Whoopie Pie Class at the BCAE

A couple of weeks ago a friend emailed me about getting together for drinks as it had been way too long since we had last seen each other.  However, after a couple of emails she suggested going to a Whoopie Pie making class at the BCAE.  Having never been there, I was not really sure what to expect, but for whoopie pies I probably would do most anything!  Plus, the promise of having whoopie pies to take home made this prospect sound even better!

My to-go pastry box!

So, on Monday night this week I went to class and met up with my friend SK, and the whole thing turned out to be loads of fun.  We were in one of the front kitchen classrooms, which was equipped with just about everything you will need up at the front, with a couple of tables in a U shape around the sides.  There were 9 of us in the class and our instructor Dustin was at the front ready to teach.

At each of the seats were the 4 different whoopie pie recipes we would be making that evening (one of the recipes is below).  Each of us tried our hand at making the cake part of the pies. 

The pumpkin batter

Basically it was all hands on deck after the first batch of cakes were made.  Some of us were busy putting the batter on trays we prepped.

Red Velvet ready for the oven

Others were in charge of getting the cakes off the trays and setting them up to cool.

Lemon cakes cooling

These lemon cakes were very similar to my lemon cake cookies because they actually were made with a box cake mix!  With all the pie tops and bottoms we had to get a bit creative with the surface space.

Lemon Cakes, Pumpkin Cakes and Oreo Cakes cooling

Meanwhile, some people were brought up to help make the 4 different frostings for the middle.

Raspberry cream frosting (my fav!)

Once things were cooled, we piped all of the various types of whoopie pies! 

Ready to frost

This was my first time using a piping bag, or even piping frosting, and I must say it is definitely not as hard as I thought but I could use some practice - good thing I was pipping the middle and did not have to show off the top!

Finally we started seeing some of the final products!

Oreo Style Whoopie Pies (my fav overall)

Lemon Raspberry Cream Whoopie Pies

As you saw from the box above, I think we had over a dozen to take home and share!  Dustin was a great instructor.  It was a bit difficult to move everything along so we did end up leaving a bit late, but it was totally worth it (next time I know to eat before I go to class.)  I learned some good tips for baking as well, like using the top of a food processor to assist you in loading your piping bag, how to properly measure flour (I was so close!), how to add your dry ingredients in order from smallest to largest so you don't have to dirty another bowl, and tips about over-whipping eggs or other ingredients.  Also, the recipes were pretty different, so you got experience with a number of different things.  For me, I was excited to see red velvet in action as well as the proper frosting to go with it, which includes "burnt flour."

The class was loads of fun and I did learn a bunch, however, all the baking left only a bit of time to actually catch up with SK.  This is definitely a fun option when you are looking for something other than dinner or drinks somewhere.  The BCAE offers a ton of classes in a variety of different specialties: blogging, cooking, dancing, even quilting.  Having never been before, I was excited to give it a shot and cannot wait to go back!

All of these recipes were from Dustin Todd Rennells who does a bunch of the baking classes over there.  I will share one of them because I thought they were great, but also a bit different.  The red velvet is something I want to give a real go on my own before posting.

Oreo Style Original Whoopie Pies

The necessities for the Cake...

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup coca
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 to 1 1/2 cups sugar (depending on how savory or sweet you want your cookie cake)
1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons of room-temp butter

In a bowl, cream together the butter then slowly add the sugar, while keeping the mixer no higher than 4.  Add the eggs and mix thoroughly.  Add the salt, baking powder and soda (in that order).  Then add the cocoa powder and finally add the flour.  Rather than a true batter you will end up with a bit more of a crumbly dough.

Using moisten hands, flatten out the rounded teaspoon droplets on a parchment lined or greased cookie sheet.  Finally, put in a 375 degree oven and cook for between 9 -12 minutes.

The necessities for the frosting...

1/4 cup of room-temp butter
1/4 cup of veggie shortening
2 cups of sifted confectioner's sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

In a mixing bowl, blend the butter and the shortening and gradually beat in the vanilla and sugar - should be light and fluffy - approx 3 minutes.  The amount of sugar could vary depending on room temp and humidity.

Once your cakes are cooled and your frosting is ready, using a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch hole, pipe a small blob (teaspoon) onto one cake and place another cookie of about the same size on top and give it a little squish!

There you have a great whoopie pie that offers a bit of crunch