Description

This Hostess original recipe is a Twinkie take on a wedding cake. Fondant is a prepared confection, readily available at stores selling cake-decorating supplies, including large craft stores. It comes in a variety of colors and in various package sizes. To use it, place it on a board lightly dusted with cornstarch or confectioners’ sugar and roll it to the desired thickness, usually about 1⁄8 inch thick, with a rolling pin.

Ingredients

7 3⁄4 pounds prepared fondant in 2 colors
27 Twinkies
1 (4-inch-diameter, 4-inch-thick) piece Styrofoam
1 (7-inch-diameter) cardboard cake round, covered with decorative, food-safe aluminum foil
1 1⁄2 (16-ounce) cans buttercream frosting
1 (8-inch-diameter, 4-inch-thick) piece Styrofoam
1 (11-inch-diameter) cardboard cake round, covered with decorative, food-safe aluminum foil

Directions

Reserve 1 pound of the fondant and roll the rest out to 1⁄8 inch thick. Wrap 13 of the Twinkies in strips of one of the colors of fondant (31⁄2 to 4 ounces fondant per Twinkie). Lightly brush the edges of the fondant with water to seal tightly. Wrap the remaining 14 Twinkies in the other color of fondant.

For the top layer, place the 4-inch round of Styrofoam in the center of the 7-inch cardboard round. Frost the top and sides with one-third of one can of frost¬ing. Alternating the colors, arrange 10 of the fondant-wrapped Twinkies upright around the Styrofoam, attaching them with the frosting, with the seams facing in. The top edge of the Twinkies should be even with the top of the frosted Styrofoam.
For the bottom layer, place the 8-inch round of Styrofoam in the center of the 11-inch cardboard round. Frost the top and sides with the remaining two-thirds of the first can of frosting. Alternating the colors, arrange the remaining 17 fondant-wrapped Twinkies upright around the Styrofoam, attaching them with the frosting, with the seams facing in. The top edge of the Twinkies should be even with the top of the frosted Styrofoam.
Fill a pastry bag fitted with a #12 tip for larger decorations (or a #4 or #5 tip for more delicate decorations) with frosting. Pipe a decorative filigree of frosting on the top edges of the Twinkies on the bottom layer, or mold fondant into decorative shapes and position on top of the Twinkies.
Stack the top layer on the bottom layer. Fit the pastry bag with a #6 tip. Pipe dots of frosting around the edges of the cardboard circles.
Cut flowers from the fondant with a small cookie cutter and decorate the tops of the Twinkies on the top layer. Fit the pastry bag with a #3 tip and pipe a small dot of frosting in the center of each flower.

To make a bow on top of the cake, roll the reserved 1 pound fondant out to a 1⁄8-inch thickness and cut into strips about 1 inch wide. Place a generous dollop of frosting on top of the cake, then use a strip of fondant to make a loop, sticking the ends into the frosting to secure. Continue to add loops of fondant ribbon, securing each loop in the frosting, to make a large bow.