Love Tastykakes? Here are five ways people ‘hack’ the Philly snack

Is there a snack that defines Philadelphia more than the plastic-wrapped, humble-but-mighty Tastykake? Walk into any Wawa and you'll find an entire shelf devoted to these nostalgia-packed desserts. But, as with any iconic food, there are plenty of Tastykake hacks to improve snacking experiences. Here are a few of our favorites.

One of the trickiest parts of eating a frosted cupcake from a plastic wrapper is making sure the icing doesn't peel off when you open the it. A foolproof way to do this is to turn the Tastykake over and rub the icing onto the cake before opening it. (Some say they accomplish the same thing by licking the outer wrapper, if you feel like trying that.)

Turns out many Tastykake consumers enjoy popping their treats into the freezer for a bit before eating. In what is perhaps the perfect way to add a summer spin to your Tastykakes, social-media users recommended freezing Butterscotch Krimpets to make the icing less sticky and throwing Swiss Rolls in the fridge. Kandy Kakes and Lemon Pies do well in the freezer, too.

Microwaving Honey Buns definitely kicks them up a notch, almost to the point that you could call them a breakfast pastry. You could also do the same to Koffee Kake Juniors and Apple Pies.

Why use normal bread in bread pudding when you can use Krimpets instead? And if you've never been to the Tastykake website (tastykake.com), there are plenty of recipes on there that you can use to give your favorite desserts a Philly spin, including Butterscotch Krimpet tiramisu and Blueberry Pie ice cream. Try popping a few Koffee Kakes in a vanilla milk shake next time — and word on the street is that Kandy Kakes are delicious in chess pies, too.

If you grew up in the Philly area and moved elsewhere, you probably miss cheesesteaks and wooder ice and Tastykakes like nothing else. But if you take the time to sit down and write Tastykake a thoughtful letter about how much you miss them, the company might send you some coupons or a care package. Tastykake has addressed cravings from out-of-towners before, so we think it's worth a shot.