Chocolate Whoopie Pies
My whoopie pies have a sweet marshmallow filling sandwiched between rich chocolate cake for a classic New England dessert - but without the shortening!
Ingredients
Cake:
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon espresso powder
- Large pinch of salt, up to ⅛ teaspoon
- 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
Filling
- 1 cup marshmallow creme, (Fluff)
- ½ cup butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 - 1 ½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream, more if needed
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350ºF and line two baking sheets with nonstick silicon mats or parchment paper. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter and brown sugar and whip on high speed until light and fluffy.
- Add egg and vanilla, and beat to combine.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, espresso powder and salt and whisk to combine.
- With the mixer on a low speed, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk until just combined.
- Use a medium cookie scoop to portion dough onto prepare baking sheets. You want to make sure you're leaving enough room (about 2") between each cake so they can spread. I wouldn't do more than 5 on a baking sheet at a time, just to be safe.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until the tops spring back when touched.
- Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then move to wire racks to cool completely.
Filling
- In a large bowl, combine marshmallow Fluff and butter and beat on high speed until well combined and smooth.
- Add 1 cup of the powdered sugar, vanilla extract and heavy cream and beat until well combined. If it's too thin, add more of the powdered sugar a little at a time until you have the desired consistency.
- If you feel it's too sweet for your tastes, add a pinch of salt.
Assembling
- Start by flipping half of the cooled cakes over and matching them up by size with another half that will go on top.
- Fill a pastry bag with the tip cut off (or plastic sandwich bag) with filling and pipe it onto each cake half in a spiral shape. Leave about ¼" around the edge so that when you add the other cake half on top, the filling has a little room to spread.
- Top each with the other cake half. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Equipment: You don't need a fancy whoopie pie pan to make the chocolate cakes! Just use a standard baking sheet lined with nonstick silicon mats or parchment paper.
- Batter: The batter should be firm enough to be scooped, because a liquidy batter won't be able to hold its structure to bake, or to support the filling. I like to use a medium cookie scoop to portion the batter.
- Cooling: Make sure you let the cakes cool completely before you sandwich them with the filling, otherwise they'll be tacky and difficult to work with.
- Storage: Wrap each whoopie pie in plastic wrap and then place in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Nutrition
Calories: 532kcal | Carbohydrates: 101g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 52mg | Sodium: 214mg | Potassium: 212mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 73g | Vitamin A: 432IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 89mg | Iron: 2mg
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