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    Home » Cake » Homemade Ding Dongs

    Published: Oct 16, 2014 · Modified: Jun 19, 2020 by Lisa Johnson

    Homemade Ding Dongs

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    Homemade Ding Dongs | cookingwithcurls.com

    I am so excited to share these Homemade Ding Dongs with you today!! I first made these "Cauldron Cakes" back when the first Harry Potter movies started coming out. There are no images of them in the books or movies, but I noticed that their treats always seemed to be easy to hold and eat without much fuss. Adding a handle to them equates fuss in my book, so I didn't bother adding them. That's my story and I'm sticking with it!

    Homemade Ding Dongs | cookingwithcurls.com

    Yummy chocolate cake surrounding a green marshmallow flavored filling and covered in chocolate ganache makes the perfect, fun treat! Now if you really want to go wild...like say you're throwing a Harry Potter Halloween Party and you want something a little more Cauldron Cake style.....

    Cauldron Cakes aka Homemade Ding Dongs are perfect for Halloween or a Harry Potter Party

    Then you cut a hole in the top to fill with your yummy filling and sprinkle with green decorative balls...or should I say bubbles? Don't they look like little cauldron's with a bubbling witches brew? Either way, they are insanely delicious! Alex's friend Chris loved them and ate 3 or 4 at the party!!

    The length of this recipe may seem a bit daunting, but they are actually pretty easy to make.

    How to make homemade ding dongs:

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 3 mini bundt pans with baking spray and set aside. Yes you could use regular muffin pans, but they won't be as cute or have the rounded shape. Add 1 Tablespoon of espresso powder to water and set aside to dissolve.....

    Homemade Ding Dongs espresso cookingwithcurls.com

    In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, and sugar.....

    Homemade Ding Dongs eggs cookingwithcurls.com

    Add the espresso water and vanilla and beat until well combined.....

    Homemade Ding Dongs water cookingwithcurls.com

    Stir in the flour, cocoa powder, pudding mix, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat until well combined.....

    Homemade Ding Dongs mix cookingwithcurls.com

    Fill prepared pans about 1/2 full with batter.....

    Homemade Ding Dongs fill cookingwithcurls.com

    And bake for 18 to 20 minutes.....

    Homemade Ding Dongs baked cookingwithcurls.com

    Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes. They will shrink up and start to pull away from the sides.....

    Homemade Ding Dongs sit cookingwithcurls.com

    Flip cupcakes out onto a wire cooling rack and cool completely.....

    Homemade Ding Dongs cool cookingwithcurls.com

    While cupcakes are cooling, prepare the Chocolate Ganache. Place chocolate, cream, and butter in a large bowl.....

    Chocolate Ganache bowl cookingwithcurls.com

    Place in the microwave and heat on HIGH for 1 minute. Stir and continue heating and stirring in 15 second intervals until smooth and completely melted.....

    Chocolate Ganache cookingwithcurls.com

    Dip each cupcake in the ganache one at a time and place on wire rack lined with parchment paper/silpat to set.....

    Homemade Ding Dongs dip cookingwithcurls.com

    When the chocolate has set, make the Buttercream Filling. Beat shortening and butter together in a large bowl.....

    Baileys Kiss Cupcakes butter cookingwithcurls.com

    Add the meringue powder, salt, LorAnn Oils Marshmallow Flavor, green coloring, and powdered sugar. Beat until light and fluffy, adding water as needed to achieve desired consistency.....

    Homemade Ding Dongs frosting cookingwithcurls.com

    To fill the ding dongs, use a long, thin tip to fill cupcake from the bottom.....

    Homemade Ding Dongs filled cookingwithcurls.com

    ***if you do not want the chocolate to melt in your hand, hold the cupcake with a piece of waxed paper. 😉  To fill the cauldron cakes, chose a large decorative tip.....

    Homemade Ding Dongs tip cookingwithcurls.com

    Use a cupcake corer or apple corer to remove the center of each cupcake. Be careful not to push the corer all the way through.....

    Homemade Ding Dongs core cookingwithcurls.com

    Insert decorative tip into the cavity and fill with frosting, allowing it to ooze over the top. Decorate with decorative green ball candies.....

    Cauldron Cakes aka Homemade Ding Dongs | cookingwithcurls.com | #harrypotter

    Wands at the ready.....Accio Cupcake! Repeat as many times as necessary. 😉

    Okay, I know some of you are asking why I used marshmallow flavoring instead of just using a marshmallow cream filling? I am not personally a fan of marshmallow fluff/cream. It's extra sweet and contains high fructose corn syrup, so I generally avoid it. I added the marshmallow flavoring to give it an unexpected flavor, not just boring vanilla. I was also dying to try out the marshmallow flavoring that LorAnn Oils sent me, and it worked perfectly!

