. The cake will not have a coffee taste. If you don’t have coffee, you can substitute it with hot water.
Filling: The creamy filling is known as an Ermine frosting (also known as Roux frosting or boiled milk frosting). This frosting has a few extra steps compared to a traditional American buttercream, but the result is well worth it. Subtle and creamy, it is the PERFECT filling for this beyond-rich cake.
Ganache: To make the chocolate ganache, you can use either semi-sweet or milk chocolate. If you don’t have a chocolate bar, chocolate chips can be used as a substitute. I also have a Chocolate Ganache Made with Butter recipe you could use.
How to Store Ding Dong Cake
First, place the cake in an airtight container to prevent air exposure and keep it fresh. This will help the cake last for 3-4 days in the refrigerator. Before serving, let the cake come to room temperature for the best flavor and texture.
Can I Freeze Ding Dong Cake?
Yes, you can freeze Ding Dong Cake. To freeze the cake, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and place it in a freezer-safe container. (I prefer to cut and wrap the cake into individual pieces before freezing.) The cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat the cake, allow it to thaw in the refrigerator for a few hours or on the counter for a couple of hours, then bring it to room temperature before serving. Freezing the cake may affect the texture and taste, so it’s best to eat it as soon as possible for the best experience.
More Chocolate Cakes
Ding Dong Cake
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 1 ¾ cups (219 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (90 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup (240 g) buttermilk, room temperature
- ½ cup (112 g) vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons McCormick pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (237 g) freshly brewed hot coffee
Filling (Ermine Frosting)
- 1 cup whole milk
- 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (2 sticks / 227 g) butter
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoons vanilla
Ganache
- 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 12 ounces heavy cream, room temperature
Instructions
Chocolate Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray 2, 8-inch x 3-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. (8-inch cake pans with shorter sides may cause an overflow in your oven.) Set aside.
- To the bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix to combine.
- In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla.
- With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With the mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick comes out mostly clean with no wet batter.
- Let the cakes cool in the pans for 30 minutes. Then, turn them out onto a cooling rack to let them cool completely.
Filling
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the milk and flour. Cook, whisking constantly, for 3-5 minutes, or until no lumps remain and the mixture thickens and resembles a very thick pudding. It should coat the back of a spoon. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool to room temperature.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes). Stop the mixer and use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the cooled milk mixture to the bowl of the stand mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until the frosting is light and fluffy (2-3 minutes), pausing to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Switch to the whisk attachment. Add vanilla and mix on high for 7-8 minutes, or until the frosting is smooth and creamy.
Ganache
- Place the chocolate into a heat-safe bowl. Set the bowl aside as you heat up the cream.
- To a quart-sized, microwave-safe bowl, add the heavy cream. Microwave for 3-4 minutes on high, or until it just begins to simmer, being careful not to allow the cream to boil over.
- Pour the cream over the chopped chocolate and let stand for at least 2 minutes so that it can thicken.
- When ready to pour over the cooled cake, whisk the ganache until smooth and then pour. You may have some ganache left over.
Assembly
- If needed, level the cakes. Then, place one cake round onto your work surface.
- Spread the filling over the cake. Top with the second cake round.
- Pour the ganache over the cake, including the sides. Let it set for a few minutes before cutting and serving.
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
Was the best cake but labor intensive! What size cake pans? What kind of chocolate for the ganache? Chocolate chips or bakers? The ganache was so runny it was too thin to pour over the cake.I had to put it in the freezer for 15 minutes and then whisk it over and over.It took about an hour before it was set. There was a huge mess on the cake saver and on the stove top where it ran over the cake. Next time I know to let it thicken . You need to tell people these things.
I made this cake yesterday for my son-in-law’s birthday. It was delicious. I used 2 9inch pans and had no problem with it running over. My only problem was the ganache was way to runny. I had to cook it on the stove and add more chocolate. I suggest less heavy cream. The final result was great. Will definitely make this again as it was a favorite for our family birthday dinner of 12.
Okay, so I decided to try this recipe and there’s a lot of different issues people were having.
First, I used 9 inch cake pans. Definitely butter/flour them. It doesn’t mention how to prepare the pans in the recipe, and someone else on here said to oil/flour them, but when I did it that way it ended up sticking since it’s a very moist cake. So definitely suggest a very thorough buttering/flouring for the pans. That said, the cakes themselves didn’t overflow in these pans… I tried to be as precise as I could and I believe 8 inch pans would’ve actually worked as well (but just barely, there’s definitely little room for error in measuring the ingredients, so safer to just use 9 inch ones). The cake recipe otherwise is pretty amazing. Even refrigerated for a few days it tastes a lot moister and softer than even boxed recipes can taste freshly baked.
For the filling in the middle, I’m just not sure why we don’t just use whipped cream for it? We’re basically doing that and making it whipped cream-like, anyway. The filling definitely hardens up some in the fridge being butter based, which I suppose helps keep it together, but next time I do this recipe I’d try it with just a simple whipped cream I think. For science.
The ganache was good but definitely definitely way too much of it. I easily used less than half of the total amount made and was easily able to cover my cake in a good amount of ganache without killing it. I’d suggest for others using half the amount, and maybe a bit more chocolate to help thicken the ganache, but personally the ganache was a good thickness for me with those proportions. I’m just not a huge fan of the method used in the recipe. I do see how good it can be when you’re multitasking to use the microwave and let it sit and all that, but I’d rather just heat it over a double boiler myself the old fashioned way.
Combined it’s a really great cake though, would definitely make it again sometime.
Hi! What can I use as a substitute for butter in the filling recipe? I need to make this cake dairy free for my lactose intolerant family.
isn’t margarine dairy free? They also make vegan spreads I would think you could substitute.
So many were concerned with the overflowing if the 8 inch pans were used. I noticed that the 8 inch pans used in the video had 3 inch instead of 2 inch sides . That would make a difference when it comes to the overflowing problem. Otherwise, use two 9 inch pans.
For the Ding Dong cake, how do change the recipe to make it in a high altitude location?
Made this today, cake was great, filling turned out great. The ganche was super runny and way to much. Might have been enough if it stayed more on the cake. But delicious anyway!!
I made this cake just the way the directions said and it was fabulous. I was told by 2 people that it was the best cake they ever had. The cake was so moist. I used 9″ pans, perfect.
Has anyone turned this into cupcakes?
This cake was my first EVER made-from-scratch and it was perfect .I had to make a couple of alterations, though, as I ran out of vanilla for the filling, I used a dash of maple flavoring and prepared 1/4 cup of peanut butter powder and added it into the combined filling ingredients I forgot to pick up semi-sweet chocolate chips but had a can of chocolate frosting in the cupboard, and it worked wonderfully. My friends loved it, and I’ll make this one again!
I think some people have to remember that altitude could contribute to some of the problems with the cake, so follow altitude corrections if you are way above sea level. I had forgotten that I live right at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, and checked recently only to be surprised I am 6000 feet above sea level. I have adjusted all my baking accordingly and it does make a difference. Just sayin’ … something to keep in mind.
Thank you, Aubrianna! I just recently moved to Northern Arizona and we are 7000 feet above sea level! I have baked 3 cakes since I moved here in December and all three have fell apart when trying to take them out of the pans. Please tell me how do you adjust according to altitude?