peppermint patties

Peppermint Brownie Cake

Posted on January 10, 2014 by Ruthanne

This dense chocolate cake is more like a brownie, and full of chopped peppermint patties! This will satisfy your biggest chocolate craving!

This recipe is the perfect solution to the January candy candy dilemma. Although there are no candy canes in this cake (there are gooey York Peppermint patties instead!), this cake is just beautiful decorated with your leftovers from Christmas.

This cake also showcases my theme for the month of January—–melted frosting! I’ve become addicted to melting tubs of ready-made frosting to use in and on various dessert recipes. It changes the consistency of the frosting- turning it into a fudge-like topping or filling and its SO easy– just melt and pour. I can’t wait to show you some of my other melted frosting ideas!

Ok- so you probably want the recipe! Here you go: (click here for a printable version)

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup butter
4 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate
1 1/4 cups flour
3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups of peppermint patties (quartered)
1 tub of pre-made chocolate frosting
3-4 candy canes to decorate with as desired.

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 325F degrees
Cut parchment paper to fit in the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan.
Liberally grease bottom and sides of pan, and place parchment paper in bottom.
Melt butter and unsweetened chocolate in a small bowl using the microwave in 30 second increments and stirring in between.
Allow this to cool slightly while you prepare other ingredients.
In a medium bowl, stir the flour, baking powder and salt together.
Cut peppermint patties into quarters,
In a large bowl, beat eggs, sugar and vanilla together for about one minute.
Add melted chocolate and beat on low until well combined.
Beat in the flour mixture.
Stir peppermint patties in using a spoon.
Pour batter into pan, smoothing the top, and bake for 30-35 minutes.
Be careful to not over-bake.
Remove from oven and allow cake to cool for about 10 minutes, this will allow the peppermint patties to harden up a little.
Run a small knife around the edge of the pan and tip cake over onto a cake rack.
Remove parchment paper and allow cake to cool completely.
Spoon tub of frosting into a small bowl and melt in microwave for 20-30 seconds.
Stir and pour over cooled cake. Do this while the cake is still on the cake rack, with a plate underneath to catch the drips. You will not need to use the entire tub of frosting to cover the cake. I placed my leftovers in a zip top bag, clipped a corner and made fun zig zags on the plates I used to serve the cake. You could also dip graham crackers or apple slices in it…for a little post-cake-making snack!!! YUM!
Sprinkle with crushed candy canes and ENJOY!!!

My thoughts: This is an old recipe for me- I’ve been making it for years with a terribly complicated glaze recipe over the top. Honestly, this melted frosting is better- and SO much easier! One note: I was in a rush to take my pictures, so I took them right away. Once this sets and cools, the glaze will harden into a fudge like consistency, and it won’t run like it is in my pictures.

OR you could just eat it up before it cools and enjoy all the gooey warm minty happiness! Enjoy!!!~r
Other minty desserts here on easybaked:

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Posted in Brownies, Cakes and tagged baking, brownie, cake, candy cane, candy canes, chocolate, chocolate frosting, dark chocolate, dense chocolate cake, dessert, frosting, fudge, mint, peppermint, peppermint patties, recipe, unsweetened chocolate, york peppermint patties. Bookmark the permalink.

Ladybug Cake!

Posted on January 2, 2014 by Ruthanne

It’s my Birthday today! Yay! Birthdays were always a huge celebration as I was growing up. My mom had a big yellow box of recipe cards from Betty Crocker that had tons of fun ideas. One of the categories was “Children’s Parties” and it was full of card-after-card of fun cakes.

Every year, mom would tell my brother and I that we could pick ANY cake out and she would make it for our birthday party (this, I believe, is where my great love of beautiful desserts began!) I had all sorts of cakes- a Panda bear, an Igloo….and one year, a giant ladybug. I loved it!

So, this year we are taking a trip down memory lane, back to the mid-70’s, for this retro recipe that made me smile then and now.

Betty Crocker 70's recipe card- Lady Bug Cake!

The Original Betty Crocker Recipe Card

INGREDIENTS: (original Betty Crocker recipe can be found here)

1 box of cake mix, any flavor, plus water, oil and eggs to make according to package.
2 sticks (1 cup) of salted butter
2 sticks (1 cup) of unsalted butter
3 cups of powdered sugar
2 teaspoons of clear vanilla flavoring
Red food coloring gel
York Peppermint Patties
Wilton candy melts in red and dark chocolate (just a few!)
Mini M&MS

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees
Generously grease and flour a 2 quart oven-proof bowl.
Make cake mix according to package, and pour into prepared bowl.
Bake at 350F degrees for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Allow cake to cool for a few minutes and then run a knife around edges and tip upside down on a cake rack to cool completely.
Make icing by combining butters, powdered sugar and vanilla and beating on high until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
Place cake on serving plate and spread a smooth layer of frosting over entire dome of cake.
Refrigerate about 10-15 minutes to harden 1st layer of frosting.
Use red food coloring gel to color about 2/3 of remaining frosting.
Frost over 1st layer with white over the front 1/3 of cake and red over the back 1/3.
Decorate with peppermint patties, icing and M&Ms. You can use licorice for the antennae, nose and mouth, but I just piped colored candy melts into the shapes I wanted.
Enjoy!!

My thoughts:You really can use any items you want to decorate this cake. You can see that Betty Crocker used gummy candies and black string licorice. Making this cake brought back great memories of being a kid. Many thanks to my wonderful mom for making childhood so much fun!

One of my favorite parts of this site is being able to give you creative recipes to surprise your family with on their special days! Here’s to many Happy Birthdays for you and yours in this coming year! Enjoy! ~r

Other fun birthday recipe ideas: