Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Cream Cheese Filling
Inspired by techniques from King Arthur Baking and NYT Cooking.
This follows the classic whoopie pie method, with spiced pumpkin cakes in place of the chocolate batter (no cocoa or buttermilk) and a tangy cream cheese filling instead of vanilla buttercream.
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Method
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Equipment
- 2 large metal baking trays lined with baking paper
- stand mixer or electric hand whisk
- ice-cream scoop (about 2 tbsp) or 2 spoons
- wire rack
- piping bag (optional)
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 454 kcal |
| Protein | 5 g |
| Carbohydrate | 55.9 g |
| of which sugars | 35.7 g |
| of which free sugars | 34.2 g |
| Fat | 24.1 g |
| of which saturates | 11.8 g |
| Fibre | 1.5 g |
| Salt | 0.72 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
1.1 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
Metric · 12 servings
Cakes
- 85 g unsalted butter, softened (about 18°C)
- 60 g neutral oil (sunflower or rapeseed)
- 220 g light brown soft sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 250 g pumpkin purée (tinned, unsweetened)
- 280 g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 3 g fine sea salt or table salt about ½ tsp
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
Frosting
- 225 g full-fat cream cheese (block), at room temperature
- 85 g unsalted butter, softened but cool
- 200 g icing sugar, sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 g fine sea salt or table salt a pinch
- 1
Preheat the oven. Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan) with shelves in the upper and lower thirds, allowing at least 20 minutes for it to reach temperature before baking.
- 2
Mix the wet ingredients. Beat the butter, oil and brown sugar together for 2 minutes, then beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla and pumpkin purée. The oil alongside the butter helps keep these cakes moist, since pumpkin purée can otherwise make a batter feel dry.
- 3
Fold in the spiced dry mix. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, then mix into the wet ingredients on low speed just until no flour is visible. Mixing only until combined keeps the crumb soft rather than dense.
- 4
Scoop the mounds. Scoop 24 mounds of batter onto the lined trays, spacing them 5cm apart so they have room to spread. The pumpkin batter is softer than the chocolate version, so the mounds will settle slightly as they sit.
- 5
Bake until puffed. Bake for 11-13 minutes, swapping the trays between shelves halfway through, until the cakes are puffed and springy to the touch. Swapping the trays keeps both batches baking at the same rate.
- 6
Cool the cakes. Leave the cakes on the trays for 5 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely before filling.
- 7
Make the cream cheese frosting. Beat the butter until smooth, then add the cream cheese and beat only until combined – overbeating cream cheese makes the frosting runny rather than firm. Add the icing sugar, vanilla and salt on low speed until smooth, then chill for 15 minutes if the mixture feels soft.
- 8
Sandwich the pies. Pair the cooled cakes by size and sandwich them together with a thick layer of the cream cheese filling. Store the finished pies in the fridge, where they soften further overnight – that's expected and part of their charm.
Storage
Store filled pies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, as the cream cheese filling needs to stay cold. Unfilled cakes freeze for up to 2 months; thaw and fill once completely cool.
