THE FRENCH NATIONAL DAY COMMEMORATES THE BEGINNING OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION WITH THE STORMING OF THE BASTILLE FORTRESS IN PARIS ON 14 JULY 1789, AS WELL AS THE FÊTE DE LA FÉDÉRATION, WHICH CELEBRATED THE UNITY OF THE FRENCH PEOPLE ON 14 JULY 1790. MANY LARGE-SCALE PUBLIC EVENTS ARE HELD TO CELEBRATE FRENCH CULTURE, INCLUDING A MILITARY PARADE IN PARIS, AS WELL AS COMMUNAL MEALS, DANCES, PARTIES AND FIREWORKS. WE’VE PUT TOGETHER A BLUE, WHITE AND RED, TRÈS DÉLICIEUSE FRENCHINSPIRED FEAST TO MAKE YOUR FESTIVITIES SIMPLY PARFAIT!
Ingredients
- Whoopee pies
- 270g salted butter, soft
- 225g castor sugar
- seeds of 1 vanilla pod
- 165g crème fraîche
- 2 eggs
- 15ml (1 tbsp) cocoa powder
- 375g self-raising flour, sieved
- few drops red gel food colouring (available at specialist baking stores)
- few drops royal blue gel food colouring (available at specialist baking stores)
- Cream cheese filling
- 200g salted butter, soft
- 300g icing sugar, sieved
- 5ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract
- 100g white chocolate, melted
- 230g cream cheese, at room temperature
Instructions
For the whoopee pies, preheat the oven to 180°C. Line 3 large baking trays with baking paper.
Using an electric whisk, cream the butter, castor sugar and vanilla seeds together, 1 minute. Whisk in the crème fraîche and eggs. Add the cocoa powder and flour and mix until smooth. Divide the mixture in half and colour one half red and the other blue with the gel food colouring.
Using a piping bag fitted with a large round nozzle, pipe 16 red mounds (about 4cm in diameter) onto the lined baking tray. Leave a decent amount of space around each to allow for expansion during baking. Slightly flatten the tops with the back of a warm spoon. Repeat the same process with the blue batter and bake in the oven, 10 – 12 minutes. Remove from oven and
For the filling, use an electric whisk to cream the butter, icing sugar and vanilla extract together, 2 minutes. Keep the motor running while you drizzle in the melted chocolate. Whisk in the cream cheese until smooth. Refrigerate to allow it to firm up slightly, 10 minutes. Place in a piping bag fitted with a large round nozzle and pipe a dollop onto one of the whoopee pie rounds. Place another whoopee pie round on top to sandwich it together. Repeat with the remaining whoopee pies and serve.
Cook’s tip: As an alternative to vanilla, you could also flavour the cream cheese filling with either rose water or orange blossom water.
