Easy Hostess Inspired Snoball Cake Recipe

Close up side view of the frosted cake covered with pink coconut flakes.

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Recreate your childhood favorite with this Easy Hostess Inspired Snoball Cake! This simplified recipe uses a boxed mix shortcut with rich upgrades like whole milk and an extra egg for a bakery-style crumb. Topped with marshmallow cream frosting and colorful coconut, it’s a quick 8-ingredient dessert that tastes even better the next day! Perfect for parties or a nostalgic treat.

Prep Time30

Cook Time34

Cooling Time30

Total Time1 34

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: hostess snoball cake, snowball cake

Servings: pieces

Calories: 445kcal

Author: Mindy Boyd

Ingredients

For the cake:

1 devil's food cake mix
4 eggs
1 cup milk
½ cup melted butter
nonstick cooking spray

For the frosting:

1 tub vanilla frosting
1 jar marshmallow creme 7 ounces

Fro the coconut topping

2 cups flaked coconut
red food coloring

Instructions

Make the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350° and line two 8" cake pans with parchment paper. Spray the sides of the pans with nonstick cooking spray.
nonstick cooking spray
In a large bowl mix the cake mix, eggs, milk, and melted butter together with an electric mixer for about 2 minutes.
1 devil's food cake mix, 4 eggs, 1 cup milk, ½ cup melted butter
Pour into prepared pans and bake 34-38 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the edges start to pull away from the pan.
Cool completely.

Make the frosting and frost the cake:

In a large bowl combine the frosting and marshmallow cream with an electric mixer.
1 tub vanilla frosting, 1 jar marshmallow creme
Frost the top of the first layer, put the second layer on and frost it. I start with the sides and end with the top of the cake.
In a zip top bag, or medium bowl with a spoon, add food coloring to the coconut and mix until it's the desired color (see photo above to see about how much gel I use).
2 cups flaked coconut
Carefully cover the cake with the coconut flakes.
red food coloring

Notes

Use room temperature eggs and milk so everything mixes smoothly and the batter comes together evenly.

Let the cake layers cool completely before frosting. Marshmallow frosting is soft and will melt or slide if the cake is warm.

Use a rimmed baking sheet, or large platter, when adding the coconut — this helps you catch and reuse what falls off.

Press the coconut gently into the frosting instead of rubbing so you don’t pull the frosting off the cake. I won't lie, it's a little messy, I almost always have to sweep my kitchen floor after I make it.

This recipe was completely redone in February 2026, if you loved the old recipe and want that you can contact me through the link at the very bottom of this page and I'll send it to you.

Did you make this recipe? We would love it if you would leave us a comment and ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review below!

Nutritional information is approximate.

See ingredient notes and substitutions in the post above.

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Nutrition