    More delicious Harry Potter Party treats:

    Harry Potter Party Foods Collage | cookingwithcurls.com

    • Butter Beer Cocktail
    • Gillyweed {Spinach} Dip
    • Puff Pastry Sausage Rolls
    • Cauldron Cakes aka Homemade Ding Dongs
    • Witches Brew Cocktail
    • Polyjuice Potion
    • Crispy Roast Potatoes
    • Gourmet Caramel Apples
    • Classic Roast Chicken
    • Chocolate Caramel Pretzels {wands}
    • Troll Booger/Bogeys {slime green popcorn}

    Enjoy!!

    Cauldron Cakes aka Homemade Ding Dongs cookingwithcurls.com

    Homemade Ding Dongs

    This is my own version of Homemade Ding Dongs, that also work perfectly as Cauldron Cakes for Harry Potter Parties!
    No ratings yet
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    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: cupcakes, harry, potter, party, chocolate, cauldron, cakes, recipe
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 35 minutes
    Servings: 36 Servings
    Calories: 306kcal
    Author: Lisa Johnson

    Ingredients

    Cupcakes

    • 2 cups superfine sugar
    • 4 large eggs
    • ¾ cups canola oil
    • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
    • 1 and 1/4 cup fresh water
    • 1 Tablespoon espresso powder
    • 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
    • 3.4 ounce package devil's food instant pudding mix
    • ¾ cups unsweetened cocoa powder
    • 2 teaspoons baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • 1 teaspoon salt

    Chocolate Ganache

    • 12 ounces bittersweet chocolate
    • 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
    • 1 cup full-fat coconut milk {can} or heavy cream shake well before opening

    Filling

    • 1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
    • 1 cup shortening
    • 1 teaspoon LorAnn Oils Marshmallow Flavor
    • 1 Pound powdered sugar
    • 1 Tablespoon meringue powder
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • 2 Tablespoons water
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    Instructions

    To make the cupcakes:

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 3 mini bundt pans with baking spray, set aside.
    • In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, and sugar.
    • Dissolve the espresso powder in the water, and add to bowl. Add the vanilla and beat until well combined.
    • Stir in the flour, pudding mix, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
    • Beat until mixture is thoroughly combined.
    • Pour into prepared pans {about half full} and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when stuck into the center of cupcake.
    • Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes.
    • Flip out onto a wire cooling rack and cool completely.

    To make the Chocolate Ganache:

    • Place chocolate, coconut milk, and butter in a large bowl.
    • Microwave on HIGH for one minute, stir.
    • Continue heating chocolate and stirring in 15 second intervals until completely melted.
    • Dip cooled cupcakes into ganache and place on wire cooling racks to set.

    To make the Filling:

    • Beat butter and shortening together in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
    • Beat in the marshmallow flavor and meringue powder.
    • Stir in the powdered sugar, then beat until light and fluffy.
    • Add water as need to thin.
    • To Assemble Cauldron Cakes:
    • Use a cupcake or apple corer to remove the center of each cupcake.
    • Place filling into a pastry bag with tip of your choice, and pipe into the center of the cupcake overflowing the edges as desired.
    • Decorate with green colored beads.

    To Make Ding Dongs:

    • Fill a pastry bag with a thin decorating tip. The long cupcake filling tip works best.
    • Stick the tip into the bottom of the cupcakes and fill with frosting.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 306kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 148mg | Potassium: 149mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 50IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 1.5mg
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Marcie@flavorthemoments says

      October 16, 2014 at 10:59 pm

      Homemade Ding Dongs -- awesome! I know these would taste way better than the original too.

      Reply
      • Lisa Johnson says

        October 17, 2014 at 11:10 am

        Yes they do Marcie, they don't taste like plastic,lol. Ding Dongs were my favorite when I was a kid, back when they were in foil wrappers!! They ruined them for me. 😉

        Reply
    2. Seana Turner says

      October 17, 2014 at 6:09 am

      These could possibly be my favorite of all your recipes - they look terrific. The "bubbles" really make them look like cauldrons. Any child in your life is very lucky:)

      Reply
      • Lisa Johnson says

        October 17, 2014 at 11:08 am

        Awe, thank you so much Seana!

        Reply
    3. Julie @ Tastes of Lizzy T says

      October 18, 2014 at 12:22 pm

      These look delicious, Lisa. I've never made homemade ding-dongs. This could be dangerous!

      Reply
    4. Cathy@LemonTreeDwelling says

      October 19, 2014 at 8:46 pm

      As always, I'm so impressed by the creativity and intricacy of your recipes! You make everything so unique and special, and these homemade ding dongs are no exception!!

      Reply
    5. Mary Ellen says

      October 24, 2014 at 9:54 pm

      These look so fun. Isn't Halloween a fun time to cook. Thanks for sharing.

      Reply

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