Chocolate and Peppermint Cake

This cake is a showstopper. Everyone will look at your pretty creation and want some. All the recipes are from The Cake Mix Doctor, but she did not put any of them together this way. That is my creation. It really is a great cake, and because it comes from a mix it is so easy! I made this for my husband's grandmother's birthday a few years ago because she has a December 23rd birthday. I love that candy canes are used on and in it. What is more Christmassy than candy canes?


Chocolate and Peppermint Cake

Cake:
1 pkg. devil's food cake mix
1 pkg. (3.9 oz.) instant chocolate pudding
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans. Place all ingredients except chocolate chips into bowl. Mix on low speed 1 minute. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat 2-3 minutes more. The batter should look thick and well combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake for 27-32 minutes (or whatever time the box recommends) or until cake springs back when lightly pressed. Let cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack.

Peppermint Buttercream Filling:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup finely crushed peppermint candy
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons milk
1/4 tsp. peppermint extract (OR 1/2 tablespoon peppermint schnapps)

Mix butter on low speed until fluffy. Add peppermint candy, powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon milk, and extract OR schnapps. Blend on low speed until sugar is incorporated. Increase speed to medium and beat until the frosting lightens and is fluffy, about 1 minute. Blend in up to 1/2 tablespoon milk if filling is too stiff.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
2/3 cup cocoa powder
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy
1/3 cup whole milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt

Beat butter and cocoa on low speed until well combined. Add all other ingredients and mix on low speed until frosting lightens and is fluffy, 2 - 3 minutes. Add more milk if frosting is too thick, or powdered sugar if too thin.

Assembling the cake:
Place one cake layer on serving plate. Spread with Peppermint Buttercream. Place other cake layer on top. Frost with Chocolate Buttercream. Sprinkle additional crushed peppermint candy on top for a pretty presentation.


Notes on this recipe: I use a Duncan Hines cake mix because it does not have pudding added to the mix. Using one of the others will probably work fine, but it may result in a heavier cake. If you are making the frosting, do not substitute margarine for the butter. Butter tastes way better.

I really enjoyed making and eating this cake! You can speed up the process by adding peppermint extract to canned vanilla frosting and using canned chocolate frosting. But, if you are going to the fuss of making a special dessert, homemade frosting does taste better. (Especially this chocolate frosting recipe - to die for!)

Only 8 days and 4 recipes until Christmas!