Whoopie Pie: Maine's Chocolate-and-Cream State Treat

The whoopie pie is the great hand-held cake of New England — two rounds of soft, domed chocolate cake sandwiched with a thick layer of fluffy white vanilla cream filling, a confection so popular in Maine that the state legislature declared it the official state treat in 2011 (the state dessert, for the record, is blueberry pie). It is a cookie the size of a hamburger, eaten out of hand, and its pleasures are elementary: chocolate, cream, and the soft, cakey crumb of a Depression-era home bake. According to Wikipedia, the whoopie pie is considered a New England classic and a Pennsylvania Amish tradition, sold throughout the United States; Maine officially recognized it as its state treat in 2011, and the town of Dover-Foxcroft has hosted the Maine Whoopie Pie Festival since 2009.

The origin of the whoopie pie is contested. Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Virginia all claim it. The Pennsylvania Dutch trace it to their Amish communities, where it was said to be made from leftover cake batter and given to children who would cry "whoopie!" in delight. But the earliest written records from Pennsylvania date only to the 1960s, while Labadie's Bakery in Lewiston, Maine has records of making the confection dating to 1925. The most likely truth is that the form emerged in several northeastern kitchens at once, a simple, thrifty combination of cake and frosting that required no special skill or equipment.

About the Ingredients

Cake — a soft, cakey chocolate batter of flour, cocoa powder, butter, buttermilk, and a little baking soda; the batter is scooped like a cookie but bakes into a domed, springy cake round.

Cocoa powder — Dutch-processed or natural unsweetened cocoa powder for a deep, dark chocolate flavor and a rich brown color.

Buttermilk — buttermilk for tenderness and a subtle tang that balances the sweet filling; the acid also reacts with the baking soda for lift.

Cream filling — the classic filling is a butter-and-shortening cream flavored with vanilla and confectioners' sugar, lightened with a little marshmallow Fluff (the New England way) or beaten egg whites; a pure buttercream is richer but denser.

Marshmallow Fluff — the secret of the Maine filling; a portion of Fluff (or marshmallow crème) lightens the buttercream into a fluffy, marshmallowy cream that is the textural signature of a true whoopie pie.

Ingredients (makes about 12 whoopie pies): For the cakes: - 2 cups all-purpose flour - 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder - 1 tsp baking soda - 1/2 tsp salt - 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened - 1 cup granulated sugar - 2 large eggs - 1 tsp vanilla extract - 1 cup buttermilk

For the filling: - 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened - 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar - 1 cup marshmallow Fluff (or marshmallow crème) - 1 tsp vanilla extract - Pinch of salt - 1–2 tbsp milk or heavy cream, to loosen

Instructions: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment. In a bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla. Alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry, until just combined.

Scoop the batter in 1/4-cup mounds onto the sheets, spacing 2 inches apart (they spread). Bake 10–12 minutes until the tops spring back when lightly pressed. Cool completely on a rack.

For the filling: beat the butter until smooth, then add the powdered sugar and beat until light. Beat in the Fluff, vanilla, and salt, and loosen with milk until the filling is thick but spreadable. Match the cooled cakes into pairs of similar size. Spread a generous layer of filling on the flat side of one cake and sandwich with the other.

The Mimosa Pairing Logic: The chocolate cake and the marshmallow-cream filling want a bright, fruit-driven drink that cuts the richness and echoes the chocolate's fruit notes. A dark chocolate espresso champagne mimosa is the inspired match — the chocolate and coffee mirror the cake and the bubbles lift the cream. A classic Champagne mimosa is equally right, the orange a bright, acidic counter to the chocolate-and-cream the way a glass of cold milk is. This is the brunch equivalent of a whoopie pie and a glass of milk — a sparkling toast to Maine and the state treat that made a whole state cry whoopie.

Reference Links: - Whoopie pie (New England, Pennsylvania Amish, Maine state treat 2011, Labadie's Bakery 1925): Wikipedia

Make-Ahead: The cakes can be baked a day ahead and held in an airtight container; assemble the pies the day of serving so the filling stays fluffy and the cakes stay soft. Assembled whoopie pies keep 2 days at room temperature, wrapped, and actually improve as the filling permeates the cake. Do not refrigerate assembled pies; the cold hardens the filling and dries the cake. The filling can be made a day ahead and held at room temperature; re-whip before using.

Pro Tips: Do not overbake the cakes; they should be soft and springy, and an overbaked whoopie pie is dry and cakey rather than tender. Cool the cakes completely before filling; a warm cake melts the filling into a runny mess. Use marshmallow Fluff in the filling; it is the ingredient that gives a true whoopie pie its signature fluffy, marshmallowy texture, and a pure buttercream is too dense and rich. Match the cakes into pairs of similar size before filling; a mismatched whoopie pie is lopsided and slides. Pipe or spread a generous layer of filling; a stingy filling makes a dry, sad pie, and the cream is the point. Eat the day they are assembled; a fresh whoopie pie is soft and fluffy, and a days-old one is stale and dense.