Name: Whoopie Pie Recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 175 g plain white flour (all purpose flour); 100 g cocoa powder (dutch processed); 1 tsp baking powder; 125 g slightly salted butter; 200 g white caster sugar (superfine sugar); 1 medium free range egg; 225 ml buttermilk; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 100 g slightly salted butter; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 225 g icing sugar (powdered sugar)

This chocolate whoopie pie recipe is so easy, you'll soon have gorgeous domes of velvety chocolate sponge, sandwiched with smooth buttercream.

6 Whoopie pies on a marble chopping board with a bite missing from the nearest one.

With very simple ingredients no special skills required, it's my favourite way to make whoopie pies. And I have Amy-Beth Ellice to thanks as this recipe is from Amy's Baking Year, a cookbook she wrote when she was just 16!

I've made a few tiny adaptations to get this whoopie pie recipe just how I like it.

The main change is that Amy uses a piping bag to get the sponge batter onto the trays, whereas I use an ice cream scoop to get tall, substantial whoopie pies.

Whoopie pies lined up on a wire cooling rack.

The batter for the chocolate sponge is made by whisking butter and sugar together, then whisking in eggs, followed by buttermilk and vanilla. You'll then sift in cocoa, flour and bicarbonate of soda and fold everything together.

You'll then scoop blobs of batter onto lined trays and bake - it only takes 12 minutes!

a hand picking up a Whoopie pie from a marble chopping board.

Once your sponges are cool, you'll make a super simple buttercream by whisking butter, icing sugar and vanilla together (add the fine zest of 1 unwaxed orange to the buttercream to make them chocolate orange whoopie pies!), then pipe it on the sponge halves and sandwich them together.

Here's the full whoopie recipe. It makes 10 large and intensely chocolatey whoopie pies.

Ingredients

For the sponge

175 g (1¼ cup) plain white flour (all purpose flour)
100 g (¾ cup + 2 tbsp) cocoa powder (dutch processed)
1 tsp baking powder
125 g (9 tbsp) slightly salted butter
200 g (1 cup + 2 tbsp) white caster sugar (superfine sugar)
1 medium free range egg
225 ml (⅔ + ¼ cup) buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the buttercream

100 g (7 tbsp) slightly salted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
225 g (1¾ cup) icing sugar (powdered sugar)

Equipment

Instructions

Make the chocolate sponges

Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan, 350F).

Line at least two baking sheets with baking parchment.

a large baking tray lined with parchment paper.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder into a bowl.

flour, cocoa powder and baking powder in a large clear bowl.

Stir together.

mixed flour, cocoa powder and baking powder in a large clear bowl.

Put the butter and sugar in a second bowl.

Whisk until pale and creamy.

whisked butter and sugar mix in a large clear bowl.

Add the egg.

whisked butter and sugar mix in a large clear bowl topped with one egg.

Whisk again until combined.

whisked butter, egg and sugar mix in a large clear bowl.

Add the buttermilk and vanilla.

whisked butter, egg and sugar mix in a large clear bowl topped with buttermilk and vanilla.

Whisk together.

whisked buttermilk and sugar mix in a large clear bowl to create a batter.

Sift in half the flour and cocoa mix.

whisked buttermilk and sugar mix in a large clear bowl to create a batter topped with cocoa flour mix.

Fold through, then sift in the other half.

Fold again to complete your batter. If the mixture is very loose, cover and place in the fridge to chill for 10 minutes.

whisked chocolate whoopie pie batter in a large clear bowl.

Use a medium 5cm (2 inch) scoop to pick up level scoops of the batter and drop onto the lined trays. Allow space for them to spread while baking.

6 small balls of chocolate whoopie batter on a parchment lined baking tray.

Bake for 12 minutes. Try not to have more than 2 trays in the oven at once as it can affect heat circulation.

6 baked chocolate whoopie cookies on a parchment lined baking tray.

Allow to cool on the tray for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

a wire cooling rack covered in chocolate whoopie pie cookies.

Make the buttercream filling

Put the butter, vanilla and icing sugar in a clean bowl.

butter, vanilla and icing sugar in a large clear bowl.

Whisk until soft and creamy.

whisked butter, vanilla and icing sugar in a large clear bowl.

Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag and snip off the bottom 1cm (half inch).

Once the cake halves are totally cooled, flip half over to reveal the flat bottoms.

chocolate whoopie pie cookies turned over on a wire cooling rack.

Pipe a generous amount of buttercream onto the upturned halves.

chocolate whoopie pie cookies turned over on a wire cooling rack with half topped with buttercream filling.

Sandwich the remaining cake halves on top to complete your whoopie pies.

a hand holding a chocolate whoopie pie on a wire cooling rack with more in the background.

Have you baked these at home? I'd love to see pics!

a marble chopping board filled with chocolate whoppie pies on a plain background.

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5 from 1 vote

Whoopie Pie Recipe

This chocolate whoopie pie recipe is so easy, you'll soon have gorgeous domes of velvety chocolate sponge, sandwiched with smooth buttercream.

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time10 mins

Total Time30 mins

Course: cakes and bakes, Cookies

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: 10 whoopie pies

Author: Amy-Beth Ellice

Ingredients

For the sponge

175 g (1¼ cup) plain white flour (all purpose flour)
100 g (¾ cup + 2 tbsp) cocoa powder (dutch processed)
1 tsp baking powder
125 g (9 tbsp) slightly salted butter
200 g (1 cup + 2 tbsp) white caster sugar (superfine sugar)
1 medium free range egg
225 ml (⅔ + ¼ cup) buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the buttercream

100 g (7 tbsp) slightly salted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
225 g (1¾ cup) icing sugar (powdered sugar)

Equipment

Instructions

Make the chocolate sponges

Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan, 350F).
Line at least two baking sheets with baking parchment.
Sift the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder into a bowl and stir together.
Put the butter and sugar in a second bowl and whisk until pale and creamy.
Whisk in the egg, followed by the buttermilk and vanilla.
Sift in half the flour and cocoa mix and fold through, then sift in the other half and fold again to complete your batter. If the mixture is very loose, cover and place in the fridge to chill for 10 minutes.
Use a medium 5cm (2 inch) scoop to pick up level scoops of the batter and drop onto the lined trays. Allow space for them to spread while baking.
Bake for 12 minutes. Try not to have more than 2 trays in the oven at once as it can affect heat circulation.
Allow to cool on the tray for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the buttercream filling

Put the butter, vanilla and icing sugar in a clean bowl. Whisk until soft and creamy.
Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag and snip off the bottom 1cm.
Once the cake halves are totally cooled, flip half over to reveal the flat bottoms.
Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag and snip off the bottom 1cm.
Pipe a generous amount of buttercream onto the upturned halves.
Sandwich the remaining cake halves on top to complete your whoopie pies.

Video

Notes

Add the fine zest of 1 unwaxed orange to the buttercream to make them chocolate orange whoopie pies!

Nutrition

* Note: nutritional information is estimated, based on publicly available data. Nutrient values may vary from those published. Information on this website should not be taken as medical advice. Cuisines identify the primary region of inspiration for a dish.

Tried this recipe?Snap a pic and tag @amummytoo on Instagram or tag @EmilyLearyCooks on Twitter. I can't wait to see your posts!

This recipe is adapted from Amy-Beth Ellice's Amy's Baking Year and published with permission from John Blake Publishing.

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