Whoopie!

Whoopie pies to be exact!  Our day-before-the-Superbowl Superbowl food party needed something over-the-top for dessert.  I wanted to do something with an American theme.  I have been seeing whoopie pies all around the blogosphere.  As proof that they are a true American treat, I hereby link to a recent story covering Maine's quest to make the whoopie pie their state dessert!

Also, this will officially be the the last post in which I state that I am not a baker.  Because for Christmas Mike and I were lucky enough to receive both a hand mixer and a stand mixer.  There is nothing I can't bake now, baby.

So, the whoopie pie.  If you remember Jos. Louis, it's basically like that but without the chocolate(ish) coating.  Two chocolate cookie-cakes with a creamy vanilla filling in between.  A.k.a. a hamburger of happiness.



I found my particular recipe on Epicurious.  It didn't involve shortening or lard so that was a plus in my book.  If I'm picking my poison with respect to solid fats, I'll pick butter any day.

Cake ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg

Filling ingredients:

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups confectioners sugar
2 cups marshmallow cream such as Fluff
1 teaspoon vanilla

Here are the instructions from Epicurious, with my mods added in.  For the original recipe, see the link (above).

Cake instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a bowl until combined. Stir together buttermilk and vanilla in a small bowl.

Beat together butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes in a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a handheld, then add egg, beating until combined well. Reduce speed to low and alternately mix in flour mixture and buttermilk in batches, beginning and ending with flour, scraping down side of bowl occasionally, and mixing until smooth.

Spoon 1/4-cup mounds of batter about 2 inches apart onto 2 buttered large baking sheets. Bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until tops are puffed and cakes spring back when touched, 13 - 15 minutes. Transfer with a metal spatula to a rack to cool completely.

Filling instructions:

Beat together butter, confectioners sugar, marshmallow, and vanilla in a bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes.  (BTW - this stuff is beyond amazing.  Stiff texture, nice vanilla flavour.  Bet it would be great with real vanilla from the Caribbean).

Pie assembly:

Spread a rounded tablespoon (or several tablespoons) filling on flat sides of half of cakes and top with remaining cakes.

The recipe says that the cakes can be made three days in advance and stored between sheets of wax paper, unrefrigerated in an airtight container.  We kept a few fully assembled cakes overnight (to eat at the actual Superbowl) and they kept quite well.  They seemed more moist on the second day - maybe the cakes absorbed some creaminess from the filling.  They also say that the filling can be made four hours ahead and kept covered at room temperature.  I assembled the cakes a few hours before serving and kept them covered at room temperature and they did keep very well.

This recipe makes eight hamburger-size whoopie pies.  Next time, I think I'll try making mini-versions that are closer to biscuit-size.  And there will be a next time.