Recreate your favorite Hostess snacks with this easy keto ding dongs recipe. It’s a mini chocolate cake with cream cheese filling.
What Are Ding Dongs
Ding Dongs are a shelf-stable, small, palm-sided chocolate cake with cream filling. They’re made and sold by Hostess brands.
Fun fact, they used to be called Big Wheels. But one thing’s for sure – these little snack cakes are the enemy of the keto diet.
One small cake contains 22 grams net carbs. But if you think about, they are basically chocolate cake with cream filling.
That’s really easy to recreate with keto-friendly ingredients. You really don’t have to give up your favorite food when you’re on keto, you just have to find new ways to enjoy them and these keto ding dongs are still super rich with tons of chocolate flavor.
Keto Ding Dong Cake
How do you make copycat ding dongs keto-friendly? Start out with a base of chocolate cake with almond flour and unsweetened cocoa powder (along with other cake ingredients).
Then, fill the mini cakes with a whipped cream cheese filling, sweetened with Swerve confectioner’s sugar substitute. Finally, coat the mini cakes with a keto-friendly chocolate ganache.
This recipe makes eight small keto ding dongs. And each ding dong has 7 grams net carbs.
Homemade Ding Dongs
After one bite, you’ll agree – these taste even better than typical Ding Dongs! They are spongy and don’t have the funky aftertaste of the vegetable oil-based cream filling in Hostess cakes.
Homemade ding dongs have a rich and full flavor you can’t get from shelf-stable cakes.
One quick tip: Either use silicone cupcake liners or make sure you grease the muffin tin really well. Cupcakes that stick to the cupcake pan will be really difficult to use.
Keto Chocolate Ganache
What is chocolate ganache? It’s basically melted chocolate that’s melted down with some fat, like heavy whipping cream.
It makes a smooth coating for things like these keto ding dongs. I’ve also used keto-friendly chocolate ganache in several other recipes.
I topped my Keto Boston Cream Bites with it, and I made white chocolate ganache to coat my Low-Carb White Chocolate Carrot Cake Balls.
You can also find keto chocolate ganache on my Keto Chocolate Dipped Strawberries and No Bake Keto Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars Recipe. It make a huge difference in a lot of keto-friendly desserts. You’ll love it!
How To Store Chocolate Cake
Since these little keto chocolate cakes have a cream cheese filling, you need to refrigerate all of the leftovers. Store them in an airtight container and keep them refrigerated.
For best results, I suggest eating them within three days.
You can freeze them, too! Wrap each ding dong in plastic wrap and then put them in a freezer-safe food storage bag.
Keep them in the freezer for up to six months.
Keto Ding Dongs Recipe
Here’s the list of ingredients and steps for making a delicious keto ding dongs. Exact measurements and instructions are located in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time; 25 minutes
Servings: 8
Net Carbs: 7 net carbs per serving
Ingredients
Cakes:
- Almond Flour
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- Butter
- Baking Powder
- Swerve Confectioner’s Sugar Substitute
- Heavy Whipping Cream
- Sour Cream
- Eggs
Filling:
- Cream Cheese
- Heavy Whipping Cream
- Vanilla
- Swerve Confectioner’s Sugar Substitute
Ganache:
- Keto Chocolate Chips
- Heavy Whipping Cream
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Blend together the cake ingredients until well combined and smooth.
Fill the sections of a well greased muffin tin almost all of the way full with the batter.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until cooked through completely. Let cool to room temperature.
Remove the cakes from the muffin tin, and turn them upside down. Use a sharp knife to cut a circular section from the center of each cake.
Press the inside of the cake down slightly with your fingers. Cut the cake part off of the sections removed, reserving onto the caps to place back on the cakes once filled.
Beat together the filling ingredients until light and fluffy. Pipe the filling into the cupcakes, and place the cake caps back on top of them.
Add the chocolate chips and ¼ cup heavy whipping cream to a microwave safe bowl, and heat at 30 second intervals until completely melted and smooth. Spoon the ganache over the filled cupcakes.
Chill the cupcakes until set, and then serve.
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Keto Ding Dongs
Recreate your favorite Hostess snacks with this easy keto ding dongs recipe. It's a mini chocolate cake with cream cheese filling.
Ingredients
Cakes
- 1 1/2 cups Almond Flour
- 1/2 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 1/2 cup Butter softened
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 2/3 cup Swerve Confectioner's Sugar Substitute
- 1/4 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1/2 cup Sour Cream
- 3 large Eggs
Filling
- 5 ounces Cream Cheese softened
- 1/2 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 1/4 cup Swerve Confectioner's Sugar Substitute
Ganache
- 1/2 cup Keto Chocolate Chips
- 1/4 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
-
Blend together the cake ingredients until well combined and smooth.
-
Fill the sections of a well greased muffin tin almost all of the way full with the batter.
-
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until cooked through completely. Let cool to room temperature.
-
Remove the cakes from the muffin tin, and turn them upside down.
-
Use a sharp knife to cut a circular section from the center of each cake.
-
Press the inside of the cake down slightly with your fingers. Cut the cake part off of the sections removed, reserving onto the caps to place back on the cakes once filled.
-
Beat together the filling ingredients until light and fluffy.
-
Pipe the filling into the cupcakes, and place the cake caps back on top of them.
-
Add the chocolate chips and ¼ cup heavy whipping cream to a microwave safe bowl, and heat at 30 second intervals until completely melted and smooth.
-
Spoon the ganache over the filled cupcakes.
-
Chill the cupcakes until set, and then serve.
Recipe Notes
Calories: 285 Net Carbs: 7 Net Carbs Per Serving
The nutritional information for this recipe is calculated as a courtesy and is an approximate only. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipes on this site.
Keto Chocolate Recipes
If you enjoyed these chocolate keto ding dongs, then here are a few more low-carb recipes that will satisfy your chocolate cravings.
