Why the Whoopie Pie is Back!
I fully realized that the Whoopie Pie was making a comeback during a post-Christmas shopping trip to Williams Sonoma. There, I found a whoopie pie kit and special pan in order to make the perfect hand held cake-like and cream-filled sandwich.
Need a kit to make Whoopie Pies at home? On sale now at Williams Sonoma.
If you read the New York Times, you learned back in March 2009 that the whoopie pie was making a comeback, although it wasn’t totally clear why. I missed that article and had to discover the trend and its origins for myself.
It started this fall on a client project studying behavior in convenience stores when we spotted a freshly wrapped, big as my head, whoopie pie. We had been debating the merits of Oreo Cakesters earlier in the day and this resembled a cakester on steroids, so we had to try it out. The freshness of the filling was impressive, with sugar granules still detectable on the tongue. Alas the cake, much like a cakester, didn’t deliver on what promised to be a dark chocolatey goodness experience. Instead, it was cakey with some sort of hint of chocolate, not a wallop. However, it did feel somewhat fresher than the Cakester we had sampled earlier in the day. (Yes, sometimes the diet goes out the window in the field).
The New York Times article didn’t give a precise answer as to why now is the time for the Whoopie Pie to make a comeback, other than the public’s turn toward nostalgic foods in the face of a recession and the fact that Magnolia Bakery in Greenwich Village, Kim’s Kitchen in Evanston, IL and Williams Sonoma catalog were all offering fresh Whoopie Pies.
But what got these bakers thinking about making Whoopie Pies? My thoughts turn to the prevelance of Oreo Cakesters. Launched several years ago (2007) and suspiciously reminiscent of a whoopie pie, I think the idea of two cake discs filled with creamy goodness was planted in the nation’s conscious. And so, if you are an upscale bakery looking for something new, why not take the Whoopie Pie out for a spin? Just amp up the original and reintroduce it.
a cakester meets a whoopie pie - look similar?
Search out a real Whoopie Pie and discover it for yourself. And mark your calendars, September 18, 2010 is the next annual Whoopie Pie Festival in Lancaster, PA. Over 100 different Whoopie Pie flavors available.
And what’s next? How about Parisian Macaroons? Starbucks is selling them and here they are again in Williams Sonoma online.
Pushing Whoopie Pies off center stage as the new cupcake?