Sweet Potato Whoopie Pies with Maple Marshmallow Creme

This may be a tiny bit early but I figure, school’s in and the weather is changing… it’s time.  I’ve already started Autumnal baking.  This means cinnamon scents and pumpkin flavored treats are well underway.  Though I’m saving my pumpkin stash for goodies like this, I’ll gladly take sweet potatoes as a very Southern stand-in. 

This was my first batch of Whoopie pies ever.  After mixing and piping the batter, the mounds looked suspect to run or spread out of shape while baking.  I was afraid my sweet potato substitution for pumpkin had failed.  I certainly didn’t expect to get the perfect disks of cake that resulted. With the maple marshmallow filling,  they are like Little Debbie cakes on steroids.  Or maybe better.  They are extra soft and pillowy, and my first batch of assembled cakes were the size of Big Macs!  I scaled down the next batch by half.

With all the baking I’ve been doing lately for the book, there’s always a bit of extra fondant or nonpareils hanging around here and there.  I decided to make jeweled flowers out of fondant and sanding sugar.  Just brush the surface of the fondant with water before you dip it in the sugar.  Glue them to the surface of the pies with a dot of icing.

Sweet Potato Whoopie Pies with Maple Marshmallow Creme       

Adapted recipe from Two Fat Cats Bakery and Bon Appetit

Yield: 20 pies                                                                                [click for printable recipe]

Cakes:                                                                                                        

3cupsall purpose flour

2teaspoonsground cinnamon

1 ½teaspoonsbaking powder

1 ½teaspoonsbaking soda

3/4teaspoonsalt

6tablespoons(3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4cup(packed) golden brown sugar

3/4cupsugar

½cupvegetable oil

3large eggs

1 ¼ cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes

 ½cupmilk

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

Sift first 5 ingredients into large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars in another large bowl until blended. Gradually beat in oil. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating to blend between additions. Beat in mashed sweet potato. Add dry ingredients in 2 additions alternately with milk in 1 addition, beating to blend between additions and occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Cover and chill batter 1 hour.  Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip.

Arrange 1 rack in bottom third of oven and 1 rack in top third of oven; preheat to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment; spray lightly with nonstick spray.  Pipe batter onto baking sheets (about 3 tbsp. per cake) spacing apart. Let stand 10 minutes.

Bake for 10 minutes.  Rotate pans and bake for another 10 minutes. Cool cakes completely on baking sheets on rack. Using spatula, remove cakes from parchment.

Line cooled baking sheets with clean parchment; spray with nonstick spray, and repeat baking with remaining batter.

Spoon or pipe about 2 tablespoons filling on flat side of 1 cake. Top with another cake.

 Filling:

1cuppowdered sugar, sifted

1cup(2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

17-ounce jar marshmallow crème

2teaspoonsmaple extract

      Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until fluffy, about 2 minutes.

     Add marshmallow crème and maple extract; beat until blended and smooth.

***Note:  I used fresh sweet potatoes, not canned.  Instead of boiling, I baked two medium sweet potatoes at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Very easy to peel and mash.

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Jessica @ How Sweet
Jessica @ How Sweet
13 years ago

Beautiful!
And they sound delicious too.

Amy H.
Amy H.
13 years ago

OH MY WORD. I am over the moon for the pumpkin baking sessions to begin. And these is the perfect entry into that MOST specular season!

YIPPE, thanks for sharing.

Unknown
Unknown
13 years ago

What a great idea for embellishment, please send some my way as they are just gorgeous

Megan
Megan
13 years ago

OOH yum! I'm glad you made these! Do you know I have recipes I've been dying to make since last year!? Now I feel at liberty to get my fall baking on. Pumpkin is my absolute favorite.

Heather Ozee
Heather Ozee
13 years ago

This is on my to bake list and will be perfect to take to my bible study friends!
P.S. I want your camera!!!!!!!

cookies and cups
cookies and cups
13 years ago

Beautiful photos, as usual!
The maple filling sounds amazing ~ I wonder if you could use real maple syrup instead of the extract?

Heather Baird
Heather Baird
13 years ago

I'd say you could Shelly, it may take a bit more syrup than 2 tsp. to get a good maple flavor, but I'm sure you could make up the consistency by increasing the powdered sugar. Good idea!

taylor
taylor
13 years ago

those look amazing! there's nothing better than fall baking smells–pumpkin, cinnamon, apples, yum!

NicoleD
NicoleD
13 years ago

Beautiful! I'm ready, but not ready for fall 🙂

KatS
KatS
13 years ago

Oooh, I will have to try these! I am literally making my first batch of whoopie pies *right now* (chocolate!) and mine look….horrible. I didn't think to pipe the batter onto the pans, so I have lumpy unequally-sized blobs. Oops.

Bonnie
Bonnie
13 years ago

oh my goodness! these look great! I love whoopie pies but have never made them. I will definately give these a try! that filling sounds to die for!

Candy
Candy
13 years ago

Those look beautiful and delicious! I love the jeweled flowers.

Sue
Sue
13 years ago

Oh Heather, these look SO good(and they even have a healthy component)! I love fall and these whoopie pies scream FALL! Beautiful! I love how pretty your filling looks:) I've been in Texas for 10 days, so now to get back to baking and blogging!
P.S. I can't wait for your book to come out!

linda
linda
13 years ago

looks very pretty!
i have never baked whoopie pies but will give these a try…
can you give us status update on your cookbook? !!

Baking Barrister
Baking Barrister
13 years ago

those are beautiful! I absolutely love fall baking so I dont blame you for starting early. Cinnamon & pumpkin should really be eaten year round.

