lifestyle
CHRISTMAS PUDDING WHOOPIE PIES
Prep : 35 minutes Cook : 12-14 minutes Makes : 9 whoopie pies
Ingredients 125g butter ( softened ) 200g caster sugar 1 large egg , beaten 350g plain flour 50g cocoa powder 1 ΒΌ tsp bicarbonate of soda 250ml buttermilk
Filling 150g salted butter , softened 225g icing sugar 25g cocoa powder
Decoration 400g icing sugar Approx . 4 tbsp boiling water 125g green readymade Regal Icing 60g red readymade Regal Icing
Method
1 . Pre-heat the oven to 160C Fan / 180C / Gas 4 . Line three large baking trays with baking parchment .
2 . To make the pies , cream together the butter and sugar in an electric mixer until pale then beat in the egg . Sift the flour , cocoa and bicarbonate of soda into another bowl . Gradually add spoonfuls of the flour mixture to the creamed mixture , beating well and mix in enough of the buttermilk to make a smooth , thick cake mixture ( you may not need all of the 250ml ).
3 . Using a 5 cm ice cream scoop , drop 6 scoops of the mixture onto each baking tray , spaced well apart to allow them to spread . Bake in the oven for 12 to 14 minutes until risen , lightly golden and firm to the touch . Cool for about 5 minutes on the trays before transferring to wire racks to cool completely .
4 . To make the holly leaves , dust a work surface with icing sugar and roll out the green icing thinly . Using a small holly leaf cutter , stamp out 32 leaves and set aside . Break off tiny pieces of the red icing and roll into 32 small balls to make the red holly berries . Set aside .
5 . To make the white icing , measure the icing sugar into a bowl . Add the boiling water and whisk until smooth and fairly thick but still slightly runny . Spread the icing over the top of the peaked cold pies , leaving it to run down the sides a little . Decorate each one with two green holly leaves and red berries .
6 . To make the filling , put the butter into a mixer and beat until soft . Gradually sieve in the icing sugar and cocoa , beating well after each addition , to make a smooth chocolate buttercream filling . Spread thickly over half of the pies .
7 . To serve , when the iced pie tops have set , carefully sandwich them on to the filled pie halves .
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