While whoopie pies are not just trending up in the US but also glamming up, here in central Canada when I mention these sweet treats I’m more likely to get a blank stare or quizzical look than a request for cookies.
Whoopie pies are not a big part of the Canadian dessert experience and although I see them being mentioned and offered a little more often now than I did a year or two ago, cupcakes or macarons are certainly both more popular here.
So for my curious readers who want to be on the advancing curve, here’s a bit of info about this emerging dessert trend. (Interestingly, whoopie pies are not included in the Food Lover’s Companion. This is the second time I’ve found this trusted source lacking in less than a month and, quite frankly, my world is shaken.)
What is a whoopie pie? Not a pie at all, whoopie pies are made by sandwiching two cakey textured cookies around a frosting layer. Seven minute style frostings are often the base of the filling but so is marshmallow fluff enriched with shortening (no, really!). While I can’t prove, it, I’d say the Jos Louis was inspired by the whoopie pie.
Where did this idea come from? According to Wikipedia, whoopie pies have their origins in Pennsylvania’s Amish baking traditions. Apparently, they became wildly popular in Maine after a recipe for them appeared in a 1930’s cookbook called the Yummy Book.
What about recipes?
• Yummy Book Classic
• Buttermilk Whoopie Pies (pictured above)
• Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
So, let’s be honest. Are you a whoopie pie virgin? You can tell me. It’s okay. I’ve only done the whoopie pie thing once myself. I won’t judge you.
Now that we’re out of January, I’m hoping that the 2010 food trend predictions slow down for awhile. It’s been a busy couple of months not only fielding questions and doing interviews about food trends but also reading all the other food trend predictions out there in the media. I need a wee rest!
There’s no doubt that macaron interest is at a fever pitch and that whoopie pies are getting their time in the spotlight. However, while cupcakes may have become mainstream and not qualify as an emerging or developing trend anymore, all this talk about macarons and whoopie pies being the new cupcakes is hogwash. Here’s why:
1. Anyone can make a cupcake and frosting using a simple recipe or mixes. Not so for macarons. They take special attention and are pretty darn fussy for even experienced bakers to make.
2. Kids love cupcakes because they can be customized. Sandwich cookies like macarons and whoopie pies offer a lot less opportunity to express your personal decorating creativity.
3. Macarons contain nuts. Ergo, they are never going to be served at schools, kids’ activities or birthday parties for kids.
4. Whoopie pies are cute and delicious but, like macarons, they aren’t as flexible in form.
So, while both macarons and whoopie pies are trending up, they are not the new cupcakes IMHO. Care to disagree? Go right ahead. After all, that’s why I have a comments section.
Remember shake and bake? Well, put that product out of your mind while I tell you about how this concept is manifesting itself as we approach 2010. Today’s shakers and bakers aren’t cooking up chicken but pancakes, cupcakes and muffins and they don’t even have a bowl to wash when they’re finished!
Products such as Batter Blaster (an organic pancake and waffle batter in a pressurized can) and Dr. Oetker shaker batters are taking the mess out of baking and making it an anytime activity. There’s even a gadget that dispenses pancake batter as cleanly as these products, for those among you who like to make their own batter.
Who’s buying these products? Parents who want to serve a hot breakfast without a lot of fuss and muss and occasional cooks (like students) who don’t keep a lot of ingredients in their pantries.
What do you think of this kind of baking? Gimmicky or a godsend?
Edible homemade gifts are so special to receive because of the time and thought it takes to make and package them. Purchased gifts, no matter how lavish they are, can never match the meaning of a homemade offering. If your gift giving plans include baked goods or candies, you’ll find the new Hallmark treat box line of interest. Cheaper than tins and recyclable after use, the line includes this gable-topped gingerbread house motif box as well as a flat boxes that will hold cupcakes, candies or slab cakes.
I love getting homemade gifts from my friends but I’m always careful with them since my hubby has a nut allergy. And, when I’ve tried to give edible gifts myself, I’ve found the wrapping and labeling a bit of a hassle since not all cookies and treats – especially ones with soft frostings – pack that well. So, I’ve developed a few fantastic-looking tricks for making it easier to package cookies:
• Top warm-from-the-oven cookies with shaved chocolate or finely chopped soft caramel pieces. They’ll melt quickly and then set as the cookies cool to make a yummy topping.
• Dip cooled cookies in melted chocolate and then sprinkles, nuts or dragées to create glam effects quickly.
• Roll icebox cookie dough into logs. Roll each log in sprinkles, chopped nuts or candy cane bits before refrigerating. When dough is firm, slice and bake. The finished cookies will have an attractive (and yummy!) border.
• To pipe lines of frosting on cookies easily, place frosting in a heavy-duty zip top bag. Make a small cut in one corner and then squeeze the frosting through the hole. When finished, simply toss the used bag in the trash.
