Ho Ho Cake

This Ho Ho Cake begins with a rich chocolate cake that is topped with a fluffy vanilla filling and a smooth chocolate frosting. Just like your favorite childhood treat!

There’s something irresistibly fun about recreating a childhood treat. This cake tastes even better than the Ho Ho Cakes that I remember and I’m willing to bet that you’ll love it from the first bite.

Because this cake is so thick and rich, it feeds a crowd. You’ll easily get 18 servings from this cake unless you have to have teenagers are nearby.

And if your teens and pre-teens happen to have a sweet tooth? All bets are off for how quickly this cake will disappear.

Ho Ho Cake

This version of Ho Ho Cake is made in a 9×13 pan. While you can certainly turn this into a fancier layer cake, you will get all of the deliciousness in this super easy 9×13 cake.

The recipe below is a variation of one of my best from-scratch chocolate cakes and it is a favorite of ours.

The cake itself is easy and moist, and it stirs up almost as fast as a box mix.

While none of the layers take that much time, you do have to plan ahead to let the cake cool completely! Don’t get impatient though, let it cool completely.

Looking for more cake recipes? In this Heath Bar Cake, buttery crunchy toffee and candy bar pieces are layered with cool whip atop a dessert so deliriously rich that it should carry a warning label.

The unforgettable tang of rich, buttermilk cake is topped with a layer of sweet caramel frosting in this Buttermilk Cake with Caramel Icing.

Ho Ho Cake Filling

The original filling for a Ho Ho Cake is made with shortening. So, if you prefer a more “store-bought” taste, feel free to use shortening in place of the butter in this recipe.

The shortening will create a slightly smoother filling, but in my humble opinion the butter in this recipe creates a much tastier flavor and I prefer it.

Yes, the recipe for the frosting has a raw egg in it. Yes, some raw eggs contain a risk of salmonella, however, raw eggs are still a fairly common cooking ingredient.

In this case, the raw egg contributes a rich, silky texture to the frosting. That said, this frosting is also good when made without the egg, so you can skip it if you aren’t comfortable with that.

If you’d like to try it, but are a little unsure still, just pick up a carton of pasteurized eggs at the grocery store and you’ll remove the risk of salmonella.

Ho Ho Cake Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth.
2. Pour into a greased 9×13 inch baking pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
3. Let cool completely. Meanwhile, start the filling. Whisk together the flour and cold milk in a saucepan. Cook over low heat until bubbly and thick. Set aside to cool.
4. When cool, add the sugar vanilla and butter, beat until smooth and fluffy. A stand mixer is best for this. If it doesn’t look like it’s coming together, just keep beating it. Spread onto the cooled cake.
5. To make the frosting. Beat together the butter, cocoa, hot water, vanilla, powdered sugar, and egg.
6. Spread frosting over cream filling. Chill for 30 minutes before serving.

{originally published 7/16/18 – recipe notes and photos updated 1/8/21}

Here are some other chocolate cake recipes that can made in a 9×13 inch pan:

Earthquake Cake from The First Year Blog

Double Crumb Rhubarb Coffee Cake

Mississippi Mud Cake from Tastes Better From Scratch

Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Chocolate Turtle Dump Cake from Together as a Family

Salted Caramel Pretzel Cupcakes

Buckeye Brownie Bites

S’more Brownie Bites