If you are a fan of apple cider donuts, you are going to love this recipe! These whoopie pies are made with reduced apple cider, warm fall spices, and a spiced marshmallow filling. The tops are brushed with melted butter and a cinnamon sugar coating that will remind you of the apple cider donuts you get at the farmstand.
Today I am sharing a recipe for Apple Cider Donut Whoopie Pies! Apple cider donuts are one of my favorite treats to have in the fall. I wanted to take all the warm spice flavor and convert it into a whoopie pie. We loved these so much that we will make them every year!
What is a whoopie pie?
Whoopie pies are like little cake sandwiches. The cakelettes are soft and tender. They may look like cookies but they have the texture of cake. There is a sweet filling sandwiched in-between. The most common and traditional whoopie pie is chocolate cake with marshmallow fluff filling.
I grew up with my mom’s whoopie pies (they are the best!) and I was surprised when my friends in California had not heard of them.
Whoopie pies are very common in New England. There are a few people wanting to claim fame to inventing the whoopie pie. Most food historians believe that whoopie pies have their origin in Amish communities in Pennsylvania (source). This is in line with their values of not wasting anything. It is believed that Amish women did not want to waste extra cake batter so they dolloped the extra and baked them like cookies.
Labadie’s Bakery in Maine is credited with being the first to sell whoopie pies in 1925 followed by Berwick Cake Company in Massachusetts sometime between 1927-1931. Whoopie pies became even more famous in a 1930’s cookbook called Yummy Book written by the manufactures of Marshmallow Fluff (source).
How to make these Whoopie Pies
- Start by reducing the apple cider. We are boiling down 4 cups of apple cider into 1/2 cup. This makes it very concentrated and delicious. You want the reduction to cool slightly before baking with it so you can start this earlier in the day.
- Make the batter. The batter is made with simple ingredients and lots of warm, fall spices. Try not to eat all the batter 😉
- Baking. I used an ice cream scoop to individually portion mounds of batter onto a lined baking pan. I would recommend a little less than 1/4 cup for each one. You can fit about 6-8 on a pan. You want plenty of room in-between them so they have room to spread a bit!
- Prep the filling. You can make the filling as the cakes are baking. Set aside.
- Coating the whoopie pies. Let the cakes cool before coating them. When they are cool, brush melted butter over the tops to completely cover the surface area. Then dip the tops in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Assemble and enjoy! I used a pastry bag to pipe the filling onto one side of the sandwich. The piping bag is a little more controlled and will look cleaner. You could also use a knife 🙂 Top with the other half of the sandwich and enjoy!
Please share!
I would love for you to try this whoopie pie recipe! Tag @anchoredbaking or #anchoredbaking so I can see your creations! As always, please let me know if you have any questions or feedback 🙂
If you love apple cider donuts, be sure to check out my Apple Cider Donut Cake with Apple Cider Caramel Sauce!
Apple Cider Donut Whoopie Pies
Ingredients
For the cakes
- 4 cups apple cider
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- Pinch of powdered cloves
- Pinch of ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup brown sugar (light or dark), packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup applesauce
For the topping
- 3 tbsp melted butter
- 1/2 cup granulated cane sugar (I like using cane sugar for a courser texture)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
For the filling
- 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup Crisco, room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup Marshmallow Fluff
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp apple cider
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
Instructions
For the cakes
- Pour apple cider into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the cider has reduced to 1/2 cup. Set aside to cool.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnimon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and salt. Set aside.
- Using your standmixer, cream together the butter and brown sugar. Add the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla and applesauce. (The mixture may separate but that is okay.)
- While the mixer is on low speed, alternate between adding the flour and reduced cider. Mix until just combined. You do not want to overmix. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is evenly mixed.
- Scoop the batter in 1/4 cup portions onto your prepared baking sheets (I used an ice cream scoop).
- Bake for 12-15 minutes. They are done when the tops are puffed and they bounce back when you touch them. Transfer cakes to a wire rack to cool.
For the filling
- Meanwhile, prep your filling. Using your standmixer with the whisk attachment, mix together all the filling ingredients until everything is combined and smooth. Set aside.
For the topping
- Whisk together the sugar and cinnamon in a small shallow bowl.
- When the cakes have cooled completely, brush the top (the mounded side) with melted butter and dip them in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Repeat with remaining cake tops. Set aside.
To assemble
- (Optional) Transfer filling mixture to a piping bag.
- Take 1 cake and spread filling over the flat part of the cake. You can either use a pastry bag to pipe the filling or you can use a knife. I liked using a pastry bag because it was more controlled and uniform.
- Top with other sandwhich half and enjoy!
- (To store: I recommend wrapping each whoopie pie individually in plastic wrap. This helps them keep their shape and stay fresh.)
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