Do you often give edible, homemade gifts? If so, how have you coped with packaging challenges like staling and breaking? Share your tips below if you have a few moments.
Struggling with gift ideas for the cooks on your list? Here are two great ideas — one a bit extravagant and one less expensive -– that are sure to make the grade and not likely to be in their cupboards already:
‘I like you!” gift idea: Cupcake pens can be used to decorate all kinds of baked goods whether you’ve got artistic flair or two hands worth of thumbs.
“I love you!” gift idea: Yogurt makers aren’t just for people who wear sandals and socks (They used to be but things have changed now – I checked.) and this one is the Mac daddy of them all offering flexible timing options and the ability to make up to 8 flavours at a time! Seriously, 8 flavours.
If you’re an avid cook, what’s on your wish list this holiday season?
Although today is technically a holiday, I wanted to post an Easter dessert idea. For those of you who are hosting a crowd sometime this weekend, you may want to make this bright and cheerful pull apart cupcake dessert that I created for the Homemakers magazine Bakefest booklet last year.
Cupcake pull-apart cakes are trending up with consumers everywhere. In fact Laura Mandracchia, owner of Little Laura Sweets in L.A. notes that in the last 7 weeks 25% of her orders have been for cupcake cakes for kids parties, baby and wedding showers, adult birthdays and as an alternative for groom’s cakes at weddings. Since cupcakes have been deemed the recession resistant treat of choice, expect this trend to continue!
My Black Eyed Susan version is fun and easy to make (you can use a cake mix and coloured bought frosting) and it’s easy to serve as well. In fact, no knives, cake lifters, plates or forks are required. Just present this sweet arrangement on a tray and let everyone grab a cupcake and a napkin!
Feeling a bit more ambitious but not close enough to Laura to have her whip up something gorgeous for your table? Try this Very Hungry Caterpillar pull-apart arrangement of cupcakes. Isn’t it fantastic?
What’s on your Easter Feaster menu this year?
While I certainly agree that any mish-mash of frosting and cake can have tasty merits, there’s no doubt that presentation is a big part of what makes cupcakes so popular.
If your cupcakes struggle with ugly duckling syndrome you may need an intervention since, unlike the fabled “duckling” that grew into an elegant swan, ugly cupcakes won’t transform into graceful three-tiered wedding cakes. They’ll just get stale and need to be thrown out.
The good news is that the path to pretty cupcakes is easily navigated! Recently I stumbled across this article that outlines cupcake decorating basics very well. And for those of you looking for advanced inspiration that will take your cupcakes from fair to fabulous, I can recommend Hello Cupcake! — a terrifically imaginative book that features dozens of clever ideas for cupcake makeovers.
Do you have any cupcake decorating tips you’d like to share?
To know that we are ga-ga for cupcakes here in Canada and the U.S., all you have to do is check my reader stats. Consistently each week, my posts about gourmet cupcakes and cupcakes in a jar are among my top read pages (it’s true!).
Well, it seems that our affection for these hand-held cakes was so infectious that it spread to the U.K. (I can only imagine that it was lurking in the ventilation system of some transatlantic airplane). According to this article, cupcakes, long viewed as a treat for kids in England, have transitioned to be a stylish grown-up indulgence featured at weddings, adult birthday parties and posh bake shops more often. Likewise, this cake love has even spread to Italy; according to this blog, Italians are in the throes of cupcake mania, too. (Still no reports of anyone in Europe serving them at funerals in those countries but perhaps they’ll grow into that practice in time, too.)
All I can say is — what took them so long?
Last night O and I watched Monday’s Heroes season 3 debut on our PVR and all I could think about during the episode was sweets – the craving still hasn’t subsided. In fact, all I wanted for breakfast this morning was cake. And not just a small piece but a big honking wedge.
Call them muffins, tea loaves or quick breads, cake for breakfast isn’t really all that unusual. In fact, I think that Bill Cosby was completely correct when he pointed out that chocolate cake contains eggs, milk and flour – the very same ingredients in many other balanced breakfast favourites.
And, depending on your sleep habits, having cake for breakfast could be considered just a very, very late dessert.
Excluding muffins and other permissible breakfast cakes, have you ever tucked into a wedge of black forest cake or a square of cream cheese frosted carrot cake for breakfast?
I’ll admit that in my 42 years I‘ve raised a cake-laden fork to my lips on more than a few morning occasions. I don’t indulge in early day cake often, but when I do, it’s always a good day.
Image by Evans Caglage, published in the Dallas Morning News
Do you ever wonder what bakers do with the damaged cupcakes and the leftover frosting in the bottom of the bowl? If you thought they threw scraps away, guess again. They turn them into profits.
Don’t believe me? Check out this story about cake balls. Apparently cake balls are big as wedding favours and at Neiman Marcus.
I totally understand craving a one or two bite indulgence but may I suggest a a fresh and fabulous mini cupcake instead?
