Whoopie Pies!

I was stressing the other day about what I would do when I run out of ideas for new blog posts, then I thought: maybe I could include baking recipes I love on here. I know baking is more scientific and less crafty, but if I can have fun baking-- anyone can! I apprenticed in a kitchen this summer full time and from that amazing opportunity I can cook like a pro!  (omg it was so stinking hot...word to the wise, don't apprentice a bakery with 8 full sized ovens during the summer months)

Today, I'll introduce the New England classic treat: the whoopie pie. Here are some pictures from my portfolio-- the first is the classic chocolate and vanilla, and the other is vanilla with cream cheese frosting with lemon preserves (the lemon whoopie pie is not very photogenic, but still delicious.)

When I first moved to Maine, I was a bit put off by the name: "whoopie pie." I hate the word: "whoopie" and I've never been the biggest fan of pie. However, I've learned to come to accept this weird cake/cupcake hybrid as Mainers are crazy about these treats. (South Portland, Maine actually baked the largest whoopie pie last March and it was over one thousand pounds! Good thing I was in Virginia then...I probably would have eaten the majority of it myself.) Whoopie pies are really simple to make-- what really makes them distinct is the shallow whoopie pie pan. I got mine as a gift, but if you don't have a pan for making whoopie pies, you can bake your cake as normal, and then use a biscuit cutter to imitate the whoopie pie patties.


Here's a recipe that I like to use:


Ingredients
· 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
· 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
· 1 stick unsalted butter
· 1 cup sugar
· 3 large eggs
· 1 vanilla bean (you can use extract, but once you switch to the real thing you'll never go back)
· 1 cup white, all purpose flour
· 1/4 cup cocoa powder
· 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
· 3/4 teaspoons salt

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Grease whoopie pie pan well
3. Cook unsweetened, semisweet chocolates and butter on the stovetop with a double broiler, making sure that the saucepan underneath your chocolate is not too full of water that it is able to touch the pan with chocolate, but has enough water so that it won't all evaporate.

4. Slowly simmer chocolate and butter until it is melted, stir and take double broiler off of the stove once the chocolate and butter are melted together (chocolate burns if it has been cooked for too long and the smell is gross)

5. Whisk sugar, eggs, and vanilla together in with the melted chocolate and butter until all is incorporated
6. Sift your dry ingredients: flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt and set aside into another bowl.
7. Gradually whisk the dry ingredients into the chocolate mixture. Do NOT mix for too long-- you don't want to over-mix the batter.
8. Use a rubber spatula to finally incorporate all of the cake batter together, get the batter to look uniform, and then stop mixing.
9. Scoop batter into the whoopie pie pan.
10. Bake until the cake springs back to the touch-- the batter should be less sticky and more fluffy before you take them out. (about 6 minutes)
11. Let the cakes cool
12. Lightly brush some sugar water on each of the cakes (this keeps them moist)
13. Frost whoopie pies by sandwiching two chocolate cakes together.


Frosting:
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 cup milk
3+ cups of powdered sugar
1/4 cup of crisco shortening
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract (or a vanilla bean)

1. Dissolve salt into the milk
2. Mix milk-salt mixture, crisco, and vanilla -- gradually adding the powdered sugar
3. Once all of the powdered sugar is mixed in, keep beating for about 2 minutes more. Keep mixing frosting until mixture is fluffy. If mixture is runny, gradually add more flour. If mixture is too stiff/dry, gradually add more milk.
4. Cover frosting when not in use-- if it is let out for too long, it will develop a "film"