Raspberry whoopie pies recipe

These cute raspberry flavoured whoopie pies are the perfect way to show someone you care. The delicate little cakes would also make a classy dessert if you're having people over

Ingredients

• 100g plain flour
• 1 level teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 teaspoon red food colour paste
• 20ml raspberry purée
• 40g butter
• 75g caster sugar
• 1 free-range egg (50g), beaten

Filling and topping

:

• 10g very soft butter
• 45g icing sugar, sifted
• 60g cream cheese
• 10ml raspberry purée
• 6 crushed raspberries

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6 and line a baking tray with grease-proof paper. Sieve the flour and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl. Stir the colour paste into the raspberry purée and set aside.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl, using a hand-held electric whisk (or in a free-standing mixer using the whisk attachment), until pale. Scrape down the bowl while whisking. Once the mixture is pale, slowly add the beaten egg a little at a time while continuing to whisk. Once the egg has been incorporated, fold in the wet and dry ingredients with a large metal spoon – use the ‘figure of eight’ action – keeping air in the mix until you have an even colour (do not over-mix). Pipe or spoon 16 x 3cm dollops (at least 3cm high) on to the baking tray, spacing them well apart to allow for spreading, and bake in the preheated oven for 6 minutes.
3. While the sponges are cooking, you can start to make the filling. Cream the butter and icing sugar together and add the cream cheese, raspberry purée and crushed raspberries. Mix until the filling is smooth, but take care not to over-beat or it will become runny.
4. Take the sponges out of the oven and leave to cool on the tray. When cool, lift them off with a fish slice.
5. To assemble the whoopies, place 8 sponges curved side down and spoon or pipe some of the raspberry cream cheese filling in the centre. Stand 5 fresh raspberries around the edge of the filling, using it to help hold the raspberries in place. Top each one with another sponge. Pipe or spoon a dollop of the raspberry cream cheese filling on top of each whoopie and finish with a raspberry.