UMES FOOD SERVICES

As a part of that, they create meals and dining experiences for both students and faculty alike. well we met with the executive chef who introduced us to a seasonal spin on an old sweet treat favorite. take a look. track 1- typically when you think of food services on a college campus, you may think of daily dining hall services, but at the university of maryland eastern shore, there are retail and catering services. on a daily basis we provide different breakfast breaks, luncheons for different meetings that take place on campus, the but the great thing about catering here, we also offer on campus and off campus services. track 2- they have a standard catering guide but they also offer custom menus as well.they have options for students and faculty. when dealing with the students, they like more of the fun options such as wings, ice cream socials, different action stations like waffle stations.when dealing with faculty they like more of the upscale menu items .we provide china, they like plated meals; more of a complete 4 or 3 course meal track 3- i talked to executive chef, levin bailey donaldson, the third.he says it’s rewarding to be able to create delicious dining experiences for both students and faculty.but he says he especially likes making the seasonalpumpkin whoopie pie. you think of family, you think of fun conversations, it’s a good thing to do if you have little kids.they can definitely execute something like this over the holidays, so i’d look at it as a fun family thing to do. track 4- and of course with all of the ingredients laid out, chef made it seem simple and doable…for folks like me– who aren’t the best bakers in the kitchen. pretty easy.it’s just a couple of ingredients in the bowl. white cake mix, you can use chocolate if you like, solid pumpkin pack, we use pudding mix to bind it, some confectioner’s sugar all of these dry ingredients, put these in a bowl, mix everything together.take 2 teaspoons, and drop them on a sheet pan with parchment paper.bake for8-10 minutes on 300-325 degrees depending on your oven. track 5- after the pumpkin cakes are done, chef says it’s important to let them cool off before moving ahead with the icing… i have my cream cheese, i have my butter, confectioner sugar.let me load up my pastry bag, fold, scoop some out of the bowl track 6- he pressed it down to the tip, twisted the bag, put a couple of cakes on the platter and went for it… just line them up…a little dab will do you. track 7- he squeezed out a few more dabs and then it was time… they’ll make a pumpkin lover out of me, i’m sure.i’m more of a sweet potato girl but… mmmm….that’s pretty good.that icing is delicious they were really good and easy to make.i could see myself doing that with my 6 year old for the holidays.and of course the cream cheese icing was sooo good. chef says he enjoys the t-h teaches program which is a monthly instructional hour open to students, faculty, and staff where chef teaches how to make dishes such as the pumpkin cake whoopie pies. mini sweet potato pies will be featured next month. and don’t forget, they do offer catering services that go beyond just eating at the university…and you can do to their website to get information for your next event..especially with christmas right around the corner. and join us next week for another great round of cooking in kitchen insider.

Whoopie Pie: Pumpkin Cake

Yields 80

Portion Size 1 x tbsp

Preparation Time 10 mins

Cooking Time 10 mins

Total Recipe Cost $8.24

Cost per Serving $0.10

Ingredients

2-1/2 pound Mix, Cake, White

8 ounce Mix, Pudding, Instant, Vanilla

1-1/2 cup Pumpkin, Canned

4 tsp Spice, Pumpkin Pie

3-1/2 cup Water, Tap

Preparation Method

1. In the bowl from a stand mixer, combine all ingredients and mix according to package directions.

Drop by Tablespoons on to baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

Bake at 300 degrees (convection) for 7-10 minutes. Let cool some. Then spread the icing/filling (recipe below) on the bottom of a cake and top with another cake.

2. Filling/Icing: Mix the following together:

3c Powdered Sugar 

1/3 cup butter,

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

6 Tablespoons of Milk

1 cup Cream Cheese

To contact Thompson Hospitality at UMES for your catering needs, visit http://umes.dinetray.com/catering

or contact Ms. Amanda Walton at UMESCatering@ThompsonHospitality.com