Heart Whoopie Pies

I've been making whoopie for my pies. Not that heavy sweet stuff, but light of heart whoopie. The traditional New England Whoopie Pie is filled with a powdered sugar frosting mixed with Marshmallow Fluff. It can be just a little too much of a good thing. One of my favorite frosting and fillings for chocolate cake is an Italian Meringue. It is light and delicately sweet and leaves you asking for more. Heart shaped Whoopie Pies and Meringue filling sounded like a perfect marriage to me. And it was. I think it is the only broken heart I've ever looked forward to. They are so pretty that they can be served atop a tutu-like pink carnation and eaten with a spoon or tucked inside a cellophane bag for your sweet Valentine. I've never had wine with my cake, but hey, this is Valentine's Day. I found a Californian Merlot wine and couldn't resist trying it. Any wine named Cupcake is my cup of tea! It is described as,

"Decadent flavors of rich black cherry, supple mocha and wonderful sweet oak mingles into a plush, full finish. In other words: sinful."

The label even suggests serving it with chocolate cake. Cheers!

Soooo....Make a little whoopie this Valentine's Day....and remember...All there is, is Love, Love is all there is ♥♥♥ Happy Valentine's Day!

Whoopie Pies
(Cakes adapted from Gourmet)

For the cakes:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup well-shaken buttermilk*
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
* to substitute buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup milk. Let stand 10 minutes before using.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl until combined. In a small bowl stir together buttermilk and vanilla. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat together butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy. Add egg and beat until well blended. Reduce mixer speed to low and alternatively add the flour mixture and buttermilk in batches, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Scrape down sides after each batch, and mix until smooth.

For round cakes, spoon batter into 2 1/2 inch circles onto a parchment lined or buttered baking sheet. Space about 2 inches apart. Bake until puffed up and spring back when lightly touched, about 10 minutes.

Using a spatula, transfer to a baking rack to cool. Once cool, fill one with filling and top with another.

Makes about 16 3-inch filled cakes.

Heart Shaped Cakes:
To make heart shapes, make a 3x3 inch heart template on light cardboard. On a sheet of parchment to fit your baking sheet, use a pencil to trace around the template making heart shapes. Leave 1-2 inches space between shapes. Turn the parchment over, pencil side down onto baking sheet.

Fill a large pastry bag fitted a large tip or just the coupling, and pipe inside of the heart shape leaving 1/4-1/2 inch space all around to allow for spreading. Try and accentuate the tail of the heart since it spreads while baking. If necessary, use your fingertips to give it more shape. Bake and once cool, match up pairs of hearts that are similar shape and size. Fill pastry bag with filling and using a large tip, generously pipe filling on one cake and top with its matching cake. Lightly press together. Makes about 16 heart shaped filled cakes.

Meringue Frosting

1 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
3 egg whites
pinch of salt
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine the sugar and water in a heavy medium saucepan and bring to a boil without stirring. Boil until it reaches the soft ball stage, 240 degrees on a candy thermometer.

While the syrup is cooking, beat the egg whites with the salt and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. When the syrup reaches 240 degrees, pour 1/4 cup of the syrup into the stiffly beaten egg whites, drop by drop, beating at high speed. Gradually add the rest of the syrup in a fine stream and beat for 8 to 12 minutes, or until the mixture is cool. It should be glossy and thick, but not dry. If coloring the meringue pink, add a few drops of red food coloring and continue beating until it reaches a light-medium pink.
Makes about 3 cups.

Love Notes: Add a 1/2 teaspoon of rosewater or other flavoring to the meringue frosting for a variation. Since I am lazy and cheap, I mean clever, I re-used the parchment paper by just scraping off any remaining cake bits on it. If you are putting the Whoopie Pies in bags, it helps to freeze them individually before placing in the bag. This keeps the filling from smearing. They can also be placed back in the freezer at this time until ready to give away.

Pretty in Pink Peony Cake

Every year when peonies come into their fragrant glory, a friend brings by an armload full of some of the most beautiful varieties from his farm. Each one has its own personality and color, and all have a sweet and feminine aroma that fills the air. Like a summery floral chintz, they make me happy to just look at them. This year I wanted to thank him and his wife by making a cake. I just happened to be making cupcakes for my neighbors high school graduation party and so I split the recipe, making a small 6 inch cake and 2 dozen mini cupcakes. My graduating neighbor loves chocolate nut toffee crunch (she's very smart...move her to the top of the class!), so I crushed some and mixed it into chocolate ganache and added it to the filling of the cake. The little cupcakes had their chocolate treasure hidden under a slice on top and were crowned with a meringue frosting. As you bite into the lightly sweet cloud of meringue frosting, the cake is tender and moist. And with the chocolate toffee ganache surprise in the center, you'll need a chair to sink into as you lick your spoon clean. The combination works so well together, that after the last taste, you'll be left dreaming for more. Sweet Dreams!For the cake batter, I used Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake recipe poured into a 6x3 inch round pan and the rest into a lined mini cupcake tin. After the cake was baked and cooled, I cut it in half horizontally and put in on a serving plate. I then put a layer of ganache on top of the lower layer and spread it into a generous filling.Then I added the top layer and frosted with the Meringue Frosting. Just like a prom date awaiting her corsage, a pretty pink peony from my friends garden was the only decoration needed.
Chocolate Toffee Crunch Ganache

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
optional: 3-4 ounces crushed chocolate toffee/nut candy, such as Heath Bar.
I used Trader Joe's, Dark Chocolate Roasted Pistachio Toffee.

