Red velvet whoopie pies

Method
Prep:30min  ›  Cook:9min  ›  Ready in:39min 

1. Preheat oven to 180 C / Gas 4. Line two baking trays with parchment, then lightly grease the parchment.
2. In a large bowl combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg and the vanilla extract and beat until combined.
4. Alternately add the buttermilk and the dry mixture to the butter mixture, stirring after each addition. Stir in the food colouring till an intense red hue is achieved.
5. Pipe or spoon the cake mixture on to the baking paper into 1 inch discs roughly 1/2 inch high, leaving 1 inch between the discs.
6. Put in the oven and bake for 7 to 9 minutes until discs are set. (Keep an eye on them as they can start to brown at the edges very quickly!) Cool on a baking tray before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.
7. Sandwich the cakes together with any type of frosting. I used a vanilla cream cheese frosting as this is the traditional accompaniment to red velvet cake, but you could easily use whipped cream, chocolate ganache or buttercream.

Tip

If you can't find buttermilk, combine 1/2 tablespoon of white wine vinegar with 110ml of regular milk.

Food colouring

Paste is best, but liquid can be used. Add in small amounts, increasing as needed. I used about 1/4 teaspoon of paste, but this can change depending on the brand used. It is completely up to you how intense you want the colour.