Boston Cream Whoopie Pies (or Mini Boston Cream Pies)

While browsing on the internet the other day, I ran across this recipe at http://bakingbites.com . Being obsessed with Whoopie Pies lately, I had to give them a try! YUM! I wasn't disappointed! They taste as good as they look! I use to love the Boston Cream Pies we had at the Bakery, once in a while the girls and I would have to 'damage' one so we could eat it at work...isn't that a normal thing to do when you work in a Bakery?? Anyway, they are mini soft vanilla cookie cakes that you fill with a homemade pastry cream filling, and then top with a Chocolate Ganache. I found them easy to make, and just as easy to eat 2 or 3! Keep these in the refrigerator and enjoy!

Boston Cream Whoopie Pies
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Vanilla Pastry Cream (recipe below)
Chocolate Ganache (recipe below)

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in vegetable oil and the eggs, adding the eggs in one at a time and waiting until the first is fully incorporated to add the second. Stir in half of the flour mixture, followed by the buttermilk and vanilla extract. Stir in the remaining flour, mixing just until all ingredients are combined and no streaks of flour remain.
Drop batter in approx 2-tbsp sized rounds onto prepared baking sheet, as you would for cookie dough. (I have a small ice-cream scooper that I use when making cookies, and I used it for making these, perfect size I think!)
Bake for 10 minutes, or until cake is set and springs back when lightly pressed. Cake may be very lightly browned around the edges.
Cool cakes completely on a wire rack.
Assembly
Pair up the cakes by size, creating pairs of roughly equal size that will fit together well once put together as whoopie pies.
Take one half of each of the whoopie pies and spread about 1 tbsp chocolate ganache over the rounded portion of the cake (I just dipped the top side of them in my ganached and allowed to set up at room temperature.
Fill a piping bag or a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off with the pastry cream and pipe a generous amount (2 tbsp) onto the flat portion of the cakes that are not covered with chocolate. Top each with a chocolate covered cake and serve.
Makes about 14 Boston Cream Whoopie Pies.
( I got about 24 Whoopie Pies, mine were a little smaller since I used my small Ice-cream scoop, I thought they were the perfect size, about 2 or 3 bites!)

Vanilla Pastry Cream
1 1/4 cups low fat milk
1/4 vanilla bean or 2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg, room temperature
1 egg yolk, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
2 1/2 tbsp cornstarch

In a medium saucepan, combine milk and vanilla bean. Bring to a simmer over medium heat then turn off heat. Scrape vanilla bean into milk and allow to stand for 15 minutes to infuse the milk with the vanilla. Bring milk back to a simmer over medium heat (Skip this step if using vanilla extract and simply bring the milk to a simmer on the stovetop).
While milk is heating, combine eggs, egg yolks and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat until smooth, then add cornstarch and beat until smooth again. When the milk is done, pour a few tablespoons of milk into the egg mixture while whisking constantly. Repeat this a few times until about half of the milk has been added. It is important to add the hot milk slowly (tempering) so you do not cook the eggs.
Add the remaining milk and return the whole mixture to the sauce pan. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until the custard thickens – about 5 minutes.
Strain through a sieve into a medium bowl, cover surface of the pastry cream with plastic wrap and store in fridge until ready to use. Stir chilled pastry cream vigorously before using.

Chocolate Ganache
1 cup chocolate chips or chopped bittersweet chocolate
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tsp corn syrup (optional)

Combine chocolate, cream and corn syrup (if using) in a medium sized, microwave-safe bowl and cook on high just until the cream starts to simmer. Whisk or stir thoroughly until all chocolate has melted and ganache is smooth.
If you add the corn syrup, your ganache will be slightly glossier when it sets, but it is optional and you don’t need to add it to have a good result.