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This Raspberry Zinger Cake is just like the Hostess packaged treat in 9×13 pan form! Moist white cake, smooth filling, a little coconut and a touch of raspberry flavor come together to make this dreamy dessert so so SO good!
Wanna know a little secret?? Two of the most visited recipes here at Dance Around the Kitchen are Hostess copycats. Yep, that’s right. The Twinkie Cake, Swiss Cake Roll and the Ding Dong Cake are both big winners and if you’ve ever tried them, you aren’t really surprised at all.
So, naturally, I thought about other Hostess products that are hugely popular and the Raspberry Zingers come to mind. I’ve always thought they were so pretty and vibrantly colored, so I gave it a go. And I’m SOOOO glad I did!
Ingredients Needed
- White Cake Mix + ingredients needed to make the cake (most brands say egg whites, oil & water)
- Raspberry Gelatin – Or change it up!! Prefer strawberry or cherry?! Go for it!
- Flour
- Milk
- Salt
- Sugar
- Butter
- Shortening
- Vanilla
- Sweetened Shredded Coconut
- Whipped Topping (homemade or store-bought)
How to Make Raspberry Zinger Cake
First, bake the cakes!
Be sure to prepare the pans correctly before baking. You’ll want one 9×13 pan that is just greased and the other lined with parchment paper. The parchment paper will be super helpful once you’re ready to put the cake together!
Next, make the filling.
In order to have a super smooth filling, be sure you’re keeping a close eye on the milk + flour mixture. It’s important to whisk constantly to avoid clumps.
Put it all together!!
Seeing all of the tasty components come together is the fun part!! Just be sure that the cakes are completely cooled before moving on to this step.
This cake is GOOD, you guys. It does have a few steps, but I can promise it’s totally worth it. I like to think of this cake as a combo of a poke cake and a layer cake….the best of BOTH worlds!
What Hostess or Little Debbie creation should I “copycat” next?! Tell me in the comments below! Until then, one more close-up of this beauty! (insert alllll the heart eyes here!)
Raspberry Zinger Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 box white cake mix + ingredients to prepare
- 1 3-ounce package raspberry gelatin divided
- 3/4 cup boiling water
Filling
- 5 tablespoon flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Topping
- 1 8-ounce tub whipped topping
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 tablespoon water
Instructions
Make the Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F and gather two 9×13" pans.
- Prepare one pan with cooking spray and line the other pan with parchment paper.
- Prepare the cake mix according to box instructions and evenly divide the batter between the two pans.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, or until cakes are done. Poke holes in each cake with a fork.
- Remove 1 tbsp raspberry gelatin powder from the bag and set aside. Add the remaining gelatin to the 3/4 cup boiling water and stir until dissolved. Brush over both cakes and refrigerate to cool.
Make the Filling
- In a saucepan, mix flour and milk with a whisk.
- Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until thick; remove from the heat and let cool.
- In a large bowl (or stand mixer with a whisk attachment), beat the shortening, butter, sugar, salt and vanilla until fluffy.
- Add the cooled milk mixture and beat until smooth, about 5 minutes.
- Spread the filling over the cake in the pan (without parchment paper).
Assemble
- Place the other cake over the filling, raspberry side down, and remove the parchment paper.
- Spread the whipped topping on the cake evenly.
- In a small bowl, stir together the 1 tbsp raspberry gelatin, 1/2 tbsp water and coconut until well-combined and sprinkle it on top.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
I made this but did it with lemon and it was o so delicious