Mini Chocolate Cakes with Marshmallow Filling and Chocolate Coating (Homemade Ding Dongs!)

mini chocolate coated cakes with one cut in half exposing marshmallow center

Mini Chocolate Cakes with Marshmallow Filling and Chocolate Coating (Homemade Ding Dongs!)

Better than store-bought Mini Chocolate Cakes with Marshmallow Filling and Chocolate Coating...aka Homemade Ding Dongs! Every bite of one of these little cakes is extra chocolate-y, soft, moist, perfectly sweet, and SO. GOOD.

Course: Desserts

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 20

Servings: cakes

Calories: 629kcal

Ingredients

Cakes

¾ cup Dutch process cocoa powder sifted
1 cup boiling water
1¾ cups all purpose flour
1½ cups granulated sugar
2½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs room temperature
¾ cup whole milk
½ cup vegetable oil
1¾ teaspoons vanilla extract

Filling

2 large egg whites
⅔ cup granulated sugar
8 teaspoons water

Coating

4 cups melted or tempered chocolate

Instructions

Cakes

Heat oven to 350℉.
Spray pans with baking spray. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together cocoa and water. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla.
Whisk until smooth.
Stir in chocolate.
Spoon into prepared molds, filling each ⅔ full.
Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until cakes test done.

Filling

Beat egg whites to stiff peaks.
In a small saucepan, combine sugar and water.
Cook and stir over medium low heat until sugar dissolves.
Stop stirring and brush down sides of pot with a pastry brush dipped in water.
Continue to cook, without stirring, to 246℉-250℉.
With mixer running, slowly pour sugar mixture into egg whites.
Continue beating until cool.

Assembly

Level the cakes.
Core cakes using a cupcake corer or spoon.
Place filling in piping bag.
Pipe filling into each cake.
Place cut out lid on top.
Dip bottom of cakes into melted chocolate.
Set on parchment lined sheet pan and allow to set.
Place cakes on wire cooling rack.
Spoon melted chocolate over cakes.

Notes

Substitutions:

You can use store-bought marshmallow fluff for the filling.
If you use melted chocolate for this recipe, you may want to add about 1-2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil.

Expert Tips:

When blooming the chocolate, let it stand for AT LEAST 5 minutes. If you rush it, the cakes will not have as strong of a chocolate flavor.
If you don't have the proper pan/molds for these cakes, you can bake the cake in a sheet pan and cut out with biscuit cutter! Just remember the baking time may be longer, so you will need to keep an eye on the cake!
When you’re making the meringue, make sure egg whites are at room temperature. The eggs won’t whip if not. Also, be sure that the mixer bowl is free of any dust!
Use a digital thermometer to make sure your candy is the right temperature before adding it to the egg whites.
When adding the candy, be sure to stream it in slowly! Do not add it too fast.
You can use a fork/spoon to dig out the middles of the cake. Just be careful to not dig out TOO much of the cake.
When coating the cakes, it's best to spoon about 1-2 Tablespoons of the melted chocolate over the top and then gently push it to the edges to really get the smooth sides.
If you run out of chocolate before you're done coating the cakes, you can spoon it out of the bottom of the pan and remelt it. Just remember if you're using tempered chocolate, this will work, but it will bring it out of temper.

Nutrition