There are very few recipe that push my addiction buttons, but I can – hand on heart – admit to eating most of the whoopie pies I made and tested, first for Sainsbury’s Magazine and then again for my book Short & Sweet (Fourth Estate, £25).
A whoopie pie is made of two soft tender “biscuits” made by spooning a simple cake mixture onto a baking tray so that it spreads very slightly. Then these are sandwiched together with a marshmallow buttercream. I wanted to make them without resorting to food colourings and give them just a little simplicity and natural vigour. So I chucked out the food dye and experimented with bold fresh flavours: raspberry preserve, vanilla beans, fresh lemon and orange zest, dried apricots, sour cherries, passionfruit, toasted almonds. And chocolate, a very rich chocolate. In my book, you’ll find recipes for making vanilla and chocolate whoopies, raspberry ruffle, lemon or orange cream, apricot and almond (one of my favourites), hazelnut and black cherry, and passion fruit.
You’ll find the full recipes in my book, but to whet your appetite, here’s one for the Marshmallow buttercream filling, used to sandwich the “pies” together.
Marshmallow buttercream
This will keep quite well in the refrigerator for week or so, and can be returned to a creamy state by warming it very gently until it begins to soften. If you melt it too much just let it cool slightly then, just when it’s half-set, whisk it again until creamy.
2 small sheets gelatine (or one large sheet)
1 egg white
50g caster sugar
1 tbsp golden syrup
75g unsalted butter, very soft
25g icing sugar
1. Cut the gelatine into squares and leave to soften in 50ml warm water.
2. Place the egg white and caster sugar in a saucepan and heat until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is very hot. Remove from the heat, pour into a bowl and add the gelatine and golden syrup then stir until smooth.
3. Chill until it’s just set at the edges. Beat with an electric whisk for 4 – 5 minutes until thick, white and creamy. Leave covered at room temperature till you need it.
4. Warm it very slightly then beat it well until creamy again, adding a few teaspoons boiling water to help soften it.
5. Finally, beat in the butter and icing sugar until creamy then use immediately. If it firms just warm it slightly and beat again.
For vanilla marshmallow: whisk in the seeds from a vanilla pod at the end with the butter.
For chocolate marshmallow: add 25g cocoa and an extra tablespoon of caster sugar in with the golden syrup.
