Whoopie!

I'll admit that I'm pretty late to jump on the whoopie pie bandwagon, and I'm also embarrassed to say that  I had never actually tried one before tonight. With that said, it's better late than never - because they are FANTASTIC!

My roommate Helene (yes, you got a shout out) donated a tin of Sprinkles red velvet cupcake mix for the week's baking endeavors, and I decided to use them for my whoopie pies. An easy easy trick for making the cake part of the pies is to use a regular cake mix and add another 1/2 C of flour to the dry ingredients. You need to make the cake denser so it doesn't spread out too much and make flat pies! It's super simple, and the result with the Sprinkles mix was absolutely delicious.

As for the filling, the classic pairing with red velvet is cream cheese frosting. However, dearest Helene can't eat cheese, so I tried a new recipe for white chocolate buttercream. AMAZING. Bear in mind the classic points in making buttercream - make sure the bowl is completely dry, the butter is room temperature, and even if the mixture looks a little curdled, keep whipping until it comes together. No sweat!

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies 

Directions: Mix boxed cake mix as usual, but add 1/2 C flour to the dry ingredients. Drop rounded spoonfuls of dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet and make sure they're relatively smooth and round. Bake for 6-8 minutes, until the center of the cake springs back when touched. Cool completely before filling.

White Chocolate Buttercream
From Ptit Chef
Makes enough frosting for a batch of whoopie pies from one cake mix

1/2 C sugar
3 egg whites
9 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/8 C white chocolate, melted and cooled to room temperature

Directions: Combine sugar and egg whites over a double boiler over medium-high heat. Whisk very frequently until the sugar is totally dissolved into the egg whites. You should be able to rub your fingers together in the egg without feeling grains of sugar. Pour into a dry mixing bowl and whisk on high speed until the egg is room temperature and soft peaks are beginning to form. Add butter in small chunks, incorporating completely between each addition. Keep whisking at high speed until frosting consistency forms. Add chocolate and incorporate completely. If any textural issues occur, just keep whisking until it resolves!

Pipe frosting onto flat side of one cake piece, then sandwich with another matching sized piece. Press slightly so the frosting reaches the edge. Take a bite, and experience pure bliss.