Did you know the "Whoopie pie" is the State Treat of Maine? I had no idea states had designated treats. I'm dying to know what the state treat is here...it better be candy bacon.
While making these I started thinking about why these tasty little cakes have such a silly name. I did a little research and found Whoopie pies to be a Pennsylvania Amish and New England phenomenon. I suppose this is why I never had them as a child.
Apparently the Amish women would bake up these little desserts (likely with leftover cake batter) and put them in their husband's lunches. The men would pull out these treats and yell, "whoopie".
So...this is where I laughed out loud. I just don't see a bunch of guys yelling out, "whoopie" for cake. Do you?
Oh well, maybe they did. It was a different time. It just sounds funny. There are also three states that claim to be the birthplace of the Whoopie pie; Maine, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. This little dessert has quite a history!
When I saw this Whoopie pie pan...I had, had, had to have it. Is it not the cutest? Perfect for Fall! But, I also found this one, which will be perfect for gingerbread. And check out the price...it's super cheap!
You barely need to add any batter to the whoppie pie pan cavity, these guys puff right up during baking. They come out of the pan perfectly. No sticking, no fuss. You could even serve them like this. They are really beautiful and have a very nice pumpkin flavor.
I used maple extract in my filling. If you don't like maple, you can just use vanilla extract. Some people are really picky about the look of their filling, meaning they want it to remain as white as possible. In that case, you can use a clear vanilla extract. I also used my favorite offset spatula to frost the inside of the Whoopie pies. I like it because it's small and easy to work with. It works great with cupcakes too.
Enjoy these festive little cakes! We sure did.
Pumpkin Spice Whoopie Pies Filled with Maple Cream
Slightly adapted from Wilton | Makes about 15 Whoopie pies (30 cakes total)
Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 Tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup buttermilk
Filling:
1 package (8 ounce) cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon maple extract (add more for a bolder flavor)
Garnish
Sprinkles and/or nuts (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray pan with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with pumpkin and buttermilk. Fill pan 1/2 full, spreading batter to edges of cavities.
Bake 7-9 minutes or until cake springs back to the touch. Remove from pan and cool completely before filling.
For the filling, beat cream cheese, sugar and maple extract until well combined. Spread filling on one cake and sandwich with another. Garnish with sprinkles or nuts if you like.
Cathy runs her own vineyard and winery in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. She is a food writer forDavis Life Magazine and blogs daily about wine, food and everydayliving. She lives with her husbandand two sons. You can visit her at noblepig.com.