Easter Mini Whoopie Pies

Do you need to make a quick dessert for Easter and want to do something easy and original?

Whoopie pies are currently my go-to when I need a quick dessert that is unique and easy to make. 
Mini Whoopie Pies can be adapted to fit almost any event and are easy to change up by using different cake and frosting flavors. 

I chose to go the basic route this time by using classic yellow and strawberry boxed cake, filled with Betty Crocker Whipped Frosting.  Last time I uses Devil's Food, and they were literally gobbled up within ten minutes.   I learned my lesson and this time I doubled the recipe - hopefully they'll last a little longer!

The best part about these desserts?  They're basically bite-sized cakes - no utensils required!  I've been told the chocolate ones are like cake Oreos (and we all know how amazing Oreos are).

You'll want to prepare your Mini Whoopie Pie sheet** with Pam Baking spray before you start.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Make cake according to the box directions.  For the Pillsbury Moist Supreme Strawberry cake I made, it required 3 eggs, 1 cup of water, and 1/3 cup of oil.  

Use a spoon or a cookie dough scoop to collect batter and place in the wells on the sheet.



Don't overfill or they will be too puffy



Mini Whoopie Pies are very thin (about .25 inches) - they only require about 1-1.5 teaspoons of batter.   

Cook in the oven for 8 minutes at 350 degrees - they'll be done when a dipped toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool on the sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a cookie sheet or wire rack to finish cooling.

Repeat with another cake flavor (or the same, if you so chose) - since it is for Easter, I went with Classic Yellow for the color.

Depending on how much batter you use, each sheet/round makes approximately 24 cakes (12 pies) and 72-100 cakes total.  The two boxes I made gave me 206 cakes - that is 103 whoopie pies!



Make a homemade icing bag if you don't have a professional one

For the filling between cakes, I like to use Whipped Fluffy White frosting.  It is more pliable, but it also has a really low melting temp - I had to stick the bag in the fridge a few times to solidify it again when it got too warm.

If you are going to be eating these in a warm place (like on a picnic), I recommend using regular frosting instead.  If these melt too much, the tops like to slide off.  

Don't add too much or it will squish out the sides

Put a thin layer on the bottom cake - use a cake that flat for the bottom, so it doesn't rock while decorating it.  

Place the top cake onto the frosting.  Don't press down too hard or it will squish out!

You can use food coloring to dye the frosting to make it even more festive.  I used yellow and blue for my fillings.   

Finished Mini Whoopie Pies


Use a very slightly wet spoon to go around the frosting to smooth it out.  A gloved finger with a drop of water on it works better, in my opinion.



Use a variety of colors to make them very festive!

I like to stick the finished product in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes before serving, to help them set. 

I used half the cakes for one Easter dinner and plan to use the other half of the cakes for Sunday's Easter dinner.  My husband, M, said the vanilla frosting was too boring (he is not a fan of vanilla), so I plan to add some flavoring to Sunday's batch.  I will probably use my go to - almond flavoring.   

Last step is to sit back and enjoy the raves and compliments.  Mini Whoopie Pies are still pretty new to the dessert scene and I predict their popularity is going to grow soon, similar to cake pops in the past.  Enjoy!

** I use the Mini Whoopie Pie sheet by Wilton, but I've also made these by using a mini-cupcake sheets. You can either fill the mini-cupcakes a little bit less than half, or make the cupcakes like normal and then cut them in half. If you chose the second option, slice the cupcake in half. Pair bottoms with bottoms and tops with tops to create an even whoopie pie.



Spring Has Sprung

People judge the beginning of Spring in different ways. 

Some go by the official date, March 20th, while others don't proclaim it until the final frost has finished.  For me, it has always been the opening of the first bloom in our garden. 

The weather last year was chaotic, with an early entrance of Spring, but our first blooms were killed by a late frost.  This year has been the opposite - consistently cold with bouts of snow blanketing the grass well into March.  Punxsutawney Phil lied (and was subsequently indicted) - there was no early Spring.  :P

It has been so snowy that I completely forgot to examine for new growth in the gardens.  When I realized this fact on Monday, I ran out to investigate.  It only took a quick glance around the front garden to see a slight flash of green.  It wasn't much, but it was something.



Dozens of Tulips are Everywhere

Further investigation showed that all four types of our Tulips bulbs are already starting to sprout.  Very exciting! 

Another early sprouter is the Crocus - in fact, they were the first to bloom last year.   Only time would tell if they would be the 'grand openers' again.

One Day Post-Thaw

I walk my dog every day and I eagerly awaited the first bloom.  Every afternoon I'd look for a hint of color besides green and day after day, nada. 

On Thursday, my wait was finally over!  I quickly spotted the first bloom on the way down the driveway, but the anxious pup forced me to wait until our return journey to examine it closer.  To be honest, at first glance, I wasn't sure if it was a wrapper or a random butterfly.  My patience was rewarded and it was, in fact, a beautiful yellow Crocus. 

Yellow Crocus For the Win



Now that the first bloom has breached the surface, every day is like a treasure hunt.  We have over 300 bulbs planted around our house - a few dozen different species of flowers.  I am never sure which flowers are going to pop up next.  I know their approximate bloom times, but with the weather in the Midwest, it can be an exciting gamble.

What do you consider the start to Spring?  Is there an activity or date that officially ushers in the new season?  Do you have any flowers blooming yet?

Update from Friday:

The rest of the Crocus blooms in that plant have all opened and wow - it looks beautiful!

Whar a Difference a Day Makes!



New Beginnings

I've had this blog for awhile, but I struggled with starting the actual blogging process.  I guess I always assumed almost anyone could blog; I thought all you had to do was sit down and type, without much forethought.  I was very wrong.  When I got my new camera in the mail this weekend, I was hit with a great idea!  I decided to use my blog to practice and grow as a photographer, while using photography to help write my blog posts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Challenge ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Every day, for the next 365 days, I am going to find something to photograph that will be the inspiration for that day's blog post.  It could be a new recipe, my family, events that I attend, etc.  I will observe and record my life and take you on the journey of what it is to be the Feisty Housewife.

I fully admit I am a completely amateur photographer (and writer).  Hopefully, through time, my abilities will grow.  I plan to use automatic settings for awhile, as I learn to handle the new machine, but eventually I want to attempt to challenge myself to explore the manual functions.  I fully encourage you guys to give me tasks or challenges - it may take some time but I love learning new ways to take beautiful pictures. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Tools ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I've always loved photography, but I just stuck to a simple point-and-shoot (either Nikons or Canons).  As my interest in photography grew, I knew I needed to upgrade to a camera that let me physically set all the different functions of a camera manually.  I also knew that I didn't want a standard DSLR, because the idea of lugging around (and purchasing) multiple lenses was a turnoff. 

I found a great compromise: The Canon PowerShot SX50 HS!  It is a 12.1 MP camera that lets you fully set all the manual functions, while also allowing you to chose to shoot in a multitude of automatic settings.  There is only one lens, but with an adapter, you can add a lens hood and filters.  There is a boot for a Speedlight and you can purchase a remote shutter release for stabilized pictures, if you would like. 

My Awesome New Camera

Right now, since I'm really just starting out, I do not have Photoshop or any other fancy pay-for-use services.  I hope to eventually expand to Photoshop and maybe even Lightroom, but for now, I am just using a free version of PicMonkey.  They have both free and premium functions and I love the flexibility and options they give for someone with zero to limited funding.  I haven't been using it very long, but so far I love it.  Let me know if there are any other free sites that you use!