Spooky Halloween Whoopie Pies (Print version)
Soft black chocolate cakes with fluffy orange marshmallow filling make these spooky Halloween whoopie pies a fun, handheld dessert for any party.
# Ingredients:
For the chocolate cakes
01 -
1 3/4 cups (220 g) all-purpose flour
02 -
2/3 cup (60 g) Dutch-process cocoa powder
03 -
1 tsp baking soda
04 -
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
05 -
8 tbsp (115 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
06 -
3/4 cup (150 g) light brown sugar, packed
07 -
1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
08 -
1 large egg, room temperature
09 -
1/2 cup (120 ml) buttermilk, room temperature
10 -
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
11 -
1 tbsp black gel food coloring
For the orange marshmallow filling
12 -
1/2 cup (115 g) unsalted butter, softened
13 -
1 1/2 cups (180 g) powdered sugar
14 -
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
15 -
1 (7 oz / 200 g) jar marshmallow fluff
16 -
Orange gel food coloring, as needed
For decorating
17 -
Black and orange sanding sugar or sprinkles
18 -
Candy eyeballs
19 -
Black rope licorice (optional)
# Instructions:
01 -
Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl until evenly combined.
02 -
Beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about two to three minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla until fully incorporated.
03 -
Add the dry ingredients and buttermilk in alternating batches, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Add the black gel food coloring and mix until the batter is an even dark shade.
04 -
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Pipe two-inch rounds of batter onto parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving three inches between each. Bake for nine to eleven minutes until the tops look puffed and spring back when lightly pressed. Cool completely on the sheets.
05 -
Beat the softened butter and powdered sugar until fluffy. Add the vanilla and marshmallow fluff, then beat until smooth and light. Add orange gel food coloring a drop at a time until you reach a vivid Halloween orange.
06 -
Match the cooled cakes into pairs by size. Pipe or spread a thick layer of orange filling onto the flat side of one cake and top with the second cake, pressing gently. Roll the exposed edges in sanding sugar or sprinkles, then press candy eyes into the filling. For spiders, insert eight short pieces of black licorice into the filling before sandwiching.
# Good to know:
01 -
Best served at cool room temperature within two days of assembly.
02 -
Unfilled cakes freeze well for up to one month in an airtight container.