March 8, 2011

patty cake, patty cake, baker's man

Bake me a cake as fast as you can.

Moist and minty.

Specifically, bake me a chocolate cake filled with peppermint-flavored buttercream and topped with a rich ganache. Mmmkay?

Although I'm a well-documented fan of the chocolate-mint combination, peppermint patties don't blow me away. Mamster, on the other hand, has said that she'll take a simple peppermint pattie (NOT spelled patty, for the record) over a lush, complicated dessert any day.

She has not tasted my latest creation; I plan to change her tune.


While it's certainly decadent, this cake is by no means complex. It's simply a torted (meaning each of the two layers is cut in half horizontally) chocolate cake filled with buttercream frosting that's been flavored with exhilarating peppermint extract and crushed candy canes and topped with a smooth, creamy ganache.

Chocolate and peppermint in the form of wee little patties? Pshaw. I'll take mine as a honkin' hunk of cake.

Pretty-in-Pink Peppermint Pattie Cake
Cake:
2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup boiling water

Filling:
3 cups powdered sugar
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1-2 tablespoons milk
2-3 drops red food coloring
1/2 cup candy cane pieces, crushed

Ganache:
1 pound (16 oz.) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 1/3 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup corn syrup

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.
To make the cake portion, stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla; beat very well. Stir in the boiling water and pour the batter into prepared pans.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

For the peppermint filling, in a standing mixer fitted with a whisk, mix together sugar and butter. Mix on low speed until well blended and then increase speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes. Add peppermint and milk and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 minute more, adding more milk if needed for spreading consistency. Beat in the food coloring until a nice pale pink color is obtained. Fold in the candy cane pieces.

To make the ganache, place your chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. Bring the cream and corn syrup just to a simmer over medium-high heat; pour the mixture over the chocolate. Let this stand, without stirring, until the chocolate begins to melt. Beginning near the center and working outward, stir the melted chocolate into the cream until the mixture is combined and smooth (do not overstir). Refrigerate, stirring every 5 minutes, until frosting just barely begins to hold its shape and is slightly lighter in color. Use immediately, as the ganache will continue to thicken after you stop stirring.

To assemble the cake, cut each cake layer in half. Spread one third of the filling atop one of the halves and repeat twice more. Place the final layer of cake on top and cover the cake with the ganache. Add embellishments as desired. Let set at least an hour before slicing.

57 comments:

  1. OHMG Grace this look special and yummy, really yummy, gloria

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  2. Peppermint patties are a childhood favourite Grace. I am sure you can bring mamster around.

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  3. Yea I hear ya on this one. That honkin' piece of cake looks about a million times better than a puny little peppermint pattie. I'm really liking the crushed candy cane in there as well. Little bits of crunch sound heavenly.

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  4. That cake looks heavenly! So luscious.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  5. You amaze me with how you create these things!

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  6. Grace, you've done it again. I am staring sadly into my bowl of yogurt and wishing I had cake for breakfast.

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  7. Such beautiful "tortion" (or should that be tortenising?) Grace. Love the layers. And I was stumped about the red/pink bits until you explained the candy canes. I'm totally on board with this cake, ooh yeah.

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  8. Now, I'm wishin' I have a slice of this...

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  9. Um... can I come over? Pretty please?

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  10. This looks divine! I love chocolate and peppermint

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  11. Oh Grace. Why must you do this to me? I'll have to spend at least 3 more hours in the gym just from THINKING about this. It looks divine, incredible, scrumptious...... and many other words that won't come out because my mouth is full of drool :)

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  12. Give me a piece of cake now, please...I've been craving chocolate cake lately and have not yet given in to the temptation of making one. But now I'm feeling weak. Great job on this minty version Grace!

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  13. It's my birthday next week and I've been browsing recipes for my cake and I think I've found it. Yay!

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  14. I'll take a slice with a glass of milk please. Pretty please?

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  15. What a delicious sounding cake! I'm a huge fan of mint...yum!

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  16. Yes, to the honkin' hunk of cake! The pretty pink color doesn't hurt either. Looks delightfully decadent.

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  17. Peppermint an chocolate is a pairing of flavours that is absolutely made in heaven.

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  18. Although I do love a simple peppermint pattie, I'll take a honkin' hunk of cake, too! One of my absolute fave flavor combos, ever.

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  19. I make yellow cake with chocolate buttercream frosting flavored with peppermint extract, and the Peppermint Pattie fiends in my house (there are a lot of them) gobble that sucker like it's the last food on earth. I'll bet they'd love this, too, but only the girls would notice that it's pretty.