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the optional candy until coarsely chopped and remove. Break up the chocolate into the bowl of the food processor and process until fine. Heat the cream until just before the boiling point, and pour into the feed tube while processing. Process until just smooth and creamy, and then add the vanilla and pulse a few times to blend. Pour into a medium bowl and let come to room temperature and then fold in the crushed candy mixture. Refrigerate until it thickens enough to spread. If made ahead of time, let come to room temperature before using.

Makes about 2 cups.

Store at room temperature 1 day, 1 week refrigerated and 3 months frozen.

Written and photographed by Diane.

Hershey's Chocolate Cake recipe (pdf)
Meringue Frosting recipe (pdf)
Chocolate Toffee Crunch Ganache recipe (pdf)

Paper Doll Cupcakes

Cupcakes are the cuties of the cake world. Take a basic chocolate (my favorite) cupcake and dress her in different outfits just like paper dolls. Then she can go anywhere from a romantic dessert for two, to a child's birthday party. Put a white petticoat on her and a pink crinoline and you have a real charmer. Primp her with some fancy colored sugar and she is getting ready to go out.Wow, she's getting bold!I think she has a date..........
He wants to take her to the circus tomorrow and get her some peanuts,
and then fly her to the moon.
You get the picture......change the frosting and decoration to create a cupcake for every occasion. They can have filling or be left plain. I made a surprise Peanut Truffle filling for the chocolate cupcake and topped it with a Meringue Frosting and sugar sprinkles. What a knockout! I left some plain and topped them with a Peanut Butter Frosting and chopped peanuts. On another one, I sliced off the top evenly and spread the truffle on, replaced the top, frosted it and sprinkled on silver dragees. Mix and match to create your own combination.

Chocolate Peanut Truffle Cupcakes

Chocolate Cake
(Adapted from Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake)

2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin tin with cupcake baking cups.

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla; beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour into lined muffin tin. Bake 20-25 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.Makes 30 cupcakes or 2 9 inch layer cakes.

Peanut Milk Chocolate Truffle Filling

1/3 cup peanuts
8 ounces milk chocolate
1 tablespoon cocoa, plus 1/4 cup for rolling
1/2 cup heavy cream

Add peanuts, broken chocolate or chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon cocoa to food processor bowl and process until small and coarsely chopped. Transfer to a medium bowl. Heat cream until the boiling point and add to the chocolate peanut mixture. Stir until smooth and then refrigerate until firm. Once firm, scoop out 1 tablespoon pieces and put on a parchment lined baking sheet. Dust generously with the reserved cocoa and roll into balls. Freeze until ready to use.
Makes 30.

To make filled cupcakes, just before frosting, scoop out about a 3/4-1 inch plug from the top of the cupcake, using an apple corer. Stuff a Chocolate Peanut Truffle into opening. They are now ready to frost.

Meringue Frosting

2 cups sugar
2/3 cups water
6 egg whites
pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
(optional 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature)

Combine the sugar and water in a heavy medium saucepan and bring to a boil without stirring. Boil until it reaches the soft ball stage, 240 degrees on a candy thermometer.

While the syrup is cooking, beat the egg whites with the salt and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. When the syrup reaches 240 degrees, pour 1/4 cup of the syrup into the stiffly beaten egg whites, drop by drop, beating at high speed. Gradually add the rest of the syrup in a fine stream and beat for 8 to 12 minutes, or until the mixture is cool. It should be glossy and thick, but not dry. At this point, add the vanilla and optional butter and beat until smooth. The mixture must be thoroughly cool or it will melt the butter. The added butter will make this frosting much looser. If you are piping it or want a firmer frosting, do not add the butter.
Makes about 6 cups.

Fit a pastry bag with desired tip. Fill pastry bag with frosting and pipe frosting onto filled cupcakes.
As an alternative, Peanut Butter Frosting is delicious on unfilled chocolate cupcakes.

Peanut Butter Frosting
(Adapted from Ina Garten)

1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup heavy cream

Place the powdered sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl. Mix on medium-low speed with an electric mixer until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.

Have fun and pipe, sprinkle and decorate with abandon!

Download Chocolate cake with Peanut Truffle Filling recipe (pdf)
Download Meringue Frosting recipe (pdf)
Download Peanut Butter Frosting recipe (pdf)

Written and photographed by Diane.