Santa’s clearly lost some weight this year, but a few of these “Santa’s Wardrobe Malfunction” treats will be just what the doctor ordered to get that belly nice and round (and his pants securely up!) before Christmas.
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Hostess Ding Dongs become cute Santa’s Wardrobe Malfunction mini-cakes, which are sure to have your party guests “bending over”backward to get their hands on them! If you love cooking, you probably look forward to holiday baking more than any presents that might be headed your way in December.
I have a long list of must-haves for my family every year, and skipping them means a big ol’ blue Christmas at my house.
Some of those cookies and candies take hours, even days, to prepare, so I’m always on the lookout for quick and easy ways to transform simple store-bought items into merry-making morsels. With just a little icing,
Hostess Ding Dongs become cute Santa’s Wardrobe Malfunction mini-cakes, which are sure to have your party guests “bending over”backward to get their hands on them!
Hostess has been selling classic lunch box treats for almost a century (their chocolate cupcakes being the first), and they just introduced a white fudge-covered, vanilla version of the classic chocolate Ding Dong, a hand-held cake filled with fluffy white cream. They make the perfect canvas for some nice (okay, maybe a little naughty) decorations.
All this decorating uses royal icing which is the sweet stuff that creates those smooth, crisp, Martha-Stewart-esque decorations on your holiday sugar cookies. Unlike some recipes, I like to add vanilla extract to the icing mixture which actually makes it taste good in addition to looking pretty.
Another tip is using organic powdered sugar. It does cost a little more, but you’ll typically find cornstarch mixed with regular powdered sugar which can leave a slightly grainy mouthfeel.
Organic versions use tapioca powder instead which I find creates a smoother end product. By the way, I use a lot of this during the holidays, and you can actually make a big batch and keep it in the fridge for a week or two. It just tends to separate when you do that, so you’ll need to whip it back into shape with your mixer before using it.
You’ll notice I also use gel food coloring instead of liquid. The liquid stuff is great for Easter eggs and other projects with a pastel palette. Gel food colorings create deep, vibrant colors, which is definitely what Santa wants on these mini-cakes for his rich red coat (what little we can see of it on these, anyway)!
Santa’s Wardrobe Malfunction holiday treats are really so simple, the hardest part is waiting on the royal icing to try, but I think you’ll agree they’ll get lots of attention when you serve them! They’re guaranteed to get laughs, then lots of satisfied smiles.
I think I may still put “a new belt for Santa” on my Christmas shopping list, though.
Recipe Notes:
Royal the Right Way – If you want to make sure all the powdered sugar is dissolved, you can actually warm up the royal icing using a double boiler. Just heating it until it’s warm to the touch will help make sure the icing’s nice and smooth. If you have any concerns about the raw egg whites, you can even heat the mixture to 150 degrees to essentially pasteurize them.
Santa's Wardrobe Malfunction
Ingredients
Ding Dongs:
- 1 Package Hostess White Fudge Ding Dongs 12 Total
Frosting:
- 3 Egg Whites
- 2 Cups Powdered Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
- 1/2 Teaspoon Cream Of Tartar
- Black Gel Food Coloring
- Red Gel Food Coloring
- 3 Piping Bags Fitted with #2 Tips
- 1 Squeeze Bottle
Instructions
- Unwrap the Ding Dongs and place them on a wax-paper- covered baking sheet.
- Using a standing mixer, combine the egg whites, powdered sugar, vanilla, and cream of tartar
- and mix until stiff peaks form.
- Divide the icing equally between three bowls. Leave one bowl white, then put a little black food
- coloring in one and red food coloring in the other.
- Spoon each color into its own piping bag, reserving some of the red.
- Thin out the remaining red frosting with a little water (about 1 teaspoon). It will need to be thin
- enough to spread a bit. Add this thinner version of the frosting to the squeeze bottle.
- Using the red piping bag, pipe a line around the outer edge of the Ding Dong.
- Pipe a straight line across the Ding Dong in the middle of the cake.
- Pipe another line about 1/2 inch below that line, curving it slightly (this will be the top of Santa’s
- pants). Using these lines as borders, fill in the top and smaller bottom section with the thinned red frosting in your squeeze bottle.
- Let dry for about 20 minutes.
- Using the black frosting, pipe a black line for Santa's belt through the top red section, then draw a “Y” in the middle of the white part for the, well, you know.
- Using the white frosting, squeeze a nice thick line of frosting for the trim at the bottom of Santa’s coat. Let Ding Dongs completely dry for about 1 hour before enjoying!
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More Christmas Treats!
- Reindeer Oreos -These oreos are completed with a shiny red nose and sure to make a statement in the holidays!
- Pretzel Snowman -crispy, chocolaty Pretzel Snowmen come together with just a touch of frosting and a little imagination.
- Red Velvet Cake Balls -Easy to make and infused with a decadent flavor!
- Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites – Cute treats with a perfect combination of crunch, saltiness, and peanut butter!
- North Pole Cupcakes – flavorful cupcake supports a giant, snowy drift of peppermint frosting with a cute little sign directing everyone to the place where all the magic happens!
- Christmas Chex Mix – hits all the flavor notes you crave in a sweet snack: crispy, crunchy, sweet, and salty!
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