Whoopie Pies
By Bridget LancasterPublished on August 5, 2013
Time
1 hour, plus 1 hour cooling and 30 chilling
Yield
Serves 6
Ingredients
Cakes
2 cups (10 ounces/283 grams) all-purpose flour ½ cup (1½ ounces/43 grams) Dutch-processed cocoa powder 1 teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon table salt 1 cup packed (7 ounces/198 grams) light brown sugar 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), softened but still cool1 large egg, room temperature1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup buttermilkFilling
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1½ sticks), softened but still cool1 ¼ cups (5 ounces/142 grams) confectioners' sugar 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract ⅛ teaspoon table salt 2 ½ cups Marshmallow FluffBefore You Begin
Don’t be tempted to bake all the cakes on one baking sheet; the batter needs room to spread in the oven.
Instructions
- For the cakes: Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl.
- With electric mixer on medium speed, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in egg until incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary, then beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low and beat in one-third of flour mixture, then half of buttermilk. Repeat with half of remaining flour mixture, then remaining buttermilk, and finally remaining flour mixture. Using rubber spatula, give batter final stir.
- Using 1/3-cup measure, scoop 6 mounds of batter onto each baking sheet, spacing mounds about 3 inches apart. Bake until cakes spring back when pressed, 15 to 18 minutes, switching and rotating pans halfway through baking. Cool completely on baking sheets, at least 1 hour.
- For the filling: With electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar together until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in vanilla and salt. Beat in Fluff until incorporated, about 2 minutes. Refrigerate filling until slightly firm, about 30 minutes. (Bowl can be wrapped and refrigerated for up to 2 days.)
- Dollop 1/3 cup filling on center of flat side of 6 cakes. Top with flat side of remaining 6 cakes and gently press until filling spreads to edge of cake. Serve. (Whoopie pies can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to 3 days.)
Time
1 hour, plus 1 hour cooling and 30 chillingYield
Serves 6Ingredients
Cakes
2 cups (10 ounces/283 grams) all-purpose flour
½ cup (1½ ounces/43 grams) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon table salt
1 cup packed (7 ounces/198 grams) light brown sugar
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), softened but still cool
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
Filling
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1½ sticks), softened but still cool
1 ¼ cups (5 ounces/142 grams) confectioners' sugar
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon table salt
2 ½ cups Marshmallow Fluff
Ingredients
Cakes
2 cups (10 ounces/283 grams) all-purpose flour
½ cup (1½ ounces/43 grams) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon table salt
1 cup packed (7 ounces/198 grams) light brown sugar
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), softened but still cool
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
Filling
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1½ sticks), softened but still cool
1 ¼ cups (5 ounces/142 grams) confectioners' sugar
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon table salt
2 ½ cups Marshmallow Fluff
Ingredients
Cakes
2 cups (10 ounces/283 grams) all-purpose flour
½ cup (1½ ounces/43 grams) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon table salt
1 cup packed (7 ounces/198 grams) light brown sugar
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), softened but still cool
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
Filling
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1½ sticks), softened but still cool
1 ¼ cups (5 ounces/142 grams) confectioners' sugar
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon table salt
2 ½ cups Marshmallow Fluff
Why This Recipe Works
Whoopie pies are a classic dessert recipe consisting of rounds of moist chocolate cake sandwiching a thick layer of creamy frosting. The origins of the pie date to the early part of the 20th century to either coastal Maine or the rich baking tradition of the Pennsylvania Dutch. In either case, we wanted to update the slightly fusty, lard-laced recipe. Many updated baking recipes replace lard with vegetable shortening, but we have found in the past that the substitution wreaks havoc on texture and flavor. Sure enough, we found butter was a far superior stand-in than shortening. As for the flavor, adding plenty of cocoa powder and vanilla to the cake batter was all it took to recreate the traditional taste of a whoopie pie. We found Dutch-processed cocoa guaranteed a deep, dark-colored crumb and also possessed a more intense chocolate flavor than regular cocoa powder.
Before You Begin
Don’t be tempted to bake all the cakes on one baking sheet; the batter needs room to spread in the oven.
Instructions
- For the cakes: Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl.
- With electric mixer on medium speed, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in egg until incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary, then beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low and beat in one-third of flour mixture, then half of buttermilk. Repeat with half of remaining flour mixture, then remaining buttermilk, and finally remaining flour mixture. Using rubber spatula, give batter final stir.
- Using 1/3-cup measure, scoop 6 mounds of batter onto each baking sheet, spacing mounds about 3 inches apart. Bake until cakes spring back when pressed, 15 to 18 minutes, switching and rotating pans halfway through baking. Cool completely on baking sheets, at least 1 hour.
- For the filling: With electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar together until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in vanilla and salt. Beat in Fluff until incorporated, about 2 minutes. Refrigerate filling until slightly firm, about 30 minutes. (Bowl can be wrapped and refrigerated for up to 2 days.)
- Dollop 1/3 cup filling on center of flat side of 6 cakes. Top with flat side of remaining 6 cakes and gently press until filling spreads to edge of cake. Serve. (Whoopie pies can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to 3 days.)
Gift This Recipe
Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.
Key Equipment
Keep Exploring
My Rating
This is a members' feature.
0 Comments