Growing up, there was a rift in my family. My mother and I were primarily Drakes fans while my father and sister were on the other side of the fence, favoring Hostess.

Only later in life did I find Tastykake and Little Debbie. I'm fine with Tastykake. Any Little Debbie product I've tried has been vile. And over time, I learned to love some Hostess products.

Last week, I discovered an endcap of Drakes cakes which I hadn't seen in a good many years. I bought 2 boxes of Devil Dogs. Mrs BamaVol has been cursing me daily ever since and will until she has finished the last of them.

I still enjoy a Drakes Coffee Cake, HostessTwinkie, Sno Ball, Ho Ho, Ring Ding, Suzy Q, Yodel or Donette. I was never fan of the Hostess cupcake except the hard to find orange flavor. That hard frosting is what put me off.

Some of my favorites have bitten the dust: Tiger Tails (like a twinkie with jelly strips) and Yankee Doodles (cr�me filled yellow cupcakes sans frosting).

Anyone else take guilty pleasure in this junk?

For me it is TastyKakes. I was introduced to them during summers spent in Pennsylvania followed by college in Philly. When they appeared in grocery stores down here a couple of years ago, I rejoiced greatly.

And Hostess products were always better to me where I grew up, than those sold where I live now.

The new Hostess is horrible, IMO. Recipes don't seem to be even close to what they were, tastes are totally off. And don't get me started on the abomination that is the new Suzy-Q.

Tastykake Chocolate Juniors are da bomb. Alas, Tastykakes in general are rare in Texas. They seem to pop up in a random store once every century or so.

Once upon a time, I transported Drakes and Tastykake products in my luggage. Tasty showed up in Alabama 5-10 years ago. Until then, I had to buy them in PA and OH.

If I recall correctly, when Hostess folded their tent, McKee picked up the brand. Whether they got the recipes or not, you're not the first I've heard say that they've changed and not for the better. As I said upthread, I find all McKee (Little Debbie) products gross. If they Debbiefied Hostess cakes, I'll have to write them off with the possible exception of sno-balls, which are more marshmallow than cake/cr�me.

And as far as fruit pies and are concerned, I haven't had a good one since Table Talk ceased operations. And don't get me started on Honey Buns. Yuck.

It Drakes devil dogs for me, and only devil dogs. No other snack cake appeals to me.

The Hostess Suzy Q was a fantastic invention! I would gladly eat one now if I could.

I have found memories of Twinkies and fruit pies, linked to memories of my father, and wouldn't mind having either again. But a Suzy Q -- that would be great.

The Hostess Snowball is the best; period! My other love were these chocolate covered caramel and crispy cakes I used to have in school. I don't remember who made them but they were great - like 100 grand bars but round.

I am partial to these



but I only eat the edges.

You and the kids from "Honey I Shrunk The Kids"

Up until the "new" Hostess:

Always liked the chocolate cupcakes a lot. Hohos, twinkies, and ding dongs were so so.
Always liked the looks and idea of snowballs, but was always disappointed and never finished one.

In the 60s and 70s, the fruit pies were FULL of filling. There might have been a half an inch of air pocket at most. They were good. As the years passed, there was less and less filling. The last one I had several years ago was less than 1/4 full. Not good at all for decades.

The new Hostess isn't even worthy of mention, along with Little Debbies. Never tried Tastycake or Drakes.

Being Scottish, it has to be Tunnocks tea cakes:


Although I'll admit (quietly) that Danish fl�deboller are better, if rather harder to come by round these parts...

These may be similar. They were banned in my house. Too much sugar, no redeeming qualities. Also a package would be completely eaten within minutes of opening.

I'm sure Japan has an entr�e on this list, but can't quite recall the food name.

Until then, competitors would be egg tarts - both versions - and wooden milk bread.

Looks very similar. And similarly high in sugar

Most of the snack cakes I'd have were bakery-bought (and probably still are, come to think of it) rather than packaged. Although M&S deserve a thumbs up for this offering:



Otherwise, then and now, most of the snack cakes I get are from bakeries, rather than being packaged.

Scones (British style - more like a US biscuit than a US scone), apple slabs, caramel slices, yum yums, chelsea buns, fat rascals (and seasonal variations), curd tarts, tiffin, refrigerator cake, toasted teacake... Hard to narrow it down!

[edit] Oh, now I have a pastel de nata craving too...

[edit again] And now my mind has drifted to foreign shored, a religieuse craving. Like an �clair (filled with creme pat, not your whipped cream nonsense) only moreso.

Ding dongs.

But, they have to be refrigerated. I think most of those things do. When Hostess and
Drakes went bye-bye for a little while, I discovered some of the Sara Lee stuff wasnt bad. Expensive, but not bad.