Boy, am I behind in my snack cake knowledge. It's been many years since I gave them up…maybe a decade since I even cruised that section of the supermarket. But the other night in a Pavilions, I had one of those carts with the one wheel that insists on dragging the other three (and therefore, you) towards stuff you have a hard time not purchasing. Quite against my will and intent, I found myself at the Cupcake and Twinkie display and I couldn't help but notice: No Hostess Orange Cupcakes. And no designated space on the shelf where they'd be if there were any in stock.
When did this happen? Probably shortly after I gave 'em up. The total number of units sold — at least around Los Angeles — must have plunged when I abandoned that favored way of getting stoked up on sugar. The Hostess Chocolate Cupcakes (which fortunately, are still produced en masse) were good but the orange ones…
Ah, the orange ones…
I not only used to eat Hostess Orange Cupcakes at home but if I was in a strange city and spotted them, I indulged…just to see what interesting and subtle variations the local Hostess baker might have introduced into the mix. The best ones I ever had, I had in Reno, Nevada. In a little market just up the block from Harrah's.
A quick bit of Internetting revealed that Hostess still makes them but just as an occasional specialty item sold in a few select stores. Most markets do not carry them and probably could not get them…but you can find ways of ordering them online if you're desperate. I'm not, but it's a relief to know that if I ever am, there are ways of obtaining them.
I also experienced a bit of a shock to learn that Dolly Madison Bakers — once the arch-rival to Hostess — is now part of the same company, the Interstate Bakeries Corporation. Zingers, the most popular of the Dolly Madison offerings, are now Hostess Zingers. I understand we live in a world of corporate takeovers and acquisitions but some of these still surprise you.