Published Date: September 14, 2022
Category: Holiday Recipes
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Perfect as a Christmas dessert or just a little sweet treat to enjoy as you prep for the best time of the year, these Reindeer Cakes, though seem like a lot of work, are actually pretty easy to make.
Table of Contents
🛒 INGREDIENTS
- Hostess Ding Dong Cakes
- Cookie Icing
- Mini Twist Pretzels
- Candy Eyes
- Chocolate Melting Wafers
- M&M’s red or brown
*see recipe card for detailed amounts
HOW TO MAKE REINDEER CAKES
- Unwrap the cakes and place them on a flat surface.
- Apply cookie icing to the bottom back of two pretzel twists and adhere to the top of the cakes to create the antlers.
- Add dots of cookie icing to two candy eyes and gently press them into the center of the cakes just below the antlers.
- Add icing to the flat side of a chocolate wafer and then press it into the lower top portion of the cake.
- Adhere an m&m on top of the chocolate wafer. Repeat for the remaining cakes.
HELPFUL NOTES:
- Let the cakes set for at least 30 minutes for the icing to firm up so the decorations don’t slide off.
- I do not recommend sticking the pretzels in the cake as it will cause the cake to crack and fall apart.
- Use your favorite kind of m&m’s.
- The chocolate melting wafers can be omitted and you can just use an m&m to create the nose if desired.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, after that time, the cakes may start to dry out or go stale.
- A small amount of melted chocolate may be used in place of icing to adhere the decorative ingredients.
STORAGE AND REHEATING INSTRUCTIONS:
Your leftover reindeer cakes can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Make sure you get them out of the refrigerator at least a few hours before you plan to serve them.
FAQS & SUBSTITUTIONS/VARIATIONS:
What Can I Use Instead of Hostess Ding Dong Cakes?
Don’t have the Ding Dong cakes? You can make use of any store-bought cupcakes instead, or alternatively, just use boxed cake mix to whip up a batch of homemade cupcakes, and follow the exact process to make the Reindeer cakes.
What Other Variations to the Reindeer Cakes Can I Try?
You don’t necessarily need to follow the exact recipe. You can try out different variations based on what you have at hand as well. Don’t have candy eyes? Use icing to make them or just skip using them and focus on the nose and the antlers instead. You can also cover the entire cupcake top in chocolate icing and use pretzel sticks and M&Ms to decorate.
What Can I Use Instead of Pretzel Sticks?
Run out of pretzel sticks and don’t fancy a trip to the store? You can use regular pretzels too, or just using a piping bag to shape out some melted chocolate on a sheet of waxed paper, pop it in the freezer until it is solid, and then use it to decorate the cakes.
Try Some of My Other Favorite Holiday Recipes
INGREDIENTS
- 10 pcs Hostess Ding Dong Cakes
- 1 tbsp Cookie Icing
- 20 pcs Mini Twist Pretzels
- 20 pcs Candy Eyes
- 10 pcs Chocolate Melting Wafers
- 10 pcs M&M's red or brown
INSTRUCTIONS
- Let the cakes set for at least 30 minutes for the icing to firm up so the decorations don’t slide off.
- I do not recommend sticking the pretzels in the cake as it will cause the cake to crack and fall apart.
- Use your favorite kind of m&m’s.
- The chocolate melting wafers can be omitted and you can just use an m&m to create the nose if desired.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, after that time, the cakes may start to dry out or go stale.
- A small amount of melted chocolate may be used in place of icing to adhere the decorative ingredients.
NUTRITION
Serving: 10ServingsCalories: 36kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.3gTrans Fat: 0.002gCholesterol: 0.3mgSodium: 32mgPotassium: 12mgFiber: 0.2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 3IUVitamin C: 0.01mgCalcium: 5mgIron: 0.2mg
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