Chocolate Peppermint Cake

After the holiday season, I absconded with some peppermint chips from work before they landed in the trash.  I've been feeding several each day into my coffee pot, and decided to add enough to a chocolate cake to give it a hint of freshness without hitting you over the head with too much mint.  You can make your own by putting a leftover candy cane from Christmas in a ziplock baggie and whacking it with a rolling pin.  They dissolve pretty fast in the batter, and have less of a bite than peppermint extract.

I'm basing this on my Double Chocolate Buttermilk Cake.  There are a few changes to make it match what I have on hand and to avoid buying buttermilk.  Same volume of batter.

*2 C cake flour
*1/2 C cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 C margarine
1-1/4 C sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla
1-1/2 C milk
1 C chocolate chips
*2 Tb crushed peppermint or chips

1.  Preheat oven to 350º.  Start soaking cake pan strips, if using.  Grease 2 9" or 3 6" cake pans, line bottoms with wax paper, grease again, and dust lightly with cocoa powder.  I realized I never took a photo of how I cut out the wax paper, so here's a three-stage shot.  You press the paper onto the bottom of a cake pan to get the general size and shape, then cut it.  It doesn't have to be exact.

2.  Sift together cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

3.  In mixer with paddle, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add in vanilla and eggs one at a time.  Beat until fluffy and emulsified.

4.  Alternate adding in flour and milk.  Beat until smooth, 2-3 minutes.  Stir in chocolate and peppermint chips.  They're going to sink to the bottom because this is a thin batter.  When filling the cake pans, try to distribute.

5.  Divide batter between pans.  Weighing provides the most accurate amounts.  Place wet baking strips around pans.  Bake 30-35 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean and the cakes start to pull away from the edges of the pans.

6.  Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, to allow the chips to firm up slightly, then turn out and remove paper.  Allow to cool completely before icing or freezing for another day.

Makes 1 cake, about 12 servings

Difficulty rating  :)