“The Whoopie Pie Book” by Claire Ptak

And now for something completely different. Something that will make you smile, from ear to ear, and make you want to grab that apron, open that flour sack, soften that butter and away you go. Whoopie pies. The very name conjures up celebration, enjoyment, party-time. They are thought to have originated from the American Amish settler community in the 1920’s, when housewives had extra cake batter left over from making cakes, which they then used up to make these sponge discs which they sandwiched together with a cream or “frosting” of some sort. They are not really a biscuit, as the batter bakes to a much softer texture, but you could be forgiven for thinking they looked like a giant macaroon. Anyway, they are really delicious, take my word for it.

Clare Ptak is a pretty American pastry chef with an enviable C.V. She worked for Alice Waters at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California, and moved to London in 2005 where she set up the legendary “Violet” baking company in the East End of London, at 47 Wilton Way, E8, and she also sells at Broadway Market. If you love cakes, and who on earth does not, I urge you to click into www.violetcakes.com. Just go through each page. Now tell me she has not put all your wintry woes to right.

Back to the book. It is published by Random House, it retails at £15.00, with photography by Colin Campbell and styling by the author herself. Each page is a photograph of colour, cream, greed and patisserie paradiso. Chocolate whoopie pies, sandwiched together with a buttermilk and vanilla cream. Mocha-orange whoopie pies, filled with candied orange peel. Lemon curd cream whoopie pies. Key Lime whoopie pie. Roasted rhubarb, blackberry-geranium, raspberry, coconut and chestnut cream. It is practically a seasonal, sugary smorgersbord of soft, crumbly tea-cake fest, biting into buttercream icing velvet. This lady takes no prisoners, she is a whoopie groupie.

“The Amish are given credit for pioneering the idea of putting the icing or frosting inside the cakes to make them easier to transport in lunch boxes. Schoolchildren and farmers are said to have responded to finding these special treats in their lunches with a resounding “Whoopie!”

There is also a little addition in the way of macaroons, brownies, blondies, s’mores, cookies and creams. In total 60 recipes, ideal to share with children, teenagers, for Christmas, for birthdays, for life. I am sold. Don’t go West, go East.

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