Reviewed: Nov. 16, 2009

I have been making this cake for over 30 years and it is by far my most requested dessert. I do have a few changes that have worked nicely for me. Bake the choc cake in a jelly roll pan. Cool and put in freezer. Middle: Make the milk thickening and cool.(I put a cover lightly over it to help keep the top from drying out.) In bowl, 1 stick softened butter, 1/2 Crisco, 1 c. sugar and add milk thickening; beat 3-4 min until fluffy. Spread over frozen cake. I drop in sections and smooth to the edges. (The middle is not so over powering.) Return to freezer. Frosting: In bowl 3 c. sifted powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 2 1/2 Tbs. hot water, 1 melted stick butter, 1 raw egg, and 3 pkgs of Nestle premelted unsweetened choc (found in groc store with baking supplies in yellow box) Beat until frosting appears glossy and spread quickly over cake to edges. I store with non-stick foil over top, sometimes making layers when I have time. Never a problem with raw egg. Remind people to keep cake refrig. I always keep one in my freezer. Remove 30-45 min. before serving.

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sjchupa

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Reviewed: Oct. 9, 2009

This was good, not great. The filling has potential but was pretty bland as-is. I love the rich, creaminess of it and I think with some added flavor (maybe replace some of the milk with a liqueur?) it would really be great. Also helps to doctor the mix a bit. Some cocoa powder and sour cream go a long way. For those concerned about the raw egg, there's a simple fix. Whisk your chocolate, egg, and water together in a double boiler. This will both melt your chocolate and pasteurize your egg. After you remove it from heat, stir in the butter until melted and finally the sugar and vanilla.

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iheartdietpepsi

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Reviewed: Aug. 30, 2009

My HO HO Cake recipe is different. Bake a dark choc cake as directed on the box. Cool completely... Beat until stiff the following: 3/4 cup sugar, 2/3 cup white crisco, 1/2 soft butter, 5 oz evap milk and 1 tsp vanilla...spread on cake. Melt 1 container Fudge frosting just enough to pour over white mixture. Refrigerate 2 hrs. THIS IS AWESOME!!!!

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Teresa's Favorite Recipes

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Reviewed: Aug. 27, 2009

I made this last week and the family loved it. The cream was light and fluffy, no grittiness whatsoever. I taste tested the cream and felt that it was lacking flavor (probably one of the reasons that I personally never liked Ho Hos), so I added 2 teaspoons of vanilla and 3/4 cup of confectioners sugar and it was terrific!! The whole cake came together very easily and is a nice change to traditional frosting. Thanks for a great recipe.

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Kristen

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Aug. 23, 2009

This recipe is excellent. I whipped the filling in a stand mixer for 20 minutes and it came out smooth, light and fluffy. My husband loved it. Follow the directions exactly and don't skimp (you need to do the flour milk thing, its not the same if you don't. It will just be crisco and sugar if you don't do all the steps). It really does taste like a ho ho!

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SLUVS2QUILT

Cooking Level: Expert

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Reviewed: Aug. 21, 2009

This cake is sooo good! The filling tasted strange on it's own (and the whole flour cooked with the milk was weird) but paired with the cake and the topping it was great. I did add an extra 1/4 cup of sugar to the filling. Tastes exactly like a ho ho!

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trixiemama

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Reviewed: Aug. 13, 2009

Awesome recipe!!! As others suggested, I added vanilla to the cream filling for more flavor. I also added a heaping tablespoon of confectioner's sugar to make it a little creamier. You do have to blend for a long time to get it really creamy and fluffy.

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lara

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Jul. 25, 2009

Okay, at first I really wasn't sure if I liked this cake. BUT, the next day, it was wonderful. Once the chocolate on top really had time to set and harden, it was the best! I think if I make it again, I will cut the cake horizontally and fill the cake with the icing, then pour the chocolate on top the cake.

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Sheri

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Jun. 25, 2009

I'm giving this 4 stars because the filling is EXCELLENT (when it comes out right)!! Sometimes it comes out perfect and other times it has a strange texture and doesn't get fluffy. When that happens it seems like it's when the butter is added so the next time I make this I'm going to try using all shortening (as bad as it is for you) and experiment with powdered sugar -to avoid the graininess granulated sugar can sometimes produce. I've piped the filling into mini chocolate cupcakes (we've even frozen them & eaten them right out of the freezer -yum), I've layered it between yellow cake rounds, I've filled cream puffs with it... the possibilities are endless! I searched for a long time for a filling like this and it is really great. I'll experiment a little more and report back. UPDATE: for the filling I tried all shortening & powdered sugar instead of granulated (adding a little at a time to get the right sweetness) and it was perfect! A whole cup of shortening is really bad for you but it tastes so good. That sounds really grose but it's true. --I'll definitely only make this for special occasions but it is delicious!

