Whoopie Cake Update

Summer Fun:  Whoopie Cake Made at the Lake by Colleen and Buddy

While Irene blows outside, there isn't much we can do but wait for the tropical storm to pass, and to reflect on fun from the summer.  One of the them was the Whoopie Cake our sister-in-law, Colleen, and niece, Buddy, made during the 4th of July weekend.

We debated during the cooking process whether or not to use baking powder or baking soda with Dutch processed cocoa.

So,  recently Colleen researched it. 

She says, "Dutch process cocoa (which has alkali) CANNOT be used with baking soda. It has to be used with baking powder. So the Whoopie recipe should be made with regular cocoa."

If you want to understand why, here's the link: 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_process_chocolate

Whoopie Cake
From Whoopie Pies by Sarah Billingsley and Amy Treadwell

½ cup butter softened
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 2/3 cups flour
2/3 cup cocoa  (use regular, not Dutch processed)
1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Take a nine inch pie or cake pan and draw a circle around it in the middle of each piece of parchment. Flip the parchment so the mark is face down.

Beat butter and brown sugar until combined, and then beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat 2 more minutes.

Sift together the cocoa, flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. Add half to the butter mixture with ½ cup of the milk. Beat until incorporated. Add remaining flour and milk and repeat.

Put half the batter in the middle of each circle on the parchment. Use an offset spatula to spread the batter to the edge of the circle. Try to get the batter even.

Bake each tray separately for 15 minutes.

Check to see if cake springs back in center and remove from oven. Let cool for five minutes and then slide parchment/cake off onto a cooling rack. Repeat with other cake. When cool, peel off parchment and frost with filling of your choice.

Suggested Filling:

Classic Marshmallow

2 ½ sticks butter, softened
1 7 oz jar of Marshmallow Fluff
1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon Vanilla

Beat the butter and marshmallow together until smooth and fluffy. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat together on low. When mixed, beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes more.

Spread between layers of Whoopie Cake.

We  didn't have sprinkles to put on the cake, but it tasted just as good!

Here's how it would look with sprinkles.  Buddy took this photo in earlier in the year when she made it around her birthday in June.

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