Sweet Strawberry Whoopie Pies
Soft and sweet cakes with strawberry gelatin for color and flavor and a strawberry marshmallow buttercream filling.
Servings: 6 cakes
Calories: 657kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
Cakes
- 3 tablespoons strawberry jello powder (1 packet or 85g)
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened (1 stick)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2¼ cups all purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup whole milk
Filling
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter softened (1 stick)
- ¼ cup strawberries (chopped fine)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cups marshmallow cream (such as Marshmallow fluff brand)
Instructions
Make the Cakes
- Prep the oven and baking sheets. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Then, arrange two oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Prepare the batter. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla extract using an electric mixer on medium speed for 3 to 5 minutes until the mixture is fluffy and lighter in color. Mix the flour, salt, and baking soda in a different bowl. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Finally, fold in the strawberry gelatin powder until fully combined. The batter will be thick, somewhere between a cake batter and cookie dough.
- Scoop and bake. Using a ¼ cup measuring scoop, portion the batter onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing each scoop three inches apart to allow for spreading. You should have 12 scoops in total. Bake for about 18 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through. The cakes should be set, with edges slightly golden brown, and a cake tester should come out clean when inserted into the center.
- Cool the cakes. Let the cakes cool on the baking sheets for 1-2 minutes to firm up slightly, making them easier to handle. Then, transfer them to wire racks to cool completely.
Make filling
- Prepare the filling. In a mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the softened butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt until light and fluffy. Add the marshmallow cream and finely chopped strawberries (making sure they are patted dry) and beat until well combined. If the filling is too soft, refrigerate it for about 30 minutes to firm up.
- Assemble the whoopie pies. Spread a generous dollop of filling onto the flat side of half the cakes. Top with the remaining cakes, placing them flat side down to create sandwiches. If the filling spreads too much, refrigerate the assembled whoopie pies for a few minutes to set.
Notes
Make sure your butter and egg are not cold when you start. This makes them blend easier, leading to a lighter batter.
The strawberry gelatin matters greatly for the taste and look, so use the right amount. Using too much can make the cakes too sweet or tough.
Try to use fresh, ripe strawberries for the best taste in the filling. If they’re unavailable, frozen ones are okay, but thaw and drain them first to get rid of extra water.
Before putting them all together, try adding the filling to one cake to see if it stays in place. If it’s too runny, let it cool in the fridge for 30 minutes to get thicker.
When preparing the filling, dry off the chopped strawberries with a paper towel. This keeps the filling from becoming too liquidy and hard to work with.
Check the filling’s thickness by trying it on one cake. If it slides off, chill it to make it thicker. Wait for the cakes to cool down before you add the filling. The filling might melt and spill out if they're warm, making things messy.
While the strawberry marshmallow filling is great, feel free to mix it up! Chocolate ganache or a simple cream cheese frosting could be fun alternatives.
For a final touch and a bit of extra sweetness, sprinkle some powdered sugar over the whoopie pies just before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 657kcal | Carbohydrates: 86g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Cholesterol: 110mg | Sodium: 498mg | Potassium: 82mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 54g | Vitamin A: 1012IU | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 2mg