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Missy

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Jun. 22, 2009

If you want a creamier tasting filling, try this. Cream together 1 1/4 Cup confectioners sugar, 1/2 Cup butter or margarine, 1/2 Cup Crisco, 1/8 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. vanilla. Add to flour/milk mixture as directed. This is for those who don't like the Crisco taste or the graininess.

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SILERAE

Cooking Level: Expert

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Reviewed: Apr. 18, 2009

I couldn't seem to get the cream filling to whip. I've had problems with this kind of frosting in the past, and I don't know what I'm doing wrong. Could someone pleeeeeeeease explain to me exactly HOW to get the filling nice and fluffy? _________________________________________________________ EDIT EDIT EDIT EDIT EDIT EDIT: alright, I see what I was doing wrong. In an attempt at making it trans-fat-free I tried using butter/margarine instead of CRISCO. Bad idea. The shortening is what makes it fluffy and stable. I suggest putting 1/4 cup less of margarine/butter and 1/4 cup for shortening. Clear vanilla preserves it's white, appealing color. Overall, I change my rating to 4 stars, as it still lacked some flavor (although that's how a ho ho's cream filling is supposed to taste like.) _________________________________________________________ 4*

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ElliexthexCook

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Monroeville, Pennsylvania, USA

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Reviewed: Mar. 28, 2009

Off the charts. This was the best recipe. I am a big fan of ho-ho's and this cake taste even better. I loved the cream filling. I did as other reviews suggested I used one and a half cups of sugar and dissolved it in the milk and flour mixture.

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Kristine

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Mar. 17, 2009

The cream was not as delicious as I had hoped, pretty flavorless even with vanilla added. The glaze on top was difficult to work with. The cake was OK, I probably won't make it again.

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e_pomeroy

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Reviewed: Mar. 12, 2009

The overall taste was good although I was scared by the sample taste an hour after it was assembled (gets better overnight in fridge). If I make again, I would combine sugar in the flour/milk mixture to ensure that it "melts" so as to avoid the grainy texture if following original recipe directions. Still, the white "cream" middle layer does have a weird feel on the tongue and is rather bland but when combined with cake and chocolate glaze topping, somehow works. Mixed reviews (75% approval rating) from those who had a piece. Give it a try...

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foodloverinva

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Feb. 9, 2009

This cake was so tasty. I took it to a birthday party and got nothing but rave reviews. I read the other reviews and i decided to use a can of chocolate frosting microwaved for a few seconds, then i just poured it over the cake. that worked well. and i was concerned about the cream being gritty, so i poured in the milk while it was still slightly warm, but not hot enough to melt the butter and then beat it for 12 minutes and it turned out great. i just wanted to eat the whole bowl of it.

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RFRIEDL964

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Reviewed: Nov. 25, 2008

This cake is very rich and is not ment for diabetics. When I made it I did not have any shortning so I used Margarine instead. Took it to work everyone raved about it.

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sandy

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Reviewed: Nov. 22, 2008

The origional recipe calls for a jiffy cake mix and that is only a 9oz size a HoHo is thin so the 9 is right.15min in 9x13. If you can,t find the 9oz (I couldn't for a while)just use 1/2 a cake mix and make the rest into cup cakes. If you have a fear of raw eggs use egg beaters. I also ure liquid chocolate(choco bake) for the topping eliminates the need to melt chocolate.

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McMama

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Reviewed: Oct. 29, 2008

This has become my husband's birthday cake request. It truly tastes like a ho ho. Thank you

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VMAX

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Reviewed: Sep. 29, 2008

I had trouble with the filling. I wouldn't "fluff" even after 10 min of beating. But it still tasted great! I did round layer cake - makes a nice presentation! I too am iffy about the raw egg. Next time I think I'll try that making it without the egg.

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cinnamon

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Reviewed: Jul. 18, 2008

Judging by the other 37 reviews, it seems I'm the first to notice that there's an obvious misprint in the recipe, which calls for a 9-oz. cake mix, and luckily the other reviewers just happened to use what the recipe SHOULD call for, which is a standard, 18.5 oz. cake mix. I think this recipe would be disastrous if a 9 oz. cake mix was actually used. Having said that, I was very pleased with this cake, as were about 10 other people, who completely polished it off. Where margarine was called for I substituted butter. I added a teaspoon of vanilla to the filling to give it a flavor boost, however, even with the vanilla the filling was still more fluffy and creamy than flavorful, but it was perfect when considered as a whole with the finished cake. I made the cake in two 9" layers, with the filling thickly in between and it was definitely unique looking, but baking this in three layers would probably have been easier to work with. Rather than the unsweetened chocolate in the glaze I used a fine quality bittersweet chocolate which I was pleased with. I whipped the ingredients rather than stirring them as I wanted a fluffy frosting rather than a glaze, and it was enough to frost the entire cake. I finished it off with brown and white jimmies. A perfectly decadent dessert sensation!

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