Chocolate Irish Cream Whoopie Pies

I made these little beauties a few weeks ago to take along to a wine party and they were fantastic!  I brought a bottle of wine, but some boozy treats seemed like a nice addition to the appetizer spread.  I really wanted to make cupcakes with this frosting, but the whoopie pies are so much easier to eat when standing around and holding a glass in one hand.  I made mine quite small, but you can make the cakes any size you wish - just watch the cooking time.  If you don't want the alcohol in the frosting, you could probably try substituting some Irish cream liquid coffee creamer to get a similar flavor.

CHOCOLATE IRISH CREAM WHOOPIE PIES
Adapted from Whoopie Pies, By Sarah Billingsley and Amy Treadwell

INGREDIENTS - CAKE
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk

INGREDIENTS - FILLING
3 cups powdered sugar
1 stick (4 ounces) butter, softened
4 tablespoons Irish cream liqueur
2 tablespoons milk or cream


DIRECTIONS
1. For the cakes, position rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt onto a sheet of waxed paper. In the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, shortening, and brown sugar on low speed until just combined. Increase the speed to medium and beat until fluffy and smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat for another 2 minutes.

3. Add half of the flour mixture and half of the milk to the batter and beat on low until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining flour mixture and 1/2 cup milk and beat until completely combined.

4. Using a spoon, drop about 1 tablespoon of batter onto one of the prepared baking sheets and repeat, spacing them at least 2 inches apart. Bake one sheet at a time for about 10 minutes each, or until the pies spring back when pressed gently. Remove from the oven and let cakes cool on the sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely.

5. For the filling, in the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the powdered sugar, butter, and liqueur.  Add milk or cream until desired consistency is achieved.  Beat until fluffy.

6. To assemble, spread or pipe filling onto flat side of one cake and top it with another cake, flat-side down. Repeat with the rest of the cakes and filling.

This post is linked to Sweets for a Saturday.