Old-Fashioned Whoopie Pies
Soft cocoa buttermilk cakes baked for 8 minutes, cooled on a rack and sandwiched around a piped vanilla filling of shortening, powdered sugar and egg whites: old-fashioned whoopie pies, 12 full-size pies in about 45 minutes including cooling.
Ingredients
Chocolate Cakes
- 1/2 cup shortening or softened unsalted butter, pictured
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup hot water
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
Vanilla Filling
- 3/4 cup shortening
- 2 cups powdered sugar sifted if lumpy
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp milk plus 1 more tablespoon if needed
- 2 large egg whites pasteurized if you prefer
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Equipment
- Electric mixer
- Baking Sheets
- Mixing bowls
- Spatula
- Wire rack
- Sifter
Instructions
Make the Cakes
- Heat the oven. Set the oven to 400°F (200°C) and line two large baking sheets with parchment.
- Cream the fat and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the shortening and sugar on medium for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl once.
- Add the wet ingredients. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the buttermilk and vanilla. The mixture will look curdled, which is normal.
- Fold in the dry ingredients. Sift the flour, cocoa and salt together and fold them in until the batter is streaky but not yet smooth.
- Add the hot water and soda. Stir the hot water and baking soda together in a small bowl until dissolved and foamy, then fold into the batter just until even.
- Scoop and bake. Drop the batter in rounded tablespoons 2 inches apart on the sheets. Bake for 8 minutes, until the tops are dull and spring back when pressed.
Cool the Cakes
- Cool completely. Leave the cakes on the sheets for 3 minutes, then move them to a wire rack and cool completely, about 20 minutes, before filling.
Make the Filling
- Beat the filling. In a clean bowl, beat the shortening, powdered sugar and flour on low until combined. Add the milk, egg whites and vanilla, turn up to medium and beat for 3 to 4 minutes, until thick, smooth and holding a soft peak. Add the extra tablespoon of milk only if it is too stiff to pipe.
Assemble
- Pipe the filling. Turn half the cakes flat side up. With a piping bag and a large star tip, pipe rosettes of filling around the edge of each one, or spread a heaping spoonful with a knife.
- Leave the center open. Finish each ring of rosettes with the middle empty; the ring spreads inward when the top goes on, so the filling reaches the edge without squeezing out.
- Top and press. Set the remaining cakes on top, flat side down, and press gently until the filling reaches the edge. Serve, or chill for 15 minutes in a warm kitchen so the filling firms up.
Notes
Shortening or butter: shortening gives the puffiest cakes and a filling that holds at room temperature. Softened unsalted butter, which is what the photos show, tastes richer and spreads a little more; keep butter-filled pies in the fridge.
Egg whites: use pasteurized egg whites from a carton if raw egg is a concern, or beat a 7-ounce jar of marshmallow creme with the shortening and 1 cup of powdered sugar for an egg-free filling.
Make ahead: bake the cakes a day ahead and store them airtight with parchment between layers. The filling keeps 2 days in the fridge; re-beat it before piping.
Storage: filled pies keep 2 days at room temperature, 4 to 5 days in the fridge, or 2 months frozen and wrapped individually.
Nutrition values are an estimate.
Nutrition
Calories: 336kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 154mg | Potassium: 72mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 80IU | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1.6mg