High Altitude Red Velvet Cake Whoopie Pies

High altitude red velvet whoopie pies are made of two soft, red velvet cake cookies, sandwiched together with fluffy cream cheese buttercream. These cream filled cakes are a delicious combination of cake and cookies, in a pretty treat that’s perfect for Christmas or Valentine’s Day.

You might also love this no churn red velvet cake ice cream, red velvet bundt cake, and red velvet cupcakes.

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What are Whoopie Pies?

A whoopie pie is basically a cookie sandwich that’s made of two little cakes that are baked like cookies and assembled with cream filling between them. They’re not as light and fluffy as a cake or cupcake, but not as dense or chewy as a cookie either. Whoopie pies are also sometimes called a black moon, black and white, big fat Oreo (or BFO), or a gob (which is a term specific to Pittsburgh and surrounding areas). Gobs are the name that I grew up knowing them by (since my dad was from Pennsylvania, and gobs were one of his favorite treats), and my mom usually made a chocolate and vanilla combination.

Besides red velvet whoopie pies, other popular flavors include vanilla, carrot cake, chocolate, pumpkin, gingerbread or snickerdoodle. They’re often filled with some type of marshmallow cream filling, but I prefer buttercream.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Soft and Moist. Kept in the refrigerator, red velvet whoopie pies stay soft and moist for days after baking.

Perfect for Holidays. With the striking contrast of red and white, these whoopie pies are perfect for Christmas baking, Valentine’s Day, or even the 4th of July.

High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.

See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.

Ingredients

Cookies

• Flour. All-purpose flour gives these cakey cookies structure and strength.
• Granulated Sugar. Adds sweetness and moisture.
• Cocoa Powder. You’ll need unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder. This adds a small hint of chocolate flavor, but also deepens the red color.
• Salt. Balances the sweetness.
• Baking Soda. Leavening agent.
• Eggs. Add moisture and structure.
• Vegetable Oil. Keeps the whoopie pies soft and moist.
• Milk. Moisture.
• Vinegar. Traditionally, red velvet cake is made with buttermilk, or a combination of milk and vinegar. The acid makes the cake tender, and also creates a reaction with the cocoa powder to deepen the red color.
• Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
• Red Gel Food Coloring. You won’t have a vivid red color without the help of a little food coloring.

Filling

• Butter + Cream Cheese. For the best cream cheese frosting, use half butter and half cream cheese. This will make a flavorful cream cheese buttercream that’s more stable than one made with only cream cheese.
• Powdered Sugar. Sweetens and thickens the filling.
• Meringue Powder. Adds stability.
• Salt. Balances the sweetness.
• Vanilla. Use a good quality vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract for flavor.

Instructions

Cookies

• In a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda.Separately, whisk together the eggs, oil, milk, vinegar, vanilla and red food coloring.
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and use a spatula to fold everything together into a thick batter.

• Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 1 1/2 hours to rest and chill the batter.
• Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a medium cookie scoop with a release lever (1 1/2 – 2 tablespoon capacity) to scoop the batter onto the baking sheet, leaving 3 inches between each cookie. You should be able to get 28 cookies, for 14 assembled whoopie pies.

TIP: Get a small bowl of water, dip your finger lightly in the water, and use your wet finger to smooth out the top of the batter before baking the whoopie pies. This will give them a smoother, prettier finish.

• Bake the cookies for 10-11 minutes, until puffed and set. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before filling.

Filling

• In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese for 1 minute until smooth.
• With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar, meringue powder and salt, mixing until combined. Add the vanilla, and increase the speed to medium. Whip for 4-5 minutes until very light and fluffy, stopping to scrape the bowl down several times.

• Fit a disposable piping bag with tip 4B, and fill with the buttercream.
• Turn half the cookies over so the bottoms are facing up, pipe the buttercream onto the cookies, and top with another cookie.

• Store the whoopie pies in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do red velvet whoopie pies stay soft?

Whoopie pies should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days, to keep them soft and moist. Let come to room temperature for 1-2 hours before serving.

What kind of food coloring do you use?

I use Americolor Super Red Gel Food Coloring.

What piping tip did you use?

I used tip #4B.

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