Whoopie Croquembouche

By chelyc13

This is the ultimate celebration of the wonderful whoopie pie, a giant stack of pies inspired by the french tower of choux buns known as a croquembouche. A perfect centerpiece for a party or even a wedding, as you can make the pies any color you wish to fit in with your color scheme.

Ingredients

• FOR PIES:
• 4 sticks unsalted butter or vegetable shortening, softened
• 4 cups granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 4 teas vanilla extract
• 10 cups self rising flour
• 4 teas baking powder
• 2 teas salt
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 2 cups sour cream
• 1 2/3 cups hot water (not boiling)
• red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple food colorings
• FOR BUTTERCREAM FILLING:
• 3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 12 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 teas vanilla extract

Details

Servings 47

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat the oven to 350.

2. To make the pies, cream together the butter and sugar in a very large mixing bowl for 2-3 minutes using an electric handheld mixer, until light and creamy. (because of the large quantities required, you may prefer to make the mixture up in 2 batches.) Add the eggs and vanilla extracta nd mix again. Sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl and add the salt, buttermilk, and sour cream. Whisk again until everything is incorporated. Add the hot water and whisk into the batter.

3. Divide the mixture into 6 separate bowls ready for coloring, allowing a heaping tablespoon of mixture for each whoopie pie half. Add food coloring to make 10 read, 12 orange, 14 yellow, 16 green, 20 blue, and 22 purple halves. Place a large spoonful of mixture into each hole in the prepared pans. (alternatively, use 4 cookie sheets lined with parchment paperand pie into 2.5 inch diameter circles) Leave to stand for 10 minutes then bake each pan in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool slightly then turn out on a wire rack to cool completely.

4. To make the buttercream filling, whisk together the butter, confectioners' sguar, milk, and vanilla extract until light and creamy. Spoon into the prepared piping bag and pipe a swirl between each pair of pies. Reserve a little of the buttercream.

5. To assemble the tower, begin by cutting the top off of the prepared cardboard cone to remove the point. Place the cone on a cake stand or similar and fix in place with the reserved buttercream. Put the purple pies around the base of the cone and then repeat with the remaining colors until your tower is assembled. tie the ribbons to the ring of the skewer and put it through the pie at the top of the tower. Lower the skewer into the top open end of the cone to secure the top pie. Arrange the ribbons around the tower and your whoopie pie croquembouche is not ready to dazzle.

**Make a cone with thin cardboard 10 in diamer and 10 inches tall.