Servings 18 whoopie pies
Ingredients
For the whoopie pies:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1 Tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 Tablespoon ground cloves
- 2 cups packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 3 cups canned pumpkin purée, chilled
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the filling:
- 1 8-oz. package cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
Instructions
Make the whoopie pies:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpats.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the brown sugar and oil until combined. Add the canned pumpkin purée and whisk to combine thoroughly. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until combined.
- Sprinkle portions of the flour mixture intermittently into the pumpkin mixture, whisking in each part until well combined.
- Use an ice cream scoop to drop portions of the batter onto each of the prepared baking sheets, spacing them at least 3 inches apart.
- Bake the whoopie pies for 12 to 15 minutes until the cakes are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove the whoopie pies from the oven and let them cool completely while you make the filling.
Make the filling:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the cream cheese, butter and vanilla until incorporated, about 2 minutes.
- Turn off the mixture and add half of the sifted powdered sugar to the cream cheese mixture, beating to combine. Add the second half of the powdered sugar and beat until combined.
- Assemble the whoopie pies by spreading a portion of the filling onto the flat sides of half of the cakes. Top each with an unfrosted second cake to form sandwiches.
Notes
- Double the frosting recipe above if you want to have a sufficient amount to pipe a thick layer between whoopie pies, rather than a smaller slathering.
- While I like using an offset spatula to spread the frosting onto the cakes for a rustic look, you could also transfer the frosting into a piping bag and pipe it onto the cakes in a neat swirl.
- If you’re finding your whoopie cakes are baking unevenly, rotate the baking sheets midway from cooking—turning them 180 degrees and switching the top to the bottom and vice versa.
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