All the qualities of red velvet cake that we know and love, but in mini sandwich form! We have two, ultra moist, ultra soft red velvet cakes sandwiching a fluffy and cloud-like cream cheese frosting. True love in cake form!
These little treats are perfect for Valentine's day (or Singles Awareness Day, whichever one you celebrate!), Mother's day, Christmas, you name it!
The bright red color is enough to put anyone in a good mood - but we've ALSO got two, unbelievably tender red velvet cakes sandwiched together with an airy and dreamy filling! These are nothing short of true love in little sandwich form.
What is a whoopie pie?
Fun fact: whoopie pies aren't really pies in the traditional sense - like when you think of apple pie. And depending on who you ask, they can be referred to as cakes, cookies, or pies. I personally call them cakes because they're most similar to cake in terms of texture and softness.
So basically, whoopie pies are 2 mini "cake" like rounds sandwiched together with some sort of filling in the middle. They're kind of similar to moon pies, but whoopie pies are on the cakier side, while moon pies are on the cookier(...?) side.
There are HUNDREDS of different flavors and combinations to choose from! This recipe features red velvet cakes with cream cheese filling. But the cake and filling options are endless!
Red velvet whoopie pie ingredients:
• flour
• cocoa powder: just a touch to add some chocolate flavor
• baking soda: one of the few times you will see me NOT use a combination of baking soda and powder! I liked the texture of the cakes better with just baking soda, while the baking powder didn't really bring much to the table
• salt: for both the cake and frosting to balance out the sweetness
• butter: also for the cake and the frosting
• oil: any neutral flavored oil will work. I like to add a mix of butter and oil to my red velvet cakes for an ultra soft and moist treat!
• sugar: granulated for the cakes and powdered for the frosting
• egg
• sour cream: for extra richness, moisture, and airiness!
• vinegar: helps create a more tender cake, and also makes the red food coloring more vibrant!
• red food coloring: not much of a red velvet whoopie pie without RED! You can use either gel or liquid - gel packs a stronger color, so you'll need less food coloring than you will if using liquid (the amounts are listed in the recipe below for each one)
• vanilla: to flavor the cakes and frosting
• milk
• cream cheese: just for the frosting. Make sure you're using the blocks of cream cheese! Regular spread will cause your frosting to end up overly soft and melt-y!
How to make red velvet whoopie pies:
1. Whisk together dry ingredients. Set aside.
2. Cream together butter, oil, and sugar. The mixture may still be a bit grainy, but it shouldn't have any large pieces of butter.
3. Whisk in egg and vanilla.
4. Add sour cream, vinegar, and food coloring. Whisk to combine.
5. Alternate adding dry ingredients and milk. Mix about half of the dry ingredients into the sugar mixture, followed by all of the milk, and finish off with the remaining dry ingredients.
6. Portion whoopie pies. You can do this with a cookie scoop or large piping bag. I used a piping bag so I could get evenly rounded cakes, and then smoothened the tops with a utensil #foodbloggerlife - but a cookie scoop does the job perfectly fine (plus, less effort!)
p.s. I know, it looks like tomato paste....moving on.
7. Bake. You can test the doneness of your whoopie pies the same way you would test a cake - insert a skewer into the center of one and it should come out clean. Cool for about 5 minutes on the pan, then transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely to room temperature.
8. Make the filling: Cream together your cream cheese and butter until they're relatively lump free. Add your salt, vanilla, and powdered sugar, and beat together until light and fluffy.
9. Fill! Pipe, scoop, or spread about 2 heaping tablespoons of frosting into the bottom of one of the red velvet cakes. Sandwich another cake on top, and repeat until all of the cakes are filled and sandwiched!
Red velvet whoopie pie filling options:
The recipe below goes over how to make cream cheese frosting to fill your whoopie pies, but you can customize the filling with any of your favorite frostings/spreads! Some other amazing options include: vanilla buttercream, chocolate buttercream, ermine frosting (a classic to pair with red velvet!), whipped chocolate ganache, and more!
Red velvet whoopie pie storage:
Keep your whoopie pies stored in an airtight container or plastic bag. Less air = longer lasting pies! They'll keep for up to 5 days at room temperature or around 1 week in the fridge.
Check out these other recipes!
• Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake
• Red Velvet Cupcakes
• Chocolate Lava Cake for Two
• Giant Nutella Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie
Red Velvet Whoopie Pies Recipe
Ingredients
For the red velvet cakes:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ¼ cup vegetable oil, or any neutral flavored oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- ¼ cup sour cream or plain yogurt
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon red gel food coloring or 2 teaspoons liquid food coloring
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup milk
For the cream cheese frosting:
- 1 (8 ounce) block cream cheese, softened to room temperature * see notes
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside.
- Make the red velvet cakes: In a medium bowl, whisk together your flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, combine butter, oil, and sugar. Beat together using a wooden spoon or an electric mixer until relatively smooth and combined. It may be slightly grainy, but that's normal! Just make sure to get out any large chunks of butter.
- Add your egg to the sugar mixture and whisk to combine. Add in the sour cream, vinegar, food coloring, and vanilla, and whisk again to combine.
- Alternate adding your dry ingredients and milk to the sugar mixture. Mix in about half of the dry ingredients until combined (some streaks of flour are fine at this stage). Whisk in all of the milk. Finally, whisk the remaining dry ingredients into the batter until everything is just combined. Some clumps are normal - but there shouldn't be any streaks of dry ingredients. Take care not to over mix!
- Portion the batter into mini rounds on your baking sheet (about 2 tablespoons of batter for each cake). You can do this with a cookie scoop or large piping bag with the tip cut off. I used a piping bag just because I wanted even rounds, and I find it's easier to control. But a cookie scoop does the job just as well with less effort! Make sure to leave about 2 inches of space between each cake.* You may need a third baking sheet if the cookies don't fit on the 2 prepared pans. Don't try to squeeze them in if you can't comfortably leave 2 inches of space! If needed, bake the third batch separately.
- Bake the cakes in the center of your preheated 350°F oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean. Cool for about 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely to room temperature.
- Make the cream cheese frosting: In a large bowl, combine cream cheese and butter. Using an electric mixer fitted with a beater attachment, or a wooden spoon (if you want a workout!), cream together the cheese and butter until relatively smooth and lump free.
- Add your salt, vanilla, and powdered sugar to the cream cheese mixture. Beat again until smooth and fluffy (about 3 minutes on medium speed or 5 minutes by hand).
- Pipe, spread, or scoop about 2 heaping tablespoons of frosting onto the bottom of one red velvet cake, then sandwich another red velvet cake on top of the frosting. Repeat until all of the cakes are filled and sandwiched!
Notes
Enjoy!
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