Another Whoopie Pie Post

(Jointly posted at stlchow.blogspot.com)

Ask anyone who even remotely knows me, and they'll tell you: for at least six months I have been proclaiming the whoopie pie as the next big dessert.


Why? Well, I'm glad you asked.


The whoopie pie has humble, but not very detailed, origins. A popular East coast treat, they are most commonly found in the heart of New England. They are often attributed to the Pennsylvania Dutch, but there is not much literature (perhaps this is my calling? Whoopie pie literature?) offering more than that. Regardless, I will forever have an image in my head of early American settlers walking across the landscape holding whoopie pies in waxed paper. There are plenty of urban legends circulating, too. Some say that whoopie pies were originally created to be easily transportable, individual cakes. Some say that they got their name from the exclamations of children who loved the treats. And I remember reading once that their popularity was somehow tied to the invention of Marshmallow Fluff. Wherever they were created and why, I'm just glad they're catching on.


The most wonderful thing to me about the whoopie pie is that it is completely antithetical to the most recent trend in baked goods, cupcakes. I think we're all starting to realize that it's actually very hard to find an exceptional cupcake. It's not hard to find one that LOOKS amazing, but usually the taste and/or texture disappoints. Cupcakes, plain and simple, try to win us over with their looks. Whoopie pies... don't.


Once I embarked on my whoopie pie crusade, it took quite a bit of tinkering to come up with what I felt was the perfect recipe. Part of my goal was to have a really good base recipe-- something that could be altered for flavor without changing texture or consistency. I wanted my dry ingredient proportions to stay essentially the same, so that only the wet ingredients would really vary. It wasn't all fun and games, landing on the perfect recipe. The chocolate batter alone went through several iterations. An attempt at a cinnamon cake resulted in something that tasted eerily similar to Cinnamon Toast Crunch. One crazed night, in an attempt to make perfectly uniform Whoopie Pies, I bought a plunger-gun that supposedly dispenses batter evenly. It didn't. These whoopie pies were turning out to be quite the endeavor, I tell you!

My other goal was to come up with a perfect, and shortening-free filling. For whatever reason, most whoopie pie recipes call for shortening in both the filling and in the cake. And, while I may tend to have shortening on hand in my freezer at all times, I know most people don't. It's an ingredient that people are scared of, hesitant to buy: "When else am I going to use that?" Lucky for us, there's butter!

So, regarding frosting, there are two options in my opinion. One is a simple butter/powdered sugar frosting. The key to this is creaming the butter forEVER, otherwise it will taste too thick. Cream it, cream it, and then cream it more, until it is super light and fluffy. Remember: when it comes to frosting, you really can't over-cream. Add a splash of vanilla and a pinch of salt with the powdered sugar. The other option is an italian meringue buttercream, a rich frosting lightened with egg whites. Recipes vary in quantities, and I haven't found one that I'm married to, but Martha Stewart and Dorie Greenspan will never lead you wrong.


And now, without further ado, my Whoopie Pie recipe-- fluffy, spongy, moist, and delicious slathered with frosting.


Chocolate Whoopie Pies


2 c flour
1/2 c cocoa powder
1 1/4 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 c buttermilk
1 t vanilla
1 stick butter
1 c brown sugar
1 egg


Whisk together dry ingredients. Add vanilla to buttermilk. Cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg. Alternate additions of wet and dry ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry. Bake at 350, until cakes spring back to the touch.

so. many. apples.

michael and i went apple-picking, and got TWO PECKS of apples. that is twenty-one pounds of apples. i have so far made two pies, and it's hardly made a dent. cider, applesauce, chutney, and caramel apples must be made soon!!!

chocolate swirl cheesecake

charlie, this one's for you!

crust:
2 cups of crushed oreo cookies (i found this to be almost two rows out of a package!)
3 T sugar
1 t salt
6 T butter, melted

combine all ingredients until cookies are evenly moist. press into bottom of 9" springform pan, and up the sides, if desired. bake for 10 minutes.

cheesecake:

2 lbs cream cheese
1 1/3 c sugar
1 t salt
2 t vanilla
4 eggs
1 1/3 c sour cream, or heavy cream, or a combination of the two

beat cream cheese until lif\ght- about four minutes in a stand mixer. gradually add sugar, and continue to mix until light and fluffy. add vanilla. add eggs one at a time, beating a full minute after each addition.

wrap bottom of pan in two layers of foil. place in a roasting pan. pour batter into springform pan until it just reaches the top. fill roasting pan with boiling water, about halfway up the sides of the springform. here's something i learned when making huge batches of frittatas in sheet pans at vella: put the roaster/cheesecake in the oven, and pull out the rack, then pour in the boiling water. much easier than carrying it TO the oven, when it is already full of the hot water. bake for an hour and a half at 325. turn the oven off, prop open, and let sit for another hour.

this is actually where i am right now-- still cooling in the oven... we shall see how it goes!

p.s. i forgot the chocolate swirl part. melt 4 oz dark chocolate and let cool. spoon tablespoons of chocolate into cheesecake batter (once in pan). use the tip of a knife to swirl it through.

bought:

the bread bible, by rose levy birnbaum.

challah

i've never really felt a strong urge to make bread(s). but something about this fall- which is the most picture-perfect fall so far- is stirring up a change. ALL i want is to make bread! last night i experimented with a challah recipe. it turned out great, but i still want to try some other recipes. i think i might like a little bit more sweetness...

and unfortunately, i could not get a decent picture... but trust me, it was pretty.

p.s. this recipe was cut in half from one that made two loaves, hence the odd quantities. just do your best to estimate, and it'll be fine.

challah

3/4 tablespoon of yeast
1/2 tablespoon + 1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup oil
2 eggs, plus one for egg wash
1/2 tablespoon salt
5 cup flour

**the recipe actually called for about 4 c flour, but the dough was very wet, and i probably ended up adding closer to 5 cups, possibly more than that.

1. in a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1/2 tablespoon sugar in a little more than 1 cup of lukewarm water.
2. whisk oil into yeast, then beat in the eggs, one at a time, with remaining sugar and salt. gradually add flour. when dough holds together, it is ready for kneading.
3. turn dough onto floured surface and knead until smooth. put dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place, about an hour, until doubled in size. punch down dough, cover and let rise again for another half an hour.
4. shape dough as desired (braid, form circle, plain loaf). beat remaining egg, and brush it on the loaf. let it rise for half an hour. brush again with egg. bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes, until golden.