Salted Buttercream Whoopie Pies
These little cakes are amazing! Easy to prepare and delicious. The filling is sweet, but not overly sweet and the bittersweet chocolate cakes balance out the filling. Growing up during the 80’s meant that I ate a lot of Devil Dogs during my childhood- this blows them away, along with any whoopie pie I’ve ever had.
Tips:
These can stay at room temperature for a few days, unless your home is hot. In that case, refrigerate them.
The whoopie pies freeze really well. Place the finished pies on a parchment lined baking sheet and pop them in the freezer. Once frozen, wrap each in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container until you NEED one.
Salted Buttercream Whoopie Pies
Makes 18 whoopie pies
PREP 30 minutes
COOK 7 minutes
INGREDIENTS
CAKES
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons bittersweet chocolate chips (1.3 oz. on a scale)
1/3 cup hot coffee
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 stick butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup +2 teaspoons buttermilk
BUTTERCREAM
2 sticks butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup Fluff
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon Malden sea salt or other flake sea salt
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
CAKES- Melt the chocolate in a small bowl by adding the hot coffee. Stir until combined. Allow it to get to room temperature.
In a small bowl combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a stand mixer, with a paddle attachment, or hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar for the cakes. Add the egg, then vanilla and beat until it’s light and airy. Add the coffee mixture.
Add half the flour mixture, followed by half of the buttermilk. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the rest of the flour and the rest of the buttermilk. Mix until it is combined and you don’t see any white anymore.
Transfer the batter to a pastry bag with 1/2” tip or a ziplock baggie with 1/2” hole cut in a corner.
Pipe 2” circles on three cookie sheets. You should fit 12 on each sheet- rows of 3 with 4 across. Make sure you space the cakes 2” apart as they spread a bit. You will have 36 cakes.
Bake for 5-7 minutes until just set. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans on a cooling rack.
BUTTERCREAM- Using a mixer cream the butter and Fluff together. Add the sugar, vanilla and salt. Whip this mixture for about 5 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed. You will notice the buttercream getting lighter in color and fluffy.
Transfer the buttercream to a pastry bag with 1/2” round tip. You can also do this with an offset spatula, but it will take longer and won’t look so uniform. Still delicious! Pipe the flat side of a cake with about 2 tablespoons of buttercream, then top with another cake, flat side down. Continue until you have 18 whoopie pies.