My Green Mouth
My Green Mouth
13 years ago

They look stupendous! I love the detail with the sparkling fondant flowers, too.

Kim
Kim
13 years ago

Can you send me one?????

Johnny
Johnny
13 years ago

Yum Heather! In NZ we call these kisses – usually made with ginger and a vanilla creme centre. Yours look so divine and I love the orange flower on top.
Hope the book is going well?

Mika
Mika
13 years ago

They looks amazing…Usually I don't like cake with pumpkin, zucchini, potato and thinks like these, but yours seems to delicious…I can give them a chance ^_^

Paula
Paula
13 years ago

what a beautiful little autumn cookies!

oneordinaryday
oneordinaryday
13 years ago

Gorgeous shots! I love how you piped the marshmallow cream between the cookies – it looks like little marshmallows. Looking forward to more autumn baking!

Julie
Julie
13 years ago

So can we say they are a little bit healthy? I'll bet they are a whole lot delicious!

Charley C.
Charley C.
13 years ago

The flavor combination sounds magnificent, and the photography makes it more mouthwatering. First time to your blog and I'll be back. Adding you to my reader.

Mindy
Mindy
13 years ago

What a great idea for the sweet potatoes. I'm not a fan of sweet potatoes in savory dishes, so I'm always keeping my eyes peeled for sweet ones!

Maria
Maria
13 years ago

They look absolutely adorable! I can imagine sweet potato would give these a lovely flavour!

Angela - Thrifty Homemaker
Angela - Thrifty Homemaker
13 years ago

These look delicious and such a great fall treat.

Angela

Carmen Madison
Carmen Madison
13 years ago

Girl, you are bad! Might have to take an afternoon off to make these.

the southern hostess
the southern hostess
13 years ago

These are the cutest and they encompass all of the best fall flavors. Yum!

kelsey_the farmer's daughter
kelsey_the farmer's daughter
13 years ago

These are the perfect way to start autumn off with! I'll definitely be giving this recipe a try.

Gloria
Gloria
13 years ago

Mmmm, using sweet potato for this recipe sounds delicious. Everything you do also looks so pretty, Heather!
Best,
Gloria

Ingrid_3Bs
Ingrid_3Bs
13 years ago

They are almost to pretty to eat with the little jeweled fondant flower on top! Pump up the filling a bit and there'd be no question of not digging in! 🙂
~ingrid

Sherry G
Sherry G
13 years ago

These look incredible. And I love your pictures!

Ali Winter
Ali Winter
13 years ago

Just curious…If I were to make these with pumpkin instead of sweet potatoe, would the measurements be the same?
Thanks!
Love EVERYTHING you make!!

Heather Baird
Heather Baird
13 years ago

Hey Ali!

Yes the measurements are the same. The recipe originally called for a 15 oz. can of pumpkin. If you are roasting your own pumpkin it's 1 1/4 cups. The same. 🙂

Thank you!

Ali Winter
Ali Winter
13 years ago

WOW! That was fast! Thank you, and I meant to say last time, Good luck with your book. You have a guaranteed purchase, right here!

Megan
Megan
13 years ago

I'm ready for Fall and these are the perfect treat. Love the flowers!

Anonymous
Anonymous
13 years ago

My first time to your blog, and the first thing I noticed? Your photography is stunning! I too am excited about pumpkin/sweet potato/cinammon/maple and everything else that is fall-season! It's my favorite time of the year for cooking and baking.

Joyti
Joyti
13 years ago

It sounds and looks delicious. And the fondant flower is too beautiful for words…
You have a lovely blog 🙂

Heather (Heather's Dish)
Heather (Heather's Dish)
13 years ago

gorgeous, as usual! i love these…so great for fall and beautiful to boot 🙂

Joyce
Joyce
13 years ago

Hi!

I love sweet potatoes and your first batch of WHOOPPEEEE pies look beautiful! Ps congrats on your soon to be book!

Joyce

Karen @ Mignardise
Karen @ Mignardise
13 years ago

Maple marshmallow cream! Genius!
And lucky me – I live near Two Fat Cats Bakery. I can attest to their talent and deliciousness.

Cody
Cody
13 years ago

Theses sound amazing. I actually just had my first ever sweet potato pie a few weeks ago. I can't believe I've been missing out all these years.

sabriena
sabriena
13 years ago

Wow those are gorgeous. I might have to put this in my "to try" folder!

Kathryn
Kathryn
13 years ago

Whoopie pies really seem to be the next big trend- I keep seeing them everywhere! Do you serve them with anything in particular?

Unknown
Unknown
13 years ago

Yum! This is a good substitute for people who can't find canned pumpkin and are jonesing for a pumpkin whoopie pie. Now I want whoopie pies!

Pretty. Good. Food.
Pretty. Good. Food.
13 years ago

Oh my gosh, this sounds delicious!!!!

jenn
jenn
13 years ago

ommmyyygoodness! seriously, you're my new hero. i can't believe that i JUST found your blog! now i'm going to have to go through the whole thing and bookmark lots of goodness to make! thank you sooooo much!

marla
marla
13 years ago

Wow! Just found these via one of your other posts. Such pretty colors & my favorite flavors of the season.

Amanda
Amanda
13 years ago

I just found this and I'm bummed I didn't see it this fall!! But I featured it over at Today's Top 20! I'd love if you stopped by!

Amanda
http://www.todaystoptwenty.blogspot.com

Brieanna
Brieanna
12 years ago

Oh my goodness, these look absolutely amazing!!! My mom looooves whoopie pies, but I've never seen any that incorporated sweet potatoes. I am determined to make them for her now. Love your website!

please visit me: goingbrienanas.blogspot.com