Red Velvet Whoopie Pie Lobsters (travels in Maine)

Let's celebrate the last weekend of summer by enjoying some lobster. These are not the big red crustaceans you find at the bottom of the ocean, but rather, sweet Red Velvet Whoopie Pie Lobsters.

We recently enjoyed a wonderful trip to Maine and when we returned home I was inspired to create something that really was representative of our travels.

My husband couldn't get enough lobster and I indulged in way too many whoopie pies. We both wanted to fill our suitcases with these delicacies and bring Maine home with us.

Let me take you on a short food-themed journey along the coast of Maine.

My husband and I have been enjoying a new hobby called travel hacking where we accumulate air miles and hotel points by signing up for credit cards to travel really cheaply.

For this trip, we used air miles and a free companion pass that we had accumulated by signing up for Southwest credit cards to fly free from Dayton to Portland. Then we hopped in a rental car, that we got free using Ultimate Rewards points, and drove to the center of the city to enjoy a free night's stay at the Portland Regency Hotel. Sounds pretty good, doesn't it?

Getting to stay in a nice hotel for free is quite wonderful. the hotel was is in the heart of the city, so close to everything.

We had a very early morning flight and were hungry when we finally arrive in Portland at 3:30 in the afternoon, so we headed out to find a quick bite. We had a casual meal at Anthony's Italian Kitchen. The Ham and Pineapple pizza really hit the spot after a long day of traveling.

I loved the thin strips of ham, rolled up, on top of the cheese. It was the most clever presentation of a Hawaiian pizza I have ever seen.

We walked for what seemed like hours taking in all the sites, then snuggled up in our comfy hotel bed early in the evening, which meant I was up the next day at the crack of dawn. I enjoyed a very quiet stroll around town and eagerly awaited the opening of The Holy Donut. I arrived just as they opened and there was already a line of people waiting to select from their amazing array of unique flavored sweets.

It was so hard to choose but I had to try their famous Bacon Cheddar Doughnut. Being the donuts are made from potatoes, this savory treat was amazingly good.

I brought a bag of donuts back to the room and we sampled a Chocolate Salted Caramel, a Fresh Berry and a Lemon. The donuts were very moist, a bit dense, and full of fresh flavor. We both agreed that the lemon donut was one of the best we'd ever tasted.

After breakfast, we bundled up for a 4 ½-hour whale-watching cruise.

Do you see any whales in these pictures? No? Me, either.

I don't know that I will ever see a whale up close. Three times out, and still no whales.

Over four hours on a boat with nothing to see was a bit much. We were anxious to get on dry land and head down to the sleepy little town of Biddeford Pool. We rented a lovely beach house for the remainder of our trip.

This is the view from our bedroom. Nice, right?

Being Biddeford Pool only has one restaurant and it wasn't opened during our stay, we headed to Kennebunkport for dinner. Based on a recommendation from the rental house owner, we had dinner at Federal Jack's.

We enjoyed a bowl of spinach artichoke dip as an appetizer. For dinner, I ordered the BEST fried clams I've ever eaten. I would go back to Kennebunkport just for those clams.  Amazing, really! My husband couldn't resist ordering a traditional turkey dinner. It's his favorite meal and he really liked this one.

We enjoyed a nice stroll around town and came back to this quaint town several more times during our stay.

We traveled up and down the coast over the next week.

One of the landmarks we had to see during our stay was the life-size chocolate moose at Len Libby Chocolatier.

It was pretty impressive, as was the entire store.

It's huge. The chocolate counter alone was probably 25 feet long. We, of course, walked out of there with a bag full of goodies including Bangor Taffy. They are little squares of caramel coated in powdered sugar. Our box didn't last long and my husband didn't get too many. I loved them.

We also stopped in to see Yummies Candy & Nuts, a store that boasts 10,000 pounds of candy on display.

Wow!

The only time I've ever seen more candy in one place was at the All Candy Expo (now called the Sweets and Snacks Expo) in the McCormick Center in Chicago. Yummies has a  huge retro section filled with candies that I have not seen anyplace else since I was a kid.

We were just driving around one evening when we saw a restaurant called, of all things, Buffleheads. It was off the beaten path on a quiet road in Hills Beach and the parking lot was jam-packed. We just had to see why.

