Copycat Zebra Cakes Recipe

If you get a hankering for a Zebra Cake, the easiest way to satisfy that craving will probably involve heading to your nearest grocery or dollar store snack aisle and picking up a box of Little Debbie's finest, plastic-wrapped creations. What you'll get is a few mouthfuls of somewhat dry, possibly stale cake with frosting that is sweet and sturdy, but not something that could be described as delicious.

If you want to put in the time and effort, though, you can DIY homemade Zebra Cakes that retain the black-and-white-striped color scheme and circular symmetry of the original but are far fresher and more flavorful. Recipe developer Patterson Watkins says she wanted to make her Zebra Cakes "as close to authentic as possible, from the marshmallowy frosting filling to the candy coating and the tell-tale chocolate stripes." The result, while somewhat labor intensive, is something she describes as "a damn fine Zebra

Cake."

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Place cake mix and vanilla pudding mix in a large bowl and whisk to combine.

Add water, oil, eggs, and egg yolk to the bowl, and whisk to form the cake batter.

Transfer the batter to the prepared baking sheet.

Remove the cake from the oven and set aside to cool at room temperature.

Add the marshmallow fluff to the bowl and whisk to combine.

Once the cake has cooled, cut into circles (about 3 inches wide), and remove the excess cake from the baking sheet.

Carefully slice those circles in half through the center.

Transfer the filling to a piping bag and divide between half of the circles.

Once the cakes have chilled, place the white chocolate and shortening in a microwave-safe bowl.

Divide melted white chocolate between two bowls.

Using the second bowl of melted chocolate, spoon the chocolate over the tops of the cakes, spreading to evenly cover. Set aside to cool and harden for about 30 minutes

Place the semi-sweet chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl.

Drizzle or pipe the melted chocolate over the cakes in wavy stripes. Set aside to harden and cool for 10–15 minutes.

Once the cakes have cooled and set, serve and enjoy!

If you prefer to eat your Zebra Cakes at room temperature, they should be good for up to 3 days. Watkins went with another option, though, saying, "I kept mine in the refrigerator just to extend my snack-cake snacking sessions." The refrigerated ones, she says, will last for about a week. If you want to keep them fresh for a longer period, she notes that they can also be frozen. If you do so, it's best to wrap them up snugly to keep out the air, then store them in a Tupperware-type container as opposed to a resealable plastic bag. The reason for so doing, as Watkins explains, is that this will "reduce the risk of them getting smushed."

If you're thinking of giving homemade Zebra Cakes as holiday gifts, Watkins cautions that, unlike the Little Debbie kind, they're not shelf-stable enough for mailing, most likely due to their lack of preservatives (although this certainly benefits the overall flavor and texture). Instead, her advice is to "wrap them up pretty and pass them out in person."