Ho Ho Cake — The Chocolate We Come Back to Every Year

The Bristow visit with Grandma Stovall was Saturday April 27. The visit went well. Brayden is one hundred and thirty-five weeks old. The pregnancy is at thirty-five weeks. The Ho Ho cake (Carol Bryant’s recipe, in the Bryant cookbook) is the small comfort-bake for the small heavy week.

The Ho Ho cake is a copycat of the chocolate-cream-filled Hostess Ho Ho but in a sheet-cake-format — a thin chocolate cake baked in a half-sheet pan, layered with a sweetened-whipped-cream filling, rolled into a log shape, finished with a chocolate-ganache poured over the top to set. The cake is the small chocolate-cream-roll that the Bryant family has been making since the 1980s.

The technique question on a chocolate-roll-cake is the rolling. The cake needs to be rolled while still warm in a damp tea-towel to set the rolling shape. After the cake has cooled, it is unrolled, filled with the cream, and re-rolled. The technique is the same as the gingerbread-yule-log from November but with a different cake-and-filling combination.

Sunday I made the cake. Dustin had two slices. Mama (who was at the apartment with Brayden Saturday and stayed Sunday morning) had a slice. Brayden had a small piece of plain chocolate-cake (no cream, no ganache yet).

Ho Ho Cake

Prep Time: 30 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 1 hr | Servings: 16

Ingredients

• Cake
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup strong brewed coffee, cooled
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Cream Filling
• 5 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Chocolate Frosting
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat and prep. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9x13-inch baking pans, or one large sheet pan if you plan to layer horizontally.
2. Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined.
3. Add the wet ingredients. Add eggs, buttermilk, cooled coffee, vegetable oil, and vanilla to the dry ingredients. Beat with a hand mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes until the batter is smooth and slightly thin — this is normal.
4. Bake the cake layers. Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake 25–30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely in pans on wire racks before proceeding.
5. Make the cream filling. In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk flour into milk and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens to a pudding-like consistency, about 5–7 minutes. Remove from heat, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface, and cool completely. In a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar on high for 4 minutes until very light and fluffy. Add the cooled milk mixture and vanilla; beat another 3–4 minutes until the filling is smooth, white, and whipped.
6. Assemble the layers. Place one cooled cake layer on a serving board or platter. Spread the cream filling evenly to the edges. Place the second cake layer on top and press gently to level.
7. Make the chocolate frosting. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir in cocoa powder until smooth. Remove from heat and alternately whisk in powdered sugar and milk, a little at a time, until frosting is thick and glossy. Stir in vanilla.
8. Frost and set. Pour warm chocolate frosting over the top of the assembled cake and spread with an offset spatula, letting it drip slightly over the sides. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before slicing so the layers hold cleanly.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 480 | Protein: 5g | Fat: 22g | Carbs: 68g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 320mg