The food was quite good and the atmosphere really friendly.

I enjoyed chicken in puff pastry, fiddleheads, and veggies and my husband had haddock and fries. After dinner, we were stuffed but had watched everyone around us ordering this amazing-looking gooey chocolate cake dripping with chocolate syrup and topped with ice cream and we just had to have some. We ate every bite. No regrets.

We enjoyed a long drive down to New Hampshire and on the way back, once again, saw a place with a packed parking lot, so we stopped in and enjoyed some amazing pizza.

Ruby's Genuine Brick Oven in York assembles their pizzas in an open kitchen, so I got to watch as they tossed fresh locally grown ingredients onto my pizza. We both loved The Stubbs, a pizza topped with sun-dried tomato pesto, grilled chicken, spinach & mozzarella, and The Odyssey which is topped with olive oil, garlic, artichokes, Greek olives & tomatoes, and feta cheese.

The freshly made crust had the perfect flavor and the right amount of crunch and the toppings were flavorful and plentiful. My kind of pizza.

Then, of course, there was lobster.

I, sadly, am allergic, so I could only watch my husband enjoy this delicacy.

Whether his lobster was served on a fancy plate or in a paper bowl, he was happy.

I ate a lot of whoopie pies while in Maine, but didn't snap a shot of any of them. I guess that's because they were gone before I could even turn my camera on.

When I decided to create these whoopie pies, I wanted to make sure the filling was just right.

These vibrant red lobsters are made from red velvet cake and are filled with a traditionally flavored marshmallow filling. I tried several recipes for the filing before I found one that most closely resembled all the whoopie pies I ate while in Maine. I think it's perfect.

To create your Whoopie Pie Lobsters, draw a lobster onto paper and set it under the parchment paper on a baking sheet. I just traced around a lobster cookie cutter that I had. It was the perfect size and shape.

Spoon the red velvet cake batter into a disposable pastry bag and pipe the batter over the lobster template.

Bake them for 5-6 minutes. To tell if they are done, press a finger onto one of the cakes. If it springs back, it's done.

Let the cakes cool for a few minutes, then use a thin metal spatula to remove them. I just set them on a cool cookie sheet on a clean piece of parchment paper.

Pipe filling over half the cakes and sandwich them together.

You may have filling left over. Grab some graham crackers or just a spoon and enjoy a snack!

I served my Whoopie Pie Lobsters over some pound cake fries. I cut thin slices of pound cake, tossed them in some oil, and baked them until golden brown. They looked just like the lobster meal my husband enjoyed at the Lobster Shack.

Have you been to Maine?

What was your favorite memory from your trip to Maine?

Recipe

Print

Red Velvet Whoopie Pie Lobsters

Prep Time

45 mins

Cook Time

5 mins

Total Time

50 mins

 

Lobster shaped red velvet whoopie pies

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: red velvet, whoopie pie

Servings: 16

Author: Beth Jackson Klosterboer

Ingredients

• CAKES:
• 1 16.5 ounce red velvet cake mix
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• ⅓ cup water
• .
• FILLING:
• 1 cup shortening
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 13 ounce tub marshmallow fluff
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ¼ cup heavy whipping cream

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Line baking pans with parchment paper.
3. CAKES:
4. In a mixing bowl combine red velvet cake mix, eggs, oil and water.
5. Mix until thoroughly blended.
6. Spoon some batter into a disposable pastry bag.
7. Pipe out lobster shapes on baking pan.
8. Bake for 5-6 minutes.
9. Cool for 2 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely.
10. FILLING:
11. Beat shortening, powdered sugar, marshmallow, vanilla, and whipping cream until light and fluffy.
12. Pipe over half of the lobster shaped cakes.
13. Top with another lobster shaped cake.

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Beth

Hi, I'm Beth Jackson Klosterboer, a professional chocolatier & baker, cookbook author, and event planner. I love sharing recipes for happy occasions here on Hungry Happenings. I also create easy fudge recipes to share at HowToMakeEasyFudge.com, rice krispie treat recipes at HowToMakeCerealTreats.com, and easy cookie recipes at HowToMakeEasyCookies.com

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