Chocolate Ho Ho Cake

5 from 3 votes

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Rich and chocolatey with all the goodness of the Hostess treats we all love! Our chocolate ho ho cake will bring you right back to your childhood without restricting you to what’s in that tiny package. For good and for bad. ;)

We love all of the chocolate cake in this household. It’s probably why we have so many delicious chocolate cake recipes! We are currently loving this Chocolate Ho Ho Cake!

It is great! Every time I bring it somewhere I am constantly getting asked for the recipe because it is just that good!

The cake is very moist and the frosting divine! You truly will feel like you are eating a grown-up Hostess Ho Ho cake. You will have a hard time limiting yourself to one piece, and that’s okay, live a little! 😉

Ingredient Notes

Chocolate cake mix
Cake mix ingredients on the box
Flour
Half and Half
Vanilla extract
Butter
Sugar
Semisweet chocolate chips
Butter
Heavy whipping cream
Powdered sugar

How to make Chocolate Ho Ho Cake

Make cake according to directions on package (or use your favorite homemade chocolate cake recipe). Let cake cool completely.
In a medium saucepan, whisk flour into half and half over medium heat on stove top. Whisk constantly until very thick, similar to the consistency of thick pudding or custard- it will take a couple of minutes. Cool completely (place in refrigerator if you want to speed the cooling process). Stir in vanilla. In a mixing bowl, mix 1 cup softened butter and granulated sugar until fluffy. Add cooled flour/milk mixture to butter/sugar mixture and beat until light and fluffy (will take a couple of minutes). Spread on cooled cake.
Dump chocolate chips in a bowl. Heat heavy cream and pour hot cream over chocolate. Let sit for a minute; stir gently to melt. Cream butter and powdered sugar in another bowl and then stir the two mixtures together. If you want it to be thicker, add more powdered sugar. If you want it to be thinner, add more whipping cream. Spread on cake immediately because the frosting starts to set up and become grainy in appearance if you let it sit for long.

Storing and Other Tips

Store cake in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

If you find out that you don’t have whipping cream or it unfortunately expired, you can try this whipping cream (heavy cream) substitute recipe from Eugenie Kitchen to make your own!

Slice of Chocolate Ho Ho Cake on a plate

Other Chocolate Cake Recipes You’ll Love

Close-up of a piece of layered chocolate cake with a creamy middle and chocolate icing on a white plate. The background shows a baking dish with more cake.

Serves: 20 servings

Chocolate Ho Ho Cake

5 from 3 votes

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Print Pin

Ingredients

Cake:

1 (15.25 ounce) chocolate cake mix
Ingredients called for on cake mix

Filling:

5 Tablespoons flour
1 cup half and half
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar

Frosting:

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
¼ cup butter (softened)
¾ cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

Make cake according to directions on package (or use your favorite homemade chocolate cake recipe). Let cake cool completely.
In a medium saucepan, whisk flour into half and half over medium heat on stove top. Whisk constantly until very thick, similar to the consistency of thick pudding or custard- it will take a couple of minutes. Cool completely (place in refrigerator if you want to speed the cooling process). Stir in vanilla. In a mixing bowl, mix 1 cup softened butter and granulated sugar until fluffy. Add cooled flour/milk mixture to butter/sugar mixture and beat until light and fluffy (will take a couple of minutes). Spread on cooled cake.
Dump chocolate chips in a bowl. Heat heavy cream and pour hot cream over chocolate. Let sit for a minute; stir gently to melt. Cream butter and powdered sugar in another bowl and then stir the two mixtures together. If you want it to be thicker, add more powdered sugar. If you want it to be thinner, add more whipping cream. Spread on cake immediately because the frosting starts to set up and become grainy in appearance if you let it sit for long.

Notes

With the whipping cream and Half & Half you will want to refrigerate it. It’s fine to be left out for a little while while eating it, but refrigerate after making it and any uneaten portions.

Nutrition

Calories: 395 kcal · Carbohydrates: 45 g · Protein: 4 g · Fat: 24 g · Saturated Fat: 13 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 7 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 72 mg · Sodium: 299 mg · Potassium: 160 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 33 g · Vitamin A: 569 IU · Vitamin C: 1 mg · Calcium: 64 mg · Iron: 2 mg

Equipment

Recipe Details

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Cost: $5

Author: Steph Loaiza

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Questions & Reviews

Carol Gipson says:

Question: You say in the last paragraph to "add the remaining powdered sugar." Does this mean you don't use the whole 2 cups when mixing with the butter? Or do you mean extra powdered sugar?

