Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Cake of the Week: Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Christine, Jess, and I exchange recipes a lot. Every day a flurry of emails fly through the interwebs, bringing tidings of what we’re currently eating/wish we were eating/want to make soon.

  • Last night I had the best pizza ever…
  • OMG I want this cake…
  • Did you see the new Serious Eats list?
  • This is you in sandwich form…
  • This is you in cake form…

Etc. etc. etc.  

So when we recently convened in NYC, clearly we had to put our words into actions and actually make something together.


After a burst of brainstorming and internet browsing, we settled on making my Pumpkin Whoopie Pies (previous experience here), but this time filling them with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting. Genius


The small amount of chocolate and the tanginess of the cream cheese made the filling taste like a chocolate malt, which went fabulously with the super light and slightly spicy whoopie pies. You must make these.


We baked the pies, matched them up, and filled them. Christine’s husband pointed out that they look like little hamburgers, so for purely aesthetic blog photography purposes we dusted them with powdered sugar.


And then we tested. Liberally.


Pumpkin Whoopie Pies (from Brown Eyed Baker)
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup canola or vegetable oil
3 cups chilled pumpkin puree (canned pumpkin)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting (Jess original recipe)
8 oz cream cheese (one block) at room temp.
½ cup butter at room temp.
2 cups powdered sugar
¼ cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-3 tablespoons milk (as needed)


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger and nutmeg. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the granulated sugar, the dark brown sugar, and the oil together. Add the pumpkin puree and whisk to combine thoroughly. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until combined.
4. Gradually add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and whisk until completely combined.
5. Use a small cookie scoop or a large spoon to drop a rounded, heaping tablespoon of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart.
6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, making sure that the cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cookie comes out clean. The cookies should be firm when touched. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool completely on a cooling rack.


For the frosting:
Using a standing or hand-held mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese. Add powdered sugar, chocolate and vanilla and beat thoroughly. Add milk, one tablespoon at a time, until it reaches a smooth spreadable consistency.


Assembly:
Match up whoopie pies that are about the same size. Spread frosting on one side, sandwich them together, and enjoy!



These would be great to make and bring to a Thanksgiving potluck type of situation - they travel really well. Plus, of course, everyone will LOVE them!