Chocolate Cake | Jill's Cooking

Whoopie Pies are a New England classic. Their origin is a controversy though as both Labadie’s Bakery in Lewiston, Maine and Berwick Cake Company in Roxbury, Massachusetts both started making them in the early 1920s claiming them as their own.

Whoopie Pies are two pieces of cake filled with marshmallow fluff frosting in the middle. The good news is that the cakes and filling can both be made ahead a stored at room temperature in airtight containers until you’re ready to assemble them. Assembled Whoopie Pies can be stored at room temperature 1 day.

I learned to make these while I lived in New England. The first I made was a Pumpkin Whoopie Pie at Halloween. Since, then I’ve graduated to my favorite flavor — Chocolate — which I’m sharing!

Chocolate Whoopie Pie

Cake Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 large egg, room temperature

1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder such as Hershey’s

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup milk, room temperature

Filling Ingredients:

1 cup vegetable shortening such as Crisco

1 cup confectioners sugar

1 1/3 cups (1 jar) Marshmallow Fluff

1/4 tsp kosher salt dissolved in 1 TBSP water

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees positioning the rack in the middle of your oven. Line two large, rimmed cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In a bowl with a standing mixer with a paddle attachment, or a large bowl using a hand-mixer, beat together the butter, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and vanilla on medium-high until smooth. Scrap down the sides of the bowl continually. Add the egg and beat until smooth.
Add the cocoa powder on low speed until combined.
Gradually, add the flour to the batter, alternating with the milk beating on low until you’ve used both. Scape down the sides and combined until smooth.
Drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets using a 2″ pastry scoop. Leave a few inches between each since they will expand while baking. I add about 9 to 10 per sheet.
Bake 11 to 12 minutes until they are set and firm to touch. Remove from the oven and let cool on the pans. Then, add them to a baking rack to continue cooling completely before adding the filling.
While they are cakes are cooling, beat the shortening, confectioner’s sugar and Marshmallow fluff in a standing mixer or with a hand-mixer. Start on low and then increase to medium.
Add the salted water to the mixture and then the vanilla. Mix until completely smooth.
Spread the flat side of half the cakes with the filling mixture. I use a piping bag with a star tip to add the filling.
Top each frosted cake with the remaining cakes, flat side toward the filling. Wrap each individually until you’re ready to serve.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar (optional).

Enjoy! XOXO Jill

Everyone knows…I’m a chocaholic! If I’m going to eat dessert loaded with calories, I want it to be something chocolate or it’s just not worth it. For many years, my favorite birthday cake was Max’s Niagara Falls. It was layers of chocolate cake and buttercream frosting — total indulgence and a great way to begin a new birth year.

This weekend, I’m making a chocolate cake for a friend’s birthday celebration. Like me, she only wants chocolate, chocolate, chocolate and the following cake recipe is moist, tender and full of chocolaty goodness in every bite!

The Best Chocolate Cake Ever!

Cake Ingredients:

8ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (such as Baker’s, Guittard or Ghirardelli)

2/3 cup Dutch-processed Cocoa, sifted (such as Guittard, Ghirardelli or Hershey’s)

2 tsp instance espresso powder (I use Medaglia D’Oro Espresso Instant or Nescafe Gold Espresso Instant)

1 cup boiling water

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup sour cream, at room temperature

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 TBSP white vinegar

2 tsp vanilla

Frosting Ingredients:

2/3 cup granulated sugar

4 large egg whites

1/4 tsp salt

3 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces at room temperature

12 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled slightly (I use Guittard or Ghirardelli)

1 tsp vanilla

Cake Directions:

In a medium heatproof bowl add the chocolate, cocoa powder and espresso powder. Pour hot water over mixture. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth and cool.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 8″ round cake pans.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, sugars, salt and baking soda.

Whisk sour cream, oil, egg yolks, vinegar and vanilla into the cooled chocolate mixture until smooth. Stir in the flour mixture until smooth.

Pour the batter into the two prepared pans and bake for 35 minutes or until a cake tester/toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes then carefully turn them onto a cooling rack.

Frosting Directions:

Combine the sugar, egg whites and salt in a pan of a double boiler with water simmering. Whisk gently and consistently over heat until sugar is dissolved and mixture is slightly thickened and foamy and registers 150 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 4 minutes.

Fit stand mixer with whisk attachment (or use hand-mixer) and beat the egg mixture on medium speed until slightly cooled and thickened, about 3 minutes. Add the butter, 1 piece at a time, until smooth and creamy. Keep beating until smooth.

Add chocolate and vanilla and mix until combined. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until light, fluffy and well combined about 2 minutes.

Assemble:

Place one cake layer on a cake turntable or cake stand. Spread an even layer of frosting over the entire cake. The frosting needs to be cold. (I had a hard time once it got soft and needed to place it back in the refrigerator.) Place the other cake layer upside down on top of the frosting. With a spatula, spread the remaining frosting evenly over the cake, smoothing the edges and sides.

Decorate as you wish with sprinkles.

Enjoy! XOXO Jill

Chocolate Whoopie Pie!

The Best Chocolate Cake Ever