Thanks for the recipe. It looks SO good! :)
Camille says:

Sorry about that! I changed it . . . if you want a thicker frosting, you can add more powdered sugar. But 2 cups is about perfect. :)
Emily says:

Oh man my husband would be loving me with this cake. He is obsessed with Hostess treats but we only get them rarely. So cute!
Hayley @ The Domestic Rebel says:

This is INSANITY, Camille! I totally loved Ho-Ho's as a kid and am SO missing all my fave Hostess goodies. I think I could go to town eating this cake, haha ;)
Eric Pepple says:

I want it! NOW!! Thanks for sharing :)

Happy Blogging!
Happy Valley Chow
TZ says:

Easy .. delicious... yum!!!!
SH says:

I have a friend's birthday coming up, this would be great!

Happy Monday!

Sheree
The Hartungs Blog
thehartungs.blogspot.ca
The Mistress of the Dark says:

My parent's 62 wedding anniversary is coming up. This cake is going to be perfect for it.
Cindy Jamieson says:

YUMMO!!! Thanks again for linking to Simple Supper Tuesday.
Jackie Kocurek says:

I found you on Totally Tasty Tuesdays. I really like your blog. I am starting a blog party and hope you will come over and share a few of your recipes! http://rediscovermom.blogspot.com/2013/02/tried-and-true-recipes-party-2.html
Lynn Huntley says:

I found you through Tried and True Recipe Party~ What a great cake:) now following you on GFC~ Lynn H @ Turnips 2 Tangerines
Julie says:

These are made of awesome sauce! What a great sweet treat. Thanks for sharing on Marvelous Mondays! Pinning and sharing on my Facebook page.

Julie @ This Gal Cooks
bridgetstraub.com says:

That looks delicious!
sew sweet vintage says:

Yum. Going to try this frosting on my brownie cake:)http://www.sewsweetvintage.com/2013/02/flourless-knockout-ninja-brownies.html
Gracie O'Tripp says:

I am not a cook but I had to check out chocolate Ho Ho Cake. Wow, decadent.
Allison {A Glimpse Inside} says:

Oh my! This looks delicious!
Thanks for linking up to this week's Catch a Glimpse Party. I'll be featuring this tomorrow. :)
Chandra Sirois says:

Oh This is such a welcome relief! I loved Ho Ho's! It's sad they are gone! Now we can make this version. So Yummy! Thanks for sharing at Show Me Your Plaid Monday's!
Ashley Hopkins King says:

I made this cake last week and I have been dreaming about it since. It is amazing! Thank you. :)
Ellen says:

This sounds good. I would like to make it a day ahead but wonder if chocolate icing would look grainy the next day. Recipe said use right away. Has anyone had that issue? Thanks.
Erin says:

I've just made it and the filling is very grainy and seems to be separating. I was sure to cool the milk mixture very well. Not sure why it is separating. Any ideas or fixes?
T Sanders says:

Made this for my husband's birthday :) AMAZING!! For the cream I used a blender to blend it enough to get rid of the graininess. And to Erin did you use butter or margarine? That could be why it is separating. The only thing I may change is I might add more butter to the powdered sugar or melt the butter. I could never get it to cream and that again could be why the frosting turns out grainy. Even with using a blender for the chocolate frosting it still would not smooth out before it started to set.
Dawn says:

cannot wait to try it! Does it need to be refrigerated?
Cyd says:

With the whipping cream and Half & Half you will want to refrigerate it. It's fine to be left out for a little while while eating it, but refrigerate after making it and any uneaten portions. Hope this helps!!
Tamara says:

This is actually my second time making this cake :) I made it last year for my husband's birthday and he LOVED it! So when I asked my daughter what to do for this year it was a no brainer :) I didn't have a big issue with the graininess off the chocolate. I just used the mixer a bit longer to help smooth it out. And what graininess there was, was more in looks than taste.
Susan says:

my son's favorite cake, can't tell you how many I have made, lost my old recipe, but this sounds out of the world, he will have it this week, thanks so much
Mel says:

I have done this one for years but i changed the name to Better than Sex cake cuz it is better to me than the BETTER THAN SEX CAKE..and who know...at 65 I am gonna say well I will stop...
Amelia says:

I’m not sure what I did wrong! My chocolate icing is coming out with lumps. I attempted it a second time, sifting the powdered sugar, and same thing. Any tips?!
Cyd says:

Hi Amelia, I'm sorry you are having trouble with the icing. I went out to the post and reviewed all the comments to see if anyone else was having problems. I read where one lady said to melt the butter instead of having it just softened. That might be helpful.
JackieG says:

This is my mom’s signature dessert! A must at every Christmas gathering! I know after spreading on the cream filling she refrigerates it until it’s firm. I read some folks are having issues with the icing. My mom taught me to work fast and keep spreading and moving it. It will separate some but usually I can keep pushing and spreading it. Honestly it’s taken me a couple times of making it to work out the kinks and be able to make it as good as my mom! All I know is regardless of how the top layer ends up looking, the family fights over the last piece!
Cyd says:

Thanks for sharing your tips on this Chocolate Ho Ho Cake!
Tawnie says:

I can't wait to make this. Can I use heavy cream in the filling instead of ½ and half?
Momma Cyd says:

Yes, Heavy cream will make it that much yummier!