Whoopie pies/cakes are a dessert I have enjoyed since I was a child. A soft cake texture mixed with cream in the middle. It’s similar to an Oreo, but the outside is made out of cake and is bigger than an Oreo. It’s one of the best desserts out there for a cake lover. I remember enjoying them while getting cake stuck to my fingers and having to lick it off my hands, which was the best part. I always enjoyed how soft it was and how you got some filling in each bite.
The whoopie pie is a Pennsylvania Dutch treat. It is a bit too big to be considered a cookie, but too small to be a cake, and definitely not a pie. The funny name is thought to have come from what Amish children would shout (whoopie!) after they found the treats in their lunch bags. While Pennsylvania claims the whoopie pie as its own, the state of Maine also alleges to be the birthplace of the popular treat. (It is the official state treat of Maine.)
Although, they aren’t usually the healthiest dessert and are packed with calories, this recipe is a healthier version because it uses ingredients like beets and low fat or fat free cream cheese and only has about 170 calories per cake (nutritional information listed below). Follow the recipe below to make a secretly healthy Red Velvet Whoopie Cake.
Serves: 12
INGREDIENTS
- 1¼ cups whole wheat pastry flour
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- 2 tablespoons natural cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup steamed and cooled beets (about 2-3 large beets), pureéd until smooth
- ½ cup agave syrup
- ⅓ cup coconut oil, melted at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
For the Filling:
- ⅔ cup low fat or fat free cream cheese
- 1 tablespoon agave syrup
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1-2 stevia packets (about ½ – 1 tsp powdered stevia)
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INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a 12-muffin tin with liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a food processor, process the beet pureé, agave syrup, coconut oil, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Process until completely smooth.
- Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined, be sure not to overmix.
- Equally distribute the batter between your prepared tins, and bake for 18 – 22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely.
- For the filling, combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Use a hand mixer to fully combine and mix until smooth.
- Once cooled slice the cupcakes in half and add about 1 tablespoon of filling to the bottom half, smooth, then place the top half on and push down lightly.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Serving size: 1 cake Calories: 171.7kcal Saturated fat: 5.4g Unsaturated fat: 0.7g Carbohydrates: 27.8g Sugar: 17.3g Fiber: 2.1g Protein: 3.9g
A whoopie cake is a sweet you can’t wait to get your hands on. You can eat it with your hands knowing that it will make a mess, but that’s what’s fun about it. The next time you have family or friends over, make them a batch of Red Velvet Whoopie Cakes to share and enjoy. It will be a dessert that everyone will love. They are even perfect for a bake sale or office party to share with everyone around you. When you are looking for a sweet to bake for others, make them some healthy Red Velvet Whoopie Cakes.
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