Runny Batter

You need to use different recipes for woopie pies then you'd use for a regular cakes.........so they hold their shape. Where ever you got that recipe from was offering the wrong type recipe. Don't try to adjust the recipe by eliminating the water, that's way too hard. Instead, you could use s muffin top pan and that will hold your wet batters into woopie pie shape.

I've only seen chocolate cake recipes that add HOT water (is that what your making?). Those recipes are usually quite good because they are very moist. You definitely must add the water for the recipe to work.

Illustrated Classic Chocolate whoopie pie recipe (with Salty Peanut Butter filling):

http://www.bakerella.com/whoopie-pies/

More illustrated Classic Chocolate whoopie pie recipes with Marshmallow Fluff filling:

http://www.thehungrymouse.com/2009/06/26/classic-whoopie-pies/

http://www.cakespy.com/blog/2009/7/30/making-whoopie-pies-that-is.html

Whoopie pie and filling recipe with video:

http://www.joyofbaking.com/WhoopiePies.html

Epicurious whoopie pie and filling recipe:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Whoopie-Pies-107615

Additional classic whoopie pie recipe:

http://www.bhg.com/recipe/cookies/classic-whoopie-pies/

HTH

there are Whoopee pie baking pans available.  Saw some recently at Sur le Table.  These would make perfectly shaped little pies, and would hold the runny batter in place.  As mentioned above, Muffin top pans might work for large whoopee pies.  Also maybe the miniball pan by Wilton, just partially filled if you have that.  

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunflowerlove 

Hi

 

Need some advice

 

Recently I tried to make some whoopie pies. In addition to buttermilk, the recipe requires a cup of hot water.

The batter was very runny and it immediately spread out when I scopped it on the baking sheet. The whoopie pies turned out to be very flat.

Obviously a typo.  Whoopie pie batter has to be able to hold its shape. You know that from the instructions to scoop onto a sheet.

Didn't you notice the batter becoming runny while you were adding the water?  Didn't you think to just stop?

What recipie are you using?  Is it an actual whoopie pie recipe, or are you trying to adjust a cake recipe to make whoopie pies?  If that's what you are trying to do, its unlikely to work and rather pointless when there are actual whoopie pie recipes abundantly available on the 'net.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunflowerlove 

the recipe is an actual whoopie pie recipe. I got it from the internet: http://www.food.com/recipe/wicked-whoopie-pies-162298. According to the website. this recipe is from Wicked Whoopies. This is the first time I am trying this recipe and so I followed it exactly to see how it turns out.

Did you measure the flour before or after sifting, and what type of shortening and butter did you use?

OK so I found that recipe you tried--I think those directions are confusing.  Adding that much milk and water to the butter-sugar-egg would make a real mess.

So that is a recipe from a famous bakery---no reason for them to give away all their secrets is there?

I make lots of recipes where you mix the cocoa with boiling water, it turns into a thick paste. When it cools you add it to the batter and those cakes are always super good.  That might be part of what's missing. 

So--about your cracking tops with other recipes, you are getting too much flour into your measuring cup.

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/classic-chocolate-whoopie-pies-recipe

This recipe has a button to give you WEIGHTS of ingredients. Try weighing at least your flour to get the right consistency.  It also tells you that the cakes are supposed to spread a fair bit when they bake.