These whoopie pies are two soft, cocoa-rich cake rounds sandwiched around a butter-and-cream filling that whips up light without being too sweet. The batter comes together in one bowl session, the cakes bake in 10 minutes, and the whole batch is done in 35. If you need to feed a table of people without spending the afternoon in the kitchen, this is a reliable pick.
The short version of why this works
Two things make this recipe work consistently. First, the buttermilk. It reacts with the baking soda to give the cakes a tight, even rise and keeps the crumb tender rather than dry or dense — that matters especially if you’re baking multiple sheets back to back. Second, the order you add ingredients to the filling. Beating the butter first until it’s genuinely creamy before adding the powdered sugar means you won’t end up with a gritty or stiff filling. Adding the cold heavy cream last, then beating on high, introduces enough air to make it spreadable and light without it turning runny. Get those two steps right and the rest is straightforward.
Substitutions that actually work
- Egg: Replace with 3 tablespoons of unsweetened applesauce for an egg-free version. The cakes will be very slightly denser but still hold together well.
- Buttermilk: No buttermilk on hand? Add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a measuring cup, then fill to the 1-cup line with whole milk. Let it sit for 5 minutes before using.
- Heavy cream in the filling: Whole milk works in a pinch but the filling will be less stable at room temperature — keep assembled pies cold if you go this route.
- Cocoa powder: Use a good unsweetened cocoa. Skip the Dutch-process here; it won’t react properly with the baking soda and the cakes won’t rise as well.
Keeping and reheating
Store assembled whoopie pies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Stack them with a sheet of parchment between layers so the filling doesn’t stick. They’re best eaten cold or at room temperature — skip reheating assembled pies, the filling just melts. If you want to get ahead for a gathering, bake and cool the cake rounds up to 2 days in advance and store them unfilled in an airtight container at room temperature. Make the filling the day of and assemble right before serving. Unassembled cake rounds also freeze well for up to 2 months; thaw at room temperature for about 30 minutes before filling.
Troubleshooting
- Cakes spread too flat: The batter was too warm or the butter wasn’t fully creamed. Make sure your butter is at room temperature but not soft and greasy. If your kitchen is hot, refrigerate the portioned batter for 10 minutes before baking.
- Cakes stick to the parchment: They weren’t fully cooled before you tried to lift them. Give them at least 15 minutes on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack. Pulling them off warm tears the bottoms.
- Filling is too stiff to spread or pipe: Add heavy cream a teaspoon at a time and beat again. This usually happens if the butter was too cold when you started.
- Mismatched cake sizes across the batch: Use a cookie scoop instead of a spoon — it’s the fastest fix and makes pairing much easier when you’re assembling a large batch. A standard 1.5-tablespoon scoop works well here.
- Filling squeezes out the sides when you press the pies together: You used too much filling or spread it too close to the edge. Leave about a half-inch border and use roughly 2 tablespoons of filling per pie — it will reach the edge once the top cake presses down.
Chocolate Whoopie Pies With Creamy Filling
Equipment
- Large baking sheets (2)
- Parchment paper
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
- Large mixing bowl
- Medium mixing bowl
- Wire cooling rack
- Large cookie scoop (2-tablespoon capacity)
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Cake
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour preferably unbleached, 220g
- ¾ cup cocoa powder unsweetened, high-quality, 65g
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt fine sea salt
- 1 cup butter unsalted, at room temperature, 2 sticks / 225g
- 1 cup granulated sugar 200g
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract pure
- 1 cup buttermilk shaken, 240ml
For the Filling
- ½ cup butter unsalted, softened, 1 stick / 115g
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar sifted, 180g
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup heavy cream cold, 60ml
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
Prepare the Chocolate Cake
- Preheat your oven to 350°F / 175°C (180°C fan-forced) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, 3/4 cup cocoa powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt
- In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract, beating until combined.1 cup butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix just until combined.1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, 3/4 cup cocoa powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 cup buttermilk
- Using a large cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons), drop mounds of batter onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches (5cm) apart. You should get about 16 mounds total. Bake one sheet at a time for 10 minutes, or until the tops are puffed and the cakes spring back when gently pressed in the centre. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before filling.
Prepare the Filling
- In a medium bowl, beat the softened butter until creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar, then vanilla, and a pinch of salt. With the mixer on low, slowly pour in the cold heavy cream. Once incorporated, increase speed to high and beat for 2-3 minutes until the filling is light, fluffy, and spreadable.1/2 cup butter, 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/4 cup heavy cream, 1 pinch salt
Assemble the Whoopie Pies
- Pair the cooled cakes based on size. Spread or pipe the cream filling onto the flat side of one cake and top with its pair, pressing gently to spread the filling to the edges.
Notes
Nutrition
Your questions, answered
Can I double the recipe to make more pies?
Yes, this recipe doubles cleanly. Mix the batter in two separate batches rather than one giant bowl if you don’t have a large stand mixer — overfilling the bowl makes it harder to cream the butter and sugar properly, and the batter can turn out uneven.
Can I make these ahead of time for a party?
Bake the cake rounds up to two days ahead and store them unfilled at room temperature in an airtight container. Assemble on the day you’re serving — the filling stays firmer and the cakes don’t get soggy.
How do I know when the cakes are done if I can’t tell by color?
Press the center of a cake gently with your fingertip — it should spring back immediately and not leave an indent. At 10 minutes in a properly preheated oven they’re usually done, but ovens vary, so start checking at 9 minutes.
Do I need a piping bag for the filling, or can I just use a spoon?
A spoon works fine — pipe the filling only if you want a neater look for guests. Honestly, spreading with an offset spatula or even the back of a regular spoon gives you plenty of control and saves washing up an extra bag.
Try these next
- Chocolate brownies
- Dark chocolate brownies with espresso and sea salt
- Classic soft sugar cookies
- Giant chocolate chip cookie cake
