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Tuesday, February 8, 2011

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!

Whoopie pies

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.

Mixing

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.

Whoopie pies

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



Whoopie pies - ingredients


Brown sugar bear

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



Icing ingredients

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.

Whoopie pies - cake batter

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.

Whoopie pies - cakes

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).

Icing

Pie assembly:

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

Whoopie pies - cakes

Whoopie pies - icing

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.

Whoopie pies

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.

8 comments:

Sarah Jones said...Best Blogger Tips

Drooling.... they were absolutely delicious!

Margie said...Best Blogger Tips

I wish I could have one !

megan said...Best Blogger Tips

you know laura....if you melted chocolate over those, you'd have something just like a jos louis...wait...i feel like i'm not the first person to say that...hmmmm

Adam Chiasson said...Best Blogger Tips

Fantastic post. Awesome pics. Love how you have pics for every step of the process. I will definintely make these. Hopefully they will look half as good as yours.

Laura said...Best Blogger Tips

@megan

Yep, that certainly does sound familiar! I think Mike made it pretty clear that he wanted a chocolate coating.

Laura said...Best Blogger Tips

@Adam Chiasson

Thanks Adam! If you only knew how many dinners around here were delayed for the 'photo shoot', or how many items were prepared in the morning to get the 'good light' in the kitchen.

Lisa said...Best Blogger Tips

I love how puffy your whoopie pies are. Looks like a delicious bite. I have a sweet treat linky party going on at my blog called "Sweets for a Saturday" and I'd like to invite you to stop by this weekend and link your whoopie pies up. http://sweet-as-sugar-cookies.blogspot.com/2011/02/sweets-for-saturday-4.html

Bonnie said...Best Blogger Tips

Laura, I think you are an official baker. The whoopie pies look absolutely yummy. Bonnie

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