Peppermint Ribbon Cake Recipe

In the last two Sweet Southern Days posts I was telling you about the Menu for our Annual Neighborhood Christmas Party and shared two recipes from the dinner in those previous posts.

Each member of the neighborhood brought a covered dish to the dinner.  The hostess for the party this year asked if we would bring the dessert.  I had just been looking through this Taste of Home HOLIDAY Baking book of recipes, seen in the below photo,  and wanted to make the delicious looking cake seen on the front cover.  The Christmas Dinner Party seemed a perfect opportunity to make this recipe.

Peppermint Ribbon Cake Recipe

from  

Taste of Home Holiday Baking

• 1 package white cake mix (regular size)
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (not part of the original recipe - I added this)
• 1/2 teaspoon red food coloring
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons crushed peppermint candies, divided (I used candy canes)
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon canola oil

1. Prepare cake batter according to package directions, adding vanilla.  
2. Transfer 1 cup of prepared cake mix to a small bowl;  stir in peppermint extract, food coloring and 1/2 cup crushed peppermint candies.
3. Pour about half of the remaining cake batter into a well greased 10-inch fluted tube pan.
4. Carefully top with peppermint batter; do not swirl.
5. Top with remaining plain cake batter.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
7. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
8. Melt chocolate chips and canola oil; stir until smooth.
9. Drizzle over cake.
10. Sprinkle with remaining crushed candies.

My cake ended up looking a little unfinished around the edge, so I piped some chocolate frosting around the bottom edge of the cake from the leftover icing from the Gingerbread Man Cake Recipe which will follow.

Peppermint Ribbon Cake

 Gingerbread Cake with Chocolate Icing

in the below photos

 

This Christmas season while shopping in Walmart I saw a very cute large Gingerbread Cake Pan that I could not resist and it was very inexpensive. 

I was concerned that the Peppermint Ribbon Cake might not be enough to go around for the group or that some might not like Peppermint,  so decided to make this Gingerbread Cake as well.

He was so easy to make.  I used a boxed Gingerbread Cake Mix.  Prepared the mix according to directions, greased the pan, poured the batter into the pan and cooked according to the directions that came with the pan.

I made a butter-cream chocolate icing, adding powdered cocoa because I wanted him dark like the real Gingerbread Man.  There is a good butter-cream chocolate icing recipe printed on the powdered cocoa can.  I wondered if chocolate icing and Gingerbread would be tasty together and it was!

For decorations I used the different colored icings available in a tube from the cake isle at Publix Grocery Store; so easy and fun to use!   Then, he still looked kind of plain, so I sprinkled those Christmasy colorful sprinkles all around him.

So now we are ready to head off to the Neighborhood Christmas Dinner Party.  

A great time was had by all. 

If you make these recipes I hope you enjoy them as much as we did.  Peppermint flavor is not one of my favorites, but I must say this Peppermint Cake Recipe was extremely good.

Extreme winter weather is heading into our area even here in the South as we begin the 8th day of this New Year. I hope everyone out there is safe and warm and all snuggled in as we enjoy this wonderful Wintertime wherever you may be.