Banana Twinkie (American Fizz)

Did you know that when Twinkies were first created they had a banana filling? According to sources James Dewar invented the classic American creme-filled sponge cakes back in 1930, but during WWII there was a shortage of bananas and so production switched to a vanilla flavoured centre instead.

86 years after Twinkies were first created, and six months after the company was saved from bankruptcy (July 2013) it was announced that banana Twinkies were to make a comeback. 

I remember hearing Twinkies being mentioned on American cartoons* whilst growing up, and so it seemed only natural that I grew curious to try them. Unfortunately, despite the worldwide press surrounding the demise and return of Twinkies, they haven't been widely accessible in the UK until recently. Now, they're popping up in all sorts of places including B&M and Tesco, but the main problem I've found, is that most of the retailers only sell the expensive large boxes. I recently discovered however, that I could buy single packs of the cakes from American Fizz, so added a banana Twinkie to my latest order.

If you remember, I had the good fortune to receive a lovely box of American goodies from Taffy Mail last year, which included a pack of original Twinkies. 

This flavour looked exactly the same as the vanilla Twinkie, and the creme filling was revealed in the same way once the sponge was sliced in two, running down the centre of the cake.  

I'm not sure what the best before date was for the banana Twinkie (as it wasn't on the wrapper) but it was noticeably stale. I realise that long-life cakes tend to have a more cardboardy texture than their fresh counterparts, but it was closer in texture to a bathroom sponge than fairy cake. Pressing on in any case, I munched on into the banana creme, which was generous and mallow-like with a strong and sweet fruity flavour. 

The combination of fluffy inside and - admittedly harder than I'd have liked- cake outer worked well, but it's certainly a poorer cousin of the lesser known Mrs Freshley's Banana Pudding Cupcakes. 

The Twinkie both figuratively and literally lacked the icing on the cake, and it's not something I'd rush out to buy again!

4/10

*Remember the Simpsons episode? Apu: "You Cannot hurt a Twinkie
& the Family Guy one where the family hid in the Twinkie factory during the aftermath of an atomic blasts?