About Writer in the Kitchen, aka MK's Cookery: I love to be in the kitchen. Once upon a time I was going to be a pastry chef, and though my life took a different path (glad it did), my love for baking and cooking has never gone away. You can always find more on my Recipes page.
This decadent cake recipe is from Victoria magazine’s 2018 Holiday Bliss. A great many recipes go through my "test kitchen," but only a few are shared. This Chocolate Cake is one of those easy-to-make and delicious-to-eat recipes that I cannot keep to myself.
The cake recipe can be found on the Victoria website, along with the original peppermint frosting recipe. The cake is delicious, and I followed it to the teaspoon. However, I ended up using one of my frosting recipes because I found theirs to be far too sweet and buttery. I also used a lot less frosting in between the layers to cut down on some of the sugar and calories (every bit helps).
Did you know? Peppermint candies have been popular since the mid-nineteenth century when they were sold on the streets of London, and quickly found popularity throughout Europe. However, centuries earlier, mint was used for medicinal purposes (and still is). Today, the bulk of the US mint supply comes from the Pacific Northwest. It also makes a great ingredient in home-made pest repellents.
I am not personally a fan of candy canes or anything with too much mint flavor (except the occasional chocolate peppermint patty), which is why peppermint is not included in my frosting recipe (printable PDF at end of post). Instead, I sprinkled a few peppermint baking chips in between each layer and a few more on top. It turned out to be just enough flavor without overpowering the cake or frosting.
This cake makes a festive holiday treat, and is not at all difficult to make. The buttermilk keeps it moist and adds extra richness. The recipe is similar to a few others I make, but this one is now in my top-three favorites.
Pair it with tea, coffee, or even sugar-free cocoa.
Did you know that reading a book while eating a delicious treat will cut the calories by 50%? Did you also know that I'm probably making that 100% up . . . but why risk it?
Chocolate Peppermint Cake with Vanilla Cream Frosting
You can print the recipe for the cake from the Victoria website.
The frosting recipe I used is below. You can also find a printable PDF for the full recipe on the Recipes page.
If you like process pictures, I've included a few below. All you need for the cake are two bowls, at least one whisk (I used two small and one large), and a strong, flexible spatula.
Dry ingredients in the larger bowl. Wet ingredients in the smaller. Whisk each set of ingredients. Make a well in the dry ingredients, and pour in the wet. I used the spatula to mix the wet and dry together, and then I continued to use it after pouring in the hot water (see recipe). Once the batter was sufficiently mixed, I switched to a larger whisk. I will probably use a mixer the next time I make this cake, though the recipe doesn't call for it, so the by-hand method works great.
May you have a sweet, safe, and hope-filled holiday season.
—MK