Coconut and lime whoopie pies

Ingredients

• 125g butter, softened
• 3/4 cup caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups plain flour
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 teaspoons coconut essence
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons desiccated coconut

Lime curd

• 6 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 100g butter, chopped
• 1/2 cup lime juice
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lime rind

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Line 4 large baking trays with baking paper. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Meanwhile, sift flour, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder into a large bowl.
2. Add half the flour mixture to butter mixture. Stir to combine. Add coconut essence and half the buttermilk. Stir to combine. Repeat with remaining flour mixture and buttermilk until just combined.
3. Drop level tablespoons onto prepared trays, 5cm apart, allowing room for spreading. Sprinkle with coconut. Bake, 1 tray at a time, for 8 to 10 minutes or until puffed and golden. Stand on trays for 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining trays.
4. Meanwhile, make lime curd Whisk yolks and sugar together in a heatproof bowl until combined. Add butter and juice. Place over a saucepan of simmering water. Cook, whisking, for 15 to 18 minutes or until thick and smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in rind. Cover surface with plastic wrap. Cool for 10 minutes. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
5. Sandwich 2 teaspoons of lime curd between cakes to make 22 whoopie pies. Serve immediately.

Notes

• These whoopie pie recipes are best made on day of serving.
• Whoopie pies have a texture that resembles a cross between a cake and a biscuit.
• Whoopie pies, which are enjoying a huge surge in popularity, are thought to have originated in Maine or Pennsylvania in the 1920s.

Tweet