Yodel Snacks Vs Swiss Rolls And Ho Hos: Are They All The Same Thing?

Welcome to the unofficial showdown of the creme-filled chocolate snack cakes. In this corner, weighing just over one ounce, we have Little Debbie Swiss Rolls. In the other corner, it's Hostess Ho Hos. And in the third corner, Drake's Yodel cakes. In the fourth and final corner of the proverbial ring is you — the foodie — and your discerning palate, which will hopefully feel armed with a little more guidance after today's exploration of what (if anything) makes the players in this snack cake Mount Olympus different from each other.

Die-hard fans might be quick to point out the idiosyncratic, nuanced tastes and textures that make each member of this convenience-based trifecta unique. Although, notably, all three snack cakes share nearly identical ingredients labels, with sugar, corn syrup, enriched bleached flour, palm and soybean oils, cocoa, dried eggs, and milk whey as the key components.

Since the formulas leave little to be explored, we'll begin our deep-dive with a cost comparison, all based off of prices at a Target in Chicago. Yodels come in boxes of 10 (five individually-wrapped packages of two rolls each) at $3.99 per box ($0.40 per Yodel). Swiss Rolls come in boxes of 12 (six packages of two rolls each) at $2.79 per box ($0.23 per Swiss Roll). Unlike the others, Ho Hos are not twin-wrapped. They come in boxes of 10 individually-wrapped packages at $3.59 per box ($0.36 per Ho Ho) — the middle player price-wise.

Parent company Drake's Cake website describes its Yodels as: "Our signature devil's food cake is rolled with a layer of rich Drake's vanilla-flavored creme to create a fun swirl ... then covered in our Drake's chocolate-flavored frosting." The devil's food cake aspect is the chief area that separates Yodels from Swiss Rolls and Ho Hos.

Not unlike other chocolate cake variations such as German chocolate, black forest, and red velvet (which is sometime's confused with devil's food cake), a subtle difference in ingredients is responsible for making devil's food cake richer, darker, and fluffier compared to regular chocolate cake. Devil's food cake uses extra baking soda as a leavening agent, yielding a higher pH, which creates more bubbles in the cake batter and increases aeration for a fluffier bite. This lightness is juxtaposed by decadent, moisture-packing ingredients like sour cream, coffee, and unsweetened cocoa powder. In other words, the devil is in the details (sorry).

Yodels are coated in a thin, hardened outer shell of chocolate, not unlike the shell on Entenmann's frosted mini chocolate donuts. Several Amazon reviews mention that they appreciate Yodels for not being too sugary — perhaps a result of the devil's food cake-inspired emulation. A review from the platform Brand Eating mentions that Yodels have "a predominately cocoa flavor rather than a rich chocolate taste," but the "light vanilla creme features more strongly here ... and makes up for the cake's lack of rich chocolate notes." Drake's is also the famous maker of Drake's coffee cakes since 1930 ("Seinfeld" fans, rise up).

Step aside, oatmeal creme pies. The official Little Debbie website describes its Swiss Rolls as "Chocolate cake rolled around a layer of creme filling and coated with fudge." In many ways, the age of Swiss Roll supremacy has arrived. In 2023, Swiss Rolls celebrated their 60th anniversary and, according to the brand, they're one of the top-selling treats in the entire Little Debbie oeuvre. Over the years, the brand has sold Swiss Roll-flavored ice cream pints, an ultra-pink Strawberry Swiss Roll, and a Swiss Roll breakfast cereal spinoff that brought all of the nostalgic comfort to the breakfast table. We even like to transform our Swiss Rolls and other Little Debbie snack cakes into creative, knockout desserts at dinner parties.

So why all the hoopla? Several online reviews mention the quality-cost connection as a major selling-point. As one Walmart fan writes, "These treats are not Milano cookie grade ... However, for something to put in a lunch box or your glovebox, they are plenty good and even more affordable." On the flip side, other reviewers critique Swiss Rolls' creme filling as being overly sweet. One particularly deflating review simply states "they are ok but hoho are better" (ouch). Indeed, compared to Yodels and Ho Hos, Swiss Rolls are lighter and sweeter, preventing these cakes from being an unpleasant belly bomb but also making them less rich than their counterparts (a plus or a minus depending on your preference).

Hostess snack fans have been enjoying Ho Hos since 1967 (call it a skill perfected with age). According to the Chicago-based Button Museum, ad campaigns used to feature a Happy Ho Ho mascot, a cartoon Ho Ho dressed like Robin Hood. The snack cake even had its own jingle: "The chocolaty snack that gives you go! It's candy and cake, all in one. It's two great treats, and so much fun!" Indeed, this summation is fairly accurate — unlike the Hostess commercials of the 1970s that championed the "vitamins and iron" in Ho Hos for "the good taste kids love and good nutrition they need" (we digress).

Today, the official Hostess website describes its Ho Hos as "Fluffy chocolate cake is rolled up with crème filling and wrapped in a sweet, fudgy icing that'll have your inner choco-ho-ho-holic swooning." Ho Hos get individually wrapped, not twin-wrapped like their counterparts. Also unlike competitors, the crisp chocolate around Ho Hos has more snap than meltiness and a deeper chocolate flavor, less of a sugar-forward taste compared to Swiss Rolls. Some online reviews debate the moistness of the cake, which seems to dry out as the expiration date draws nearer. But regarding price as well as sweetness, density, and the ratios of creme to cake, Ho Hos seem to largely be the midpoint between pricier, richer Yodels and affordable, lighter Swiss Rolls.