No, Raspberry Zingers aren’t a soothing flavor of herbal tea, nor are they something you do to your baby brother’s belly when you’re a rambunctious older sibling. They’re essentially Twinkies coated in a bright-red raspberry glaze, then dusted with shredded coconut—as if a plain Twinkie weren’t sweet enough! Make these for Halloween: the gooey raspberry coating is bloody amazing.
YIELD: 16 cakes
TOTAL TIME: 2 hours
DIFFICULTY: 4
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: canoe pan (or standard 12-cup muffin tin, 4 mini loaf pans, square metal baking pans, or split-top hot dog bun pan), food processor, electric hand mixer and/or stand mixer, candy/oil thermometer, pastry bag (or zip-top bag) with large round piping tip, fine-mesh strainer
CAKE
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup (4-1/4 ounces) cake flour
FILLING
3/4 cup (5-1/4 ounces) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/4 cup water 3 large egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
RASPBERRY GLAZE
2 cups (20 ounces) raspberry jam
1/4 cup water
1 cup finely shredded coconut
MAKE THE CAKES:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spritz the pan(s) or pan wells with baking spray.
Separate the egg whites and yolks into separate large bowls.
Pour the sugar, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of a food processor; process for 15 to 20 seconds, until finely ground. Transfer to a medium bowl.
Using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg yolks on medium speed for 20 to 30 seconds, until they start to froth, thicken, and lighten in color. Slowly add the ground sugar mixture and the vanilla, and continue to beat until the eggs are very thick and pale—almost off-white and creamy in color. Reduce the mixer speed to low and stir in the flour. Set aside.
Using an electric hand mixer on high speed or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on medium-high, whip the egg whites into soft peaks. Stir about a quarter of the whipped egg whites into the batter to loosen it up, then gently fold in the remaining whites in 2 or 3 batches, working slowly to incorporate them without destroying their fluffiness.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, filling each well two-thirds full if using a canoe pan or muffin tin. Save any remaining batter for a second batch.
Bake until the cakes are puffy and golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean—8 to 10 minutes for canoe shapes, 13 to 15 minutes for cupcakes or mini loaf pans, or 18 to 20 minutes for 8-inch square metal baking pans or hot dog pans. Timing may vary, so watch carefully.
Cool the cakes in the pan for 10 minutes on a wire rack; they will shrink and pull away from the sides of the pan. Then line the rack with waxed paper and spritz the paper lightly with baking spray. Invert the pan to turn the cakes out onto the rack. Cool completely before cutting into log shapes (if using a loaf or hot dog pan) and filling.
MAKE THE FILLING:
In a small, high-sided saucepan, stir the sugar, corn syrup, and water together over medium-low heat just until the sugar has fully dissolved and the liquid no longer feels granular. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan and bring the liquid to a boil without stirring. Continue to heat until the sugar syrup reaches 235°F to 240°F (soft-ball stage).
Meanwhile, using the stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip the egg whites on medium speed just until soft peaks form. Just before the sugar syrup reaches soft-ball stage, restart the mixer on low speed; when the sugar syrup reaches temperature, carefully drizzle it into the egg whites.
Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and whip for 5 to 7 minutes, until the filling is thick, shiny, and white, forming stiff peaks. Add the vanilla and stir for 15 seconds to incorporate.
MAKE THE RASPBERRY GLAZE:
In a small saucepan, whisk the raspberry jam with the water and stir over low heat for about 1 minute, just until the jam loosens to a syrupy consistency. Remove from the heat. If the jam has seeds, strain the syrup through a fine-mesh metal strainer into a clean bowl.
ASSEMBLE THE CAKES:
Fill a pastry bag or gallon-size zip-top bag with the filling (see How to Fill a Pastry Bag, page 187). Use a sharp paring knife to cut small holes in the bottom of the cakes (a single hole for cupcakes, 3 or 4 for canoes or cut loaf pieces). Insert the pastry tip into each hole and squeeze gently to fill. The cakes will swell slightly as the holes fill up.
Dip the cakes into the raspberry glaze, coating all sides except the bottom. Sprinkle with coconut.
Store the filled cakes in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week; as with most sponge cakes, they really do taste better after resting overnight than if eaten fresh.
THREE FOR THE PRICE OF ONE
The Twinkies, Devil Dogs, and Zingers recipes all use the same pillowy filling. If you’re baking for a crowd, make a double batch of filling and halve your prep time for each cake!