Meet the Big Deborahs: A Baker’s Homage to Grocery Store Snack Cakes

I grew up with one of those especially magical super moms who made all kinds of delicious food—from savory suppers to special sweets—totally from scratch. Like most kids in that situation, I had no idea how lucky I was. I’d regularly try to trade homemade cookies for the sweet snacks my friends brought to school. I deeply envied one friend whose mother kept multiple boxes of store-bought desserts like Hostess Cup Cakes and Little Debbies stocked at all times. Every day, my friend would fling open the cabinet doors, and carefully select which individually wrapped cake to slide into the outer pocket of her lunch box. For her, this was a daily routine, but I swear I heard angels sing when I saw that cupboard for the first time. I loved snack cakes. I loved everything about them: They were portioned and portable, were cream-filled, slathered in icing, or dunked in chocolate, and they all had fun names. They were truly the stuff of my childhood dreams, mostly because I never really had them. 

As an adult, I can look back on this memory through an entirely different lens. Watching my mom bake homemade loaves of bread and birthday cakes year after year ultimately made me fall in love with baking, and it became my life’s work. I learned tons from her before I ever enrolled in pastry school, some of her recipes even appear in my cookbooks. Occasionally, I’ll run into an old friend, and they don’t remember our pantry—they remember specific recipes that my mom would make. 

This got me thinking about those snack cakes I once coveted in a new way. These recipes take my favorite elements of snack cakes and translate them into treats that are immensely fun to make in your own kitchen. I’ve affectionately nicknamed them Big Deborahs, because they aren’t as dainty or uniform as their store-bought cousins. Instead, they’re even more special because they’re homemade. Pack them in a lunchbox, take them to a party, or surprise someone after school. I hope that these cakes will be a slice of nostalgia, or maybe even the seed of a new, sweet memory. 

Chocolate Cream Snack Cake

These chocolate cream snack cakes are classic for a reason. Any kind of unsweetened cocoa powder works for this recipe, but for the most decadent results, try black cocoa powder. It's processed differently than Dutch cocoa, giving it a gorgeous dark color and Oreo-like flavor.

Banoffee Snack Cake

This take on the classic British pie combines rich banana cake, fudgy caramel frosting, and a thick layer of butter shortbread crumbs. Try adding caramel bits to the batter for bonus flavor. In the oven, the tiny pieces melt slightly and create gooey pockets.

Berries-and-Cream Bars

This summer-y snacking cake includes a fluffy white cake, marshmallow creme, berry jam, and freeze-dried fruit. 

Cinnamon Sugar Snack Cake

While this cake is delicious any time of day, its warm spices and tangy frosting lend themselves particularly well to breakfast or brunch, pairing perfectly with a cup of coffee. Try adding the frosting with a large round piping tip to dress up this simple cake. Using a zigzag effect is easy and whimsical.

Coconut Dream Snack Cake

This is a dream come true for coconut lovers! This is the only snack cake in the collection that might be better served on a plate with a fork or spoon, but each creamy, dreamy, coconutty layer is completely worth it.

Lemon Fluff Snack Cake

Fresh lemon juice and zest bring bright, zingy flavor to this homemade version of a beloved boxed snack cake. 

A version of this story appeared in the fall 2024 issue of Allrecipes Magazine. Subscribe here.