Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies

I pulled out the whoopie pie pan the other day. We have not used it in a long time, and for whatever reason, I decided that this was the time!

I was waffling around with what an Easter Whoopie Pie would be like. I threw out all of my Spring favorites: coconut, lemon, strawberry… Then I tried to put away my selfish hat, and think about my family’s favorite. My mom, my brother in law and my husband all looooove carrot cake. While they are not in the majority, I thought I should show a little charity and flexibility and make the carrot cake.

I think this carrot cake is kind of like carrot cake for people who don’t like carrot cake. Or at least not the kind filled with little bits of fruity, pulpy, nutty stuff. It is moist and lightly spiced and filled with sweet carrots. Very delicious.

The frosting is admittedly not super cream cheesy! It is more for the butter cream lover, imparting a cream cheese flavor, without giving you the feeling that you should be eating it with a bagel or something. I love it, and surprised myself with the wonderful flavor (I am not a huge cream cheese frosting fan). The cheese gives it just the right amount of tang, and I used vanilla paste, (or you could use extract plus some fresh vanilla bean seeds) to lend some vanilla flavor and a speckling of beautiful little seeds throughout the creamy white frosting.

Think about serving this on Easter as a fun alternative to a traditional cake, but with the same great flavor.

Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies, makes 18 pies
1 cup soft butter
¼ cups oil
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 Tb Vanilla
2 ½ cups flour
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp nutmeg
3 cups shredded carrots

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a whoopee pie pan with baking spray.

In the bowl of a mixer, cream the butter, oil and sugars.

Add the eggs and vanilla and combine well.

In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients.

Add the dry ingredients to the mixer and combine.

Add the carrots and beat until you have a well mixed batter.

Fill the whoopie pie cups only 2/3 of the way, (see below the difference between an overfilled pie and a proper one).

Spread the batter evenly with an offset spatula.

Bake the pies for about 12 minutes or until they are golden and just baked through. Let them cool for a minute and then gently transfer them to a cooling rack.

Let them cool completely before frosting.

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
2 sticks butter, room temperature
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 ½ tsp vanilla paste (or a scraping of ½ a vanilla bean or just extract)
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 Tbs milk

Beat all of the ingredients in a standing mixer until completely combined and light and fluffy. Generously frosts 2 dozen cupcakes.