The Whoopie Pie Book
Dark chocolate with salted caramel. Raspberry and nectarine with vanilla bean. Red velvet with buttercream. Welcome to the irresistible world of the whoopie pie. Whoopie pies are two discs of sponge cake sandwiching a thick buttercream filling. Like cupcakes, they come from America, where they were originally baked by the Amish community. These melt-in-the-mouth treats are a surprise hit in Britain, where they are outselling cupcakes, donuts and macaroons.
With over 60 mouthwatering recipes this is a Whoopie-baker’s bible. It has treats for every occasion including seasonal flavours like Easter rhubarb with vanilla custard, indulgent treats like pumpkin with cream cheese, and cute party snacks like mocha-orange with espresso whipped cream. There are even alternative cake-cookie recipes such as oreo cookies and easy macaroons.
"If you are totally over cupcakes, but still sweet-toothed, this quirky volume could be the answer. The whoopie pie, currently taking fashionable bakeries by storm, is, Ptak writes, 'not a cookie or a typical cake, and it's definitely not a pie'. It's a kind of American cake sandwich, dating from the 1920s. You bake a batch of flattish cakes, then whip up a matching filling. Ptak (a Californian who runs the marvellous Violet cakestall on Broadway market in east London) also includes such treats as salty caramel whoopie; pumpkin with cream cheese filling; blackberry; and walnut whip." - '2010's Best Cookery Books', Guardian
"In this cute little whoopie bakers bible, Claire gives recipes for more than 60 variations on the theme from chocolate, coconut, kirch, lemon, peanut butter and rose pistachio to special flavours like Christmas cake whoopie, Easter egg whoopie and many more. She also included her favourite brownie recipe, worth the price of the book alone." - Darina Allen, Irish Examiner
"Move over cupcake, the Whoopie Pie is here. The delicious delights hail from America and are the latest baking trend. There are more than 60 yummy recipes and treats for every occasion including seasonal flavours, indulgent fancies and party snacks. If that's not enough to tempt your taste buds then there is an extra section on additional sweet treats guaranteed to make your mouth water. Endorsed by Jamie Oliver, this book is definitely for you if you like your cakes, buns and pies." - The Sun
"Ptak creates the very best desserts: Simple, delicious, pure." - Alice Waters
"An absolutely gorgeous book by my favourite cake maker in the whole world." - Jamie Oliver
"Claire Ptak is my favourite baker. Her competent yet whimsical style imbues everything she bakes - from a classic French apple tart to the humble whoopie pie - with a delicate magic." - David Tanis, author of A PLATTER OF FIGS and HEART OF THE ARTICHOKE
"These recipes are cause for delight ... With minimal baking skills and the all-important stand mixer, you can be the first in your neighbourhood to bring homemade whoopie pies to the feast! Recommended." - Library Journal
"Move aside cupcakes, whoopie pies are all the rage now" - Daily Telegraph
"The cupcake is dead. Long live the whoopie!" - The Times
"Chic and sweet, the whoopie pie has landed. Cupcakes are so last season" - Sainsbury's Magazine