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  20. Wow, pure decadence! Loving the peppermint-flavored buttercream as a filling here. 5 Star Foodie Jr. is looking over my shoulder and saying "We must make this!"

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  21. You are not helping my quest for a bikini body, Girl!!!

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  22. Looks amazing!! The flavor combination is to die for!

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  23. Delish! Enough Said... Let them eat cake!

    :)
    ~Tabitha

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  24. Want. Now. You and I are so in tune on this mint thing. And I agree with you, not your mamster, although I will say mini patties are awesome in brownies.

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  25. YUmmm! Grace, what is your position on Junior Mints? ;)

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  26. I actually don't like mint....but minus the mint, this cake looks so decadent!! :) I had no idea what the term 'torted' meant- it sounds so cool! haha :D

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  27. Mmmkay, sounds irresistable to me, especially crunchy peppermint, butter cream and ganache. Dang!

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  28. I'm not a peppermint pattie fan either, Grace, but I made some chocolate cookies with peppermint flavoring a couple years ago and nearly ate them all! This definitely is right up my alley. You will be changing your mom's mind for sure!

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  29. Oh Grace. Mint and chocolate together is my weakness. Also my husband's! I think we will be having our weakness for Sunday pudding.

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  30. I never realized how much I adore chocolate mint combinations until this year. I must have spent my whole life in a cave or something. This cake. Is. Beautiful.

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  31. Mmm, chocolate and mint -- a decadent duo with built-in palate freshener. ;)

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  32. Grace, the first picture is killing me! I must get some chocolate sweets now.

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  33. What a perfect dessert that would be for the holidays

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  34. I like the peppermint and chocolate, but then you put the ganache. Wow! Send some over.

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  35. I think I could do some damage on this cake. Since I do love Peppermint Patties that is!

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  36. This looks and sounds amazing! I love peppermint!

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  37. holy moley - what a creation! grace, this is delicious looking!!

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  38. Oh my... I love peppermint patties, but I'm sure there's room in my heart (and stomach) for this lovely treat too!

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  39. Stop it, PLEASE!!! I can't stand it anymore. Seriously, I gain weight each and every time I come here.

    I'm not a huge fan of the peppermint chocolate "fusion" thing either but gosh darn, Grace, you've done it again.

    If I can't sleep tonight, it's all your fault:)

    Thank you so much for sharing...

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  40. How sad for me...it seems that I must have missed out on some real tasty treat growing up...sigh.

    Now I have your cake to make up for that small tragedy ;o)

    Ciao for now,
    Claudia

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  41. this looks amazing!!!! can't wait to try it!

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  42. You've outdone yourself! This cake looks great!

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  43. Will you banish me from your empire if I whisper to you I can't deal with anything remotely minty other than Girl Scout ThinMints? Should I duck? Will you throw cake at me? Blame it in Howard Johnson's peppermint ice cream and Peppermint Patties. Curls my toes. But I'm thinking maybe this cake with that gorgeous pink whatnot on it could remind me of thin mints....maybe. :)

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  44. Oh, yes, honkin' hunk of cake, please!

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  45. I can already tell I'll love this cake as the chocolate cake is very similar to my favorite recipe. I also love the mint combination. Though my bf is not such a fan, the rich chocolateyness of this beauty would surely convert him :).

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  46. I have to agree with you on this, Grace. If you have to choose between a tiny little piece of dessert or a big honkin' hunk of cake, go for the big one. It's the right thing to do.

    Your cake looks yummy! My mint-loving daughter would go nuts for this!

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  47. That looks crazy good, way too complex for me, but maybe someday!

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  48. You always have great recipes to share and yummy!

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  49. That looks like one dense, rich, heavenly cake. So moist!

    Peppermint and chocolate is my second favourite chocolate combo, right after chocolate and orange.

    I didn't know cutting a cake layer in half was called torting. Thanks for teaching me something new. :)

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  50. Yum and yum is all I have to say about this one.

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  51. Gorgeous and looks like a huge crowd pleaser! I'm not a huge peppermint patty fan either, but mint Oreo blizzards are another story!

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  52. i'm not a huge peppermint patty fan either but I am when they are inside something like a cake or cookie.
    you really outdid yourself on this one ms. thing.
    sorry i'm so late in commenting--life happens.
    but wow, this is killer.

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  53. I love the titles of your posts. I love your photos more.

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  54. Love your chocolatly smile! and super looking cake as well!

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