Pumpkin Pie Whoopie Pies

Close up of pumpkin whoopie pies - featured image.

5 from 6 votes

These Maine Whoopie Pies are packed with pumpkin & autumn spices but they also have the most amazing marshmallow buttercream centre. Plain Delicious.

Prep Time30

Cook Time15

Total Time45

Course: Baking

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 536kcal

Author: Jane Coupland

Ingredients

For the Pumpkin Puree

1 Pumpkin suitable for culinary use

Spice Mix (see notes)

3 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
2 teaspoon Ground ginger
½ teaspoon Ground allspice
½ teaspoon Ground cloves
½ teaspoon Ground mace
½ teaspoon Ground nutmeg

Sponge

275 g/ 2 ¼ cups Plain flour all-purpose
¼ teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoon Baking powder
½ teaspoon Bicarbonate of soda
3 teaspoon Spice mix
120 ml/ ½ cup Groundnut oil (sunflower is a good alternative)
200 g/ 1 cup Soft light brown sugar
½ teaspoon Vanilla bean paste
1 Large egg
100 g/ ½ cup Fresh pumpkin purée (see notes)

Posh Buttercream

60 g/ ¼ cup Butter softened
120 g/ 1 cup Icing sugar (plus extra for dusting)
60 g/ ½ cup Cream cheese
½ teaspoon Vanilla bean paste
75 g/ 10 tbsp Vanilla marshmallow fluff (near the peanut butter in most supermarkets)

Instructions

Make the Pumpkin purée

Cut the pumpkin in half vertically and scoop out the seeds
Place cut side down on a baking tin lined with parchment and roast for 60-75 minutes at 200C/ 400F/ GM 6 until the flesh is soft when poked with a sharp knife
Let cool slightly, then scoop out the flesh and purée it all in a food processor until smooth
Let cool completely, then store in the frdge until ready to use

Make the Pumpkin Spice Mix

Mix all the spice blend ingredients together and store in an airtight jar (keeps for around 3 months)

Make the Whoopie Pies

Pre-heat the oven to 170ºC/ 325ºF/ GM 3 and line 2 baking sheet with baking parchment
Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, spice mix and salt together into a bowl
Put the oil, sugar and vanilla bean paste into a large bowl and mix with electric beaters until well combined
Add the pumpkin purée, mix again, then add the egg, followed by a final beat
Add half of the flour mixture and blend well on a medium speed, scraping the edges of the bowl to incorporate all dry ingredients. Add the remaining flour and mix again, being careful to not over beat once all dry ingredients have been incorporated
Using a dessert spoon/ cookie scoop or small ice cream scoop place neat blobs of the cake batter onto baking sheets - aim for circles around 3cm in diameter and spaced at least 3cm apart as the mixture spreads significantly in the oven. Aim for around 8 portions per sheet.
Bake for 12-14 minutes, until golden and springy to the touch. Cool on the baking sheet for a minute then transfer to a wire cooling rack

Assembling the Whoopie Pies

Make the filling by sieving the icing sugar and beating together with the butter
Next beat in the cream cheese and the vanilla bean paste. Finally mix in the marshmallow fluff
Once the cake domes are completely cool, pair up similar shapes & sizes then use the buttercream to sandwich them together
When ready to serve, dust the tops with a little icing sugar

Notes

The ingredients for the spice mix will give you enough to make this recipe about 3 times
If making your own pumpkin purée, you will end up with plenty of leftovers. These can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days, or frozen. I suggest freezing in 100g portions, so they can be pulled out one at a time and used in baking several times over
It is vital to allow the pumpkin purée to cool to at least room temperature before using it in this recipe otherwise it will activate the baking powder before the pies get to the oven
You can use canned pumpkin purée if desired
When it comes to putting the mixture onto the baking sheet you can either use a spoon, a cookie scoop or even an ice cream scoop. Just keep in mind the size of the tool you are using in relation to how many whoopie pies you intend to make and swap for a smaller/ larger tool as necessary
I don't recommend piping the mixture onto the baking sheet as this will deflate the air that has been beaten into the batter
Ensure you create an even number of cake batter portions on the baking sheet so you don't' have a lonely pie dome leftover
I've stated that the recipe makes 8 large pies with a diameter of approximately 6-7 cm. You can, of course, make smaller pies. This recipe could comfortably produce 10-12 such pies
When assembling the pies take the time to pair domes of similar shapes & sizes. The end result will look so much better if you do
Though you can apply the buttercream with a blunt knife, a neater finish can be achieved by piping the buttercream onto one dome of each pie before topping with the other one

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