After a very delicious and successful Hostess episode back in May, I was very excited to find that a new Hostess item hit the shelves. Smores Cupcakes. Hostess usually hits it out of the park, but when it comes to Smores, it is easily a hit or miss product. Let’s find out if these will be a regular buy.
(And as always, let us know in the comments if there is a new food you really want us to try out. If you see something new in the stores, let us know too. I don’t always catch them all!)
Who are our Questers today?
Audra, our super special guest
Andy, father of our super special guest
Matt, uncle of our super special guest
Amy, the best aunt in the world (of our super special guest)
A Mini History of Hostess
The Hostess brand was founded by the Continental Baking Company, who bought Taggart Bakery, which was the bakery behind the famous Wonder Bread. Along with Wonder Bread, Continental Baking Company wanted to create a line of treats. So in 1919, they launched the Hostess Cupcake. However, this cupcake was not as we know it today. Originally it was just a chocolate cake with a chocolate frosting on top. No swirled frosting, no vanilla cream filling. The cupcake didn’t get its frosting upgrade until 1950.
More than 10 years later, Hostess became snack cake legends with the creation of Twinkies. Created by Jimmy Dewer in 1930, the company’s bakery manager, these spongy treats were a great way for the company to make an inexpensive product during the depression. You could get two twinkies for a nickel. Again, this is another Hostess treat that started out quite differently. Sure, they always were the oblong spongy cakes, but they were originally banana flavored. For over a decade Twinkies were filled with banana cream filling. However, they switched to a vanilla center during World War 2, as bananas were rationed during the war.
It wasn’t until after World War 2 that Hostess introduced its next famous treat. The Sno Ball snack cakes found their way to the store shelves in 1947. These snack cakes are chocolate cakes with a vanilla filling, covered in marshmallow and coconut flakes.
In 1967 Ding Dongs and HoHos were introduced.
In 1995, Interstate Bakeries Corporation acquired Continental Baking company for $330 million.
The Hostess Brand’s product portfolio includes CupCakes, Twinkies, Ding Dongs, Ho Hos, Donettes, SnoBalls, Fruit Pies, various breads, and more.
Today, the best selling Hostess snack is the Cupcake, with 600 million consumed annually in America.
The Results
**SPOILER ALERT!**
Listen to the episode first if you do not want the results revealed to you yet!
Audra: “So good!” 10/10
Amy: “They were just really dry.” 3/10
Andy: “I don’t care for the frosting.” 6/10
Matt: “I would eat them but I wouldn’t buy them.” 5/10
TOTAL: 24/40
There you have it. We give Hostess Smores Cupcakes the Quest for the Best seal of approval. Maybe you still want to give it a try? Check out their website for more information on where to find some.
https://www.hostesscakes.com/
Thank you for joining us on this exclusive mini episode of Quest for the Best. Let us know what you thought. Have you tried this snack cake? What were your thoughts?
Also, do you have any foods you would love to get the coveted seal of approval? Let us know in the comments what you want to hear next.
Thanks again for the support. Until next time, stay sane out there.
Show Notes:
https://www.foxnews.com/us/timeline-the-history-of-hostess-brands
https://www.mashed.com/83028/untold-truth-hostess-cakes/
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/joey-chestnut-twinkie-eating-contest_n_4169657
Some more Hostess Cupcakes