Black Velvet Whoopie Pies is orange-colored whipped buttercream in between two layers of Dark chocolate cake rounds. You will definitely hear a ‘whoopie!’ when you share this treat! Try my Peppermint Whoopie Pies, too!
Black Velvet Whoopie Pies
Whoopie Pies, also known as gobs, black moons, and moon pies (among other names) are a decadent treat that is easy to make and put together. This recipe starts with a boxed cake mix; then the mix is combined with just a few ingredients to give you the cakey part of this popular cake sandwich. Finally, the whipped orange buttercream is added to make the sweet dessert come together!
Ingredients & Substitutions
There are two parts to this recipe–the small cakey rounds and the whipped buttercream.
Cake Mix: Look for a box of Dark chocolate cake mix. You will only be using the mix, not following the box instructions. I have listed all the ingredients you need to make the small mounds of cakes. You could also use another variety of chocolate cake mix if preferred.
Extracts: I used both vanilla and almond extract in the buttercream. You can definitely leave out the almond extract if that is not your preference, but I recommend trying the buttercream with the almond extract before deciding. If you have a nut allergy simply use Imitation Almond Extract.
Food Coloring: Get out your black and orange food coloring for these Black Velvet Whoopie Pies. I love the contrast of colors, and they make perfect treats for Halloween! But, of course, you could make the buttercream any color you want!
Can Make These Ahead of Time?
You can get a good start when it comes to making this treat. The buttercream can be made up to 2 weeks in advance and stored in the refrigerator. When ready to make the whoopie pies, you may have to re-whip the buttercream before adding it to the cakes.
How to Store Black Velvet Whoopie Pies
Once assembled, the whoopie pies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week or so. You can store them in the refrigerator if preferred, but they could dry out faster. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Black Velvet Whoopie Pies
Ingredients
- 1 box (15.25 ounces) Dark chocolate cake mix
- ½ cup (125 g) water
- ¼ cup (29.5 g) dutch process cocoa powder
- ¼ cup (54.5 g) vegetable oil
- 3 tablespoons black food coloring
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Orange Buttercream
- ½ cup (1 stick / 113 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 16 ounces (3½ cups) confectioners' sugar
- 1 tablespoon whole milk, or more as needed to reach desired consistency, room temperature
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon orange food coloring
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, add cake mix, water, cocoa powder, oil, food coloring, eggs, and vanilla. Using a hand mixer on low speed, mix until just moistened, scraping sides of bowl frequently.
- Increase the speed to medium. Mix for 2 more minutes.
- Spoon 2 tablespoons of batter onto the lined baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each tablespoon. (The cakes will spread as they bake.)
- Bake for 8 minutes, turning the baking sheet halfway through baking. The whoopie pies are done when they are puffed and spring back when touched. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 1 minute. Then, transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Orange Buttercream
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, add butter. Whisk on medium-high speed until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).
- Add vanilla and almond extract.
- With the mixer on low, slowly add confectioners' sugar, milk, and salt, frequently scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Remove the bowl from the stand mixer. Fold in the food coloring.
Assembly
- To assemble the Whoopie Pies, place 1 tablespoon of buttercream on the flat side of one cookie. Top with a second cookie, pressing gently to spread the filling. Repeat with remaining cookies and buttercream.
- Store whoopie pies in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Did you make this recipe?
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These are visually stunning – great for spooky season!!
beautiful! I love whoopie pies and red, or black, velvet.
These look absolutely delicious!! I have made pumpkin whoopie pies before, and they are usually devoured before the day is over. Can’t wait to make these!!
Love love love this idea. Trying it now. A few questions.
A: why are mine sort of flattish ?
B: I am using a size 40 (.71oz) scoop yet they aren’t all so perfect as yours. How an I remedy that?
Thanks so much for the help and inspiration!
Hi Cathy! Not sure why they would be flat. Sorry! As far as the shape, mine were all different shapes. I think I actually used a spoon and just spooned out some batter. I just tried to match the different shapes to each other! 😉 Not much of a help am I?
Loving these – the drastic-ness of the black and orange is awesome.
I’m giving this a try today!
Amanda, I fell head over heels in love with these whoopie pies. I will try to make them this weekend, but wanted to ask you about the cake mix. I can’t seem to find German chocolate cake mix with pudding…what is this? Where do you usually find it? Can I substitute a different type of cake mix? If I don’t hear from before I try my hand at these, I’ll just substitute different type of cake mix and hope they turn OK. I’ll share pictures if they do turn out OK 🙂
You can use any chocolate cake recipe you want! 🙂
Can’t wait to try!!! Have you ever tried to make these a day or two ahead of time? How best to keep them? thanks!!
These are soooo cool! I added them to my Halloween recipe roundup here: http://www.grandbaby-cakes.com/2012/10/halloween-everywhere.html
So striking! After seeing your whoopie pies, I want to thank the inventor of whoopie pies, too! Amazing!