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?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
holy moley, this look ridiculously good. glad i popped back over to check your blog out again! x
Just made these and got rave reviews… Even my non sweet-loving mom said they were awesome! Mine weren’t *quite* so pretty but they tasted great! Thank you so much!
Hi, I’m Sonia, an Italian food blogger, sorry for my bad english, I want tell you that I have included the link of this recipe (which I liked very much) in the section on my blog dedicated to “10 ways to make” (“10 Modi di Fare”) whoopie pies.
The post is ‘Whoopie pies’ I hope not to bother you, have a nice day.
Sonia
Those are the cutest, spookiest Whoopie Pies EVAH!! Love them. Making…
these WILL be on my snack bar for my annual Halloween party!! what an impact the color difference makes! and to think that i was going to rip my hair out trying to make little whoopie pie spiders. pshhhhh
how many whoopie pies does this make? and how long do they keep? need refrigerated or anything?
hope you reply! thanks
I have had unpleasant experiences with black food coloring before, the taste was awful. You do not find that to be true here? Thank you!
These are our high school colors. Would love to make for a football tailgate. How many does this recipe yield?
Does the food coloring stain teeth or change the taste of the cake? Whenever I use enough black color to get true black, it ends up staining people’s teeth and leaving a bitter taste. When you taste tested them, did it leave your teeth/tongue black?
Hey,
Thanks for sharing this recipe. The whoopie pies look delicious, and the orange filling is a great touch for Halloween! I will definitely be saving this recipe for October.
Best,
Dennis