Ding Dong Cake is a nostalgic, crowd-pleasing dessert with a soft chocolate cake base, a thick, fluffy cream filling, and a shiny chocolate icing on top—just like the classic snack cake, but supersized and made in a 9×13 pan. This semi-homemade version uses a boxed cake mix, a quick cream cheese–Cool Whip filling, and canned chocolate frosting for an easy, low-stress bake that still feels special enough for birthdays, potlucks, and holidays.
The magic is in the layers: you bake a simple chocolate cake, slice it horizontally, spread a generous layer of sweet, fluffy filling in the middle, then sandwich it back together and finish with a smooth chocolate icing. After a chill in the fridge, every slice delivers that ultra-soft cake + creamy center + fudgy topping combo that Hostess fans love, without any fussy techniques.
Why you’ll love this cake
This Ding Dong Cake leans on smart shortcuts—boxed cake mix, canned chocolate icing, and whipped topping—so you get consistent, reliable results with minimal effort. You still build real layers and assemble it like a bakery cake, but most of the heavy lifting is already built into the products you’re using.
The flavor and texture profile is exactly what people expect from a Ding Dong–style dessert: soft chocolate cake, cool and creamy vanilla filling, and a rich chocolate top that sets just enough to slice cleanly. It chills beautifully, slices well, and actually tastes better after some time in the refrigerator, making it ideal to bake ahead for events.
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