We’re making Whoopie (Pies) for our Super Bowl dessert table tomorrow and they’re even shaped like footballs - adorbs aren’t they?
These Football Whoopie Pies are just the ticket to end a meal. No need for special football-shaped cookie cutters either, simply use a large glass to shape the cakes into footballs. Fill them with your favorite frosting and pipe on a few laces for the ultimate Game Day dessert. It's a win-win!
Whoopie Pie & Dark Chocolate Frosting (Makes 15 whoopie pies)
recipes lightly adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction
2 cups (250g) flour
6 Tablespoons (30g) unsweetened cocoa powder
1-1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup (200g) packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup (240ml) buttermilk, at room temperature
Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a large bowl, using a hand-held or stand mixer, beat the butter for 1 minute on medium-high speed until completely smooth and creamy. Add the brown sugar and beat on medium-high speed until fluffy and combined. Beat in the egg and vanilla on high speed, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
On low speed, add half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Then add half of the buttermilk. Repeat with the remaining dry ingredients and buttermilk until everything is added.
Beat on medium speed until combined. It will be a thick, sticky cake batter.
Scoop mounds of batter, about 1-1/2 Tablespoons each, onto prepared baking sheets, about 3 inches (9cm) apart.
Bake for 9-11 minutes, until the tops spring back when touched. To shape them into footballs, use a large glass to cut off the sides of the circles. My pies were around 2-1/2” (7cm) in diameter. I found that a glass with a large opening, around 9” (3.5cm) was a good size. Cut crescent shaped scraps off of the sides, leaving a football shape. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
Dark Chocolate Frosting
2-3/4 cup (330 g) confectioners’ sugar
2/3 cup (60 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
a small pinch of salt
6 Tablespoons (90 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 Tablespoons (95 ml) cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the laces
4oz (115g) white chocolate
In a large bowl, sift together the confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Set aside.
Combine the cream and vanilla extract. Set aside.
Beat the butter at medium speed with a mixer for about 2 minutes. Add a few heaped spoons of the confectioners’ sugar/cocoa mixture to the butter, and beat on low speed until combined. Then add a little (about 2 tablespoons) of the cream and vanilla extract. Alternate with the confectioners’ sugar and cream until you’ve used it all, beating well after each addition. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag, or a plastic bag with the corner cut off.
Place half the whoopie pies upside down on parchment paper. Start from the outside of the pie and pipe a thick layer of frosting (about the thickness of a pencil) around the edge, moving inwards to fill the oval. Continue with the remaining ‘bottoms’ and then top with the other whoopie pie halves.
For the laces, melt the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. If it gets too hot, it will seize up (which is what happened to me)! If this happens, add a little coconut oil to the bowl, keep stirring over the hot water, and it should smooth out again. Transfer the melted chocolate to a piping bag, or a small plastic bag, and cut a tiny tip off the corner. Pipe the laces and allow to harden before storing. Store at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
