Lunch: Whoopie Pies: The Return of a Classic

Sounds like “cookie,” tastes like cake. But no matter what you call them, whoopie pies are all the rage. Last week the New York Times ran an article about the buttery, cake-like dessert, which first appeared in Maine and Pennsylvania’s Amish country as ea

Ingredients

1 package chocolate cake mix
1 cup sour cream
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 °F.
In a stand mixer, combine the cake mix, sour cream, oil, water, sugar, eggs and vanilla.
Blend the ingredients together on low speed for one minute.
Using an ice cream scoop or spoon, scoop out 24 mounds of the batter onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the tops spring back when touched. Remove and let cool completely.
Next, prepare the buttercream by bringing a large pot with an inch or two of water to a boil over high heat.
Combine the egg whites and sugar in a smaller pot and place it over the larger pot of boiling water. Whisk the ingredients together just until the sugar is dissolved and the temperature reaches 180 ºF on an instant-read thermometer. Transfer the mixture immediately to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
Beat the dissolved sugar mixture on high speed until it doubles in volume and becomes thick and shiny. Continue to whisk until cool.
Reduce speed to medium and add butter, roughly 1 Tablespoon at a time, until it is all incorporated.
Add the vanilla and salt (if mixture looks curdled, continue to whisk until smooth).
Increase the speed to high and whisk for 1 more minute.
Assemble the whoopie pies by spreading a portion of the buttercream onto the flat sides of twelve of the cakes. Top with a non-filled second cake to form sandwiches. Enjoy them plain or rolled in sprinkles or nuts.
* Helpful Hint: If the buttercream is too thin, pop it in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes to thicken it.

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