A Little Background

• Small, cake-like filled pastries can be traced to medieval Germany. Once they made their way to America, they were renamed. People in western Pennsylvania, most notably in the Johnstown area, named them gobs. Historians believe that the name evolved from coal miners who carried the cakes in their lunches, past the gob piles -- or piles of discarded coal byproducts. You’ll hear them called "gobs" only in western Pennsylvania; elsewhere along the Eastern coast they're known as whoopie pies.

Making the Batter

• While there are variations, the basic batter is comprised of four basic ingredients -- sugar, flour, eggs and butter. You might also add leaveners such as baking powder and baking soda; flavoring agents such as buttermilk, sour cream, cocoa powder; and spices such as cinnamon. Adapt the seasonings to suit your preferences. Use a light hand while mixing the batter as overmixing thins the batter and makes it difficult to achieve the cakes' rounded shape.

Baking the Cakes

• Although you may find special whoopie pie makers or molds, you don't need any special equipment. Simply drop the batter in 1 1/2-inch rounds on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Leave around 1 inch between each cake and bake them for eight to 10 minutes in an oven that's been preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Once finished, remove the cakes from the baking sheet and let them cool on a wire rack.

Making the Filling

• The filling is what takes these innocuous looking little cakes into serious dessert territory. The classic gob cake is filled with a sweet, vanilla buttercream icing or marshmallow creme. Experiment with flavors to find the combination you like best. For example, give the filling a fresh, bright quality by combining butter, cream cheese, vanilla extract, confectioner's sugar, freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice, and a fragrant herb, such as mint, basil or saffron.

Assembling Gob Cakes

• Once you've baked the gob cakes, let them cool thoroughly. Flip a pair of cakes over so that the flat sides face up. Spoon about a tablespoon of filling on the flat side of one cake, then place another cake on top with the flat side facing inward to give the gob cake its characteristic domed shape. Once you've filled all of the gobs, refrigerate them for an hour or longer to let them set.