Red velvet whoopee pies with vanilla and lemon cream-cheese icing are delicious treats. Taking the flavours from a beloved cake and transforming them into a quirky dessert, this recipe is definitely worth a try. Red velvet is speculated to have originated in New York, whereas the whoopee pie is a New England classic. Put the together and you’ve got a delicious, creamy, and soft sweet.
Red velvet whoopee pies with vanilla and lemon cream-cheese icing
Ingredients
Batter
- 240g (2 cups) cake flour
- 300g (1½ cups) castor sugar
- 7,5ml (1½ tsp) baking powder
- 2,5ml (½ tsp) salt
- 15ml (1 tbsp) cocoa powder
- 375ml (1½ cups) vegetable oil
- 250ml (1 cup) buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 15ml (1 tbsp) white wine vinegar
- 15ml (1 tbsp) powdered red
- food colouring
Icing
- 500g butter
- 600g icing sugar
- seeds of ½ vanilla pod
- 500g (2 tubs) plain cream cheese
- 15ml (1 tbsp) lemon juice
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a large baking tray with baking paper and lightly grease.
For the batter, sift the flour, castor sugar, baking powder, salt and cocoa together. In a separate bowl, combine the oil, buttermilk, eggs, vinegar and food colouring and lightly whisk together.
Whisk the dry and wet ingredients together until a smooth batter is formed.
Use a tablespoon to place dollops of the batter onto the baking tray. Leave enough room around each dollop as they will expand in the oven. (Do not make the dollops too big as they will expand into big circles that will not be easy to handle once done). Bake for 12 – 15 minutes. Do not be tempted to over-bake, as they will become slightly firmer once cooled.
Allow to stand for a minute or so, then place on a cooling rack to cool completely. Repeat the process with the rest of the batter.
For the icing, use the paddle attachment of an electric mixer and cream the butter and sugar together until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla, cream cheese and lemon juice and mix lightly, taking care not to overwork the mixture as it can easily split and become watery.
Transfer the icing to a piping bag with a round nozzle. Gently pipe icing onto one baked disc and top with another disc. Repeat with the rest of the whoopie pies.
Notes
Cook's tip: Use powdered colouring as the liquid type might thin out the batter too much. If the icing is too soft to pipe, place in the fridge for 10 minutes to firm it up slightly.
