Think you know your Ho Hos from your Swiss Rolls? Take this snack cake quiz to test your knowledge.

Think you can tell a Yodel from a Ho Ho from a Swiss Roll by sight alone? If so, you're a savvier snacker than we are. Take the quiz, then come back to brag (or sulk) in the comments.

Snack Cake Photo ID Quiz

Originally launched on March 18th, 1967, Hostess Ding Dongs are celebrating 40 years this week as one of America's favorite treats. According to their website, Ding Dongs, (also known as King Dons and Big Wheels depending where you are from) were named for the chiming bells used in vintage Hostess commercials. They have been a staple in children's lunch boxes for decades, and more recently have been the focus of wedding and other celebratory cakes.

I'll be honest, since I've never really been much of a chocolate fan I'm probably one of the very few people on this continent that has never actually ever tasted one. I know, you're going to tell me they are rich, creamy, and delicious - I'll have to take your word on it. Though adding additional sugary-sweet products to already-prepared desserts sounds a little excessive to me, in the spirit of their anniversary I'll leave you with a recipe that features this chocolaty snack cake.

Nutritionist Bonnie Minsky carries around a prop with her when she has speaking engagements: a cupcake. You wouldn't think that a dietitian would want to have a treat like this around her, especially since it is the processed, packed-in-plastic type of snack cake, but she uses it to make a point about the dangers of trans fats. You see, the Hostess cupcake that she carries is 25 years old. The plastic packaging didn't hold up too well, nor did the frosting, but the cake itself appears to be relatively undamaged.

The cake was intended to be an experiment from the beginning. She purchased the cake in 1981 and "let it site for a few months" to see what would happen. She also purchased an apple at the same time. Of course, the apple began to decompose in fairly short order, but nothing happened to the cupcake. She attributed the lack of change to the presence of partially hydrogenated oil - a.k.a. trans fats - because "the [other] ingredients in the cupcake are all real."

Minsky thinks that the recent moves in Chicago and New York, as well as other cities and countries around the world, to ban trans fats are a good idea. And after seeing what they can do to a cupcake, even if there is no definitive answer about what they do to your body, it doesn't seem like such a bad idea.

I am a big fan of Tastykakes, but they are in limited supply here in California, so I tend to pick up an extra box or two when I travel back to the Philadelphia area and tuck them into my freezer for safekeeping when I get home. One of the newest products available to Tastykakes fans is Tastykake ice cream. Made with Turkey Hill Ice Cream, there are three decadent flavors to choose from. The Peanut Butter Kandy Kake flavor has vanilla ice cream with cake pieces, chocolate chips and swirls of peanut putter and fudge. The Oatmeal Raisin Bar is cinnamon ice cream with pieces of Tastykake Oatmeal Raisin Bars and plump, juicy raisins. The newest flavor offered, a limited edition, is Chocolate Cupcake, which has milk chocolate ice cream with chocolate cupcake pieces and a chocolate icing swirl. Frosting in ice cream? Now that sounds like the recipe for a sugar rush!  

Unfortunately, I don't think that the ice cream is doing to hold up as well as the snack cakes do in my suitcase. I guess I'll have to wait to try these for myself, but if anyone has had them, let us know what they taste like in the comments - they all sound delicious!

 

Sno Balls are snack cakes made by Hostess. They were introduced in 1947 and consist of a chocolate cupcake filled with creme filling, coated with a marshmallowy fluff and rolled in coconut. When you look closely, you can see that the interior is really  a regular Hostess Ding Dong or cupcake that has been turned upside down. Nevertheless, they have a lot of retro appeal and, like must snack foods, become even more appealing when super-sized. I found this photoset on Flickr when I was looking around for more pimped out snack ideas. The chocolate cake dome was baked in a round bowl, hollowed out and covered with homemade marshmallow. Check out the whole photoset to see all the steps.

I'm definitely keeping this idea near the top of my list for birthday party cakes. Not only is it adorable, but since it's homemade, I'm willing to bet that it's delicious.

Snack cakes are a hot-button issue for a lot of people, especially if the controversy over snackable wedding cakes is any indication. They represent a classic comfort for as most people had them during childhood. Even if your parents kept them out of the house and out of your lunchbox, chances are good that you were able to indulge once in a while at the home of a friend. From Twinkies to jam-filled krimpets, everyone has a favorite. If I had to guess, though, I would say that any kind of cream-filled chocolate cupcake is the favorite for most people.

Ding Dongs and Ring Dings are actually the same thing: a chocolate covered, cream-filled cupcake. Though sold under different brand names, Hostess and Drake's, respectively, they are produced by the same company. Hostess also sells their Ding Dongs as King Dons in some states, where there was a competitor with a similar name and they wanted to avoid confusion. The when the competitor went out of business, they tried to return to selling only Ding Dongs, but there was such an outcry, that they kept the King name. Little Debbie also makes a similar product, called a Devil Square and Tastykake makes a cream-filled chocolate cupcake, though only their Kandy Kakes are fully covered in chocolate, not their cupcakes.

Some people swear that they can taste the difference between these products, but I think that it's unlikely. Packaging doesn't impart any flavor into the cake within. Personally, I think that Tastykake makes the best of the bunch, though I'll take a Butterscotch Krimpet over a cream-filled cupcake any day.

I mentioned Vegan Lunchbox a few weeks ago as a really worthwhile blog. If the idea of an everyday lunch doesn't intrigue you, though, perhaps a vegan Twinkie will. That's right: vegan Twinkies. Even Sarah has been won over to the concept of vegan baked-goods after her vegan cupcake, so why not a Twinkie?

Twinkies are one of the most famous and popular snack cakes in America, a moist sponge-type cake filled with a gooey, fluffy cream. The vegan version is not "health food" by any means, but they are fresh, delicious and dead ringers for packaged Twinkies in looks, though probably better in taste. They start with a white cake batter, baked in a shaped pan, and are filled with a trans-fat free version of cream filling. I think that they look fantastic. The recipe will be available for a limited time, so go ahead and print out a copy if you want to try it. I know that I will, just as soon as I can get my hands on a Twinkie pan.

There are few things that are better than an easy-to-make cake, and if it has any type of streusel or crumble topping, it's nearly impossible. These easy cakes are great for breakfast and for snacking because they don't require any sort of frosting, as dessert cakes do. Of course, you could still serve one as a casual dessert, if you'd like. Maki's Apple Crumble Cake on her blog, i was just really very hungry, is one of these excellent, all purpose cakes. Not only does it look divinely moist and delicious, it is simple to make. Wet ingredients plus dry ingredients, topped with apples and a cinnamon crumble topping. A mere 40 minutes later, and you'll be trying not to burn your fingers on the pan as you cut your first slice.

Now that I think about it, sliced apples and crumble topping will improve just about any cake. I'm short-listing the idea for my next Sunday brunch.