Candy Cane Chocolate Cake

A Merry Christmas Welcome to Red Couch Recipes!

An easy way to dress up a cake during the Christmas season is to add some candy canes to a cake.  It gives the cake a Christmas look and flavor.   I took this cake to a church Christmas dinner on Friday night -- it was easy to put together and delicious.  If you are short on time, you could even gussy up a store-bought cake to give it a bit of panache.

I frosted my cake with Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting, see below, and added some mini candy canes, some chocolate curls, and some crushed soft peppermints.  I like to use Bob's Peppermint rods -- they are softer than traditional candy canes.  I made the small curls with a vegetable peeler and a chocolate bar.

I made my mother Nedra's Whole Wheat Chocolate Cake, because I love its texture and flavor.

1 cup butter

2 cups brown sugar

2 eggs

2 -1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup cocoa

1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

7/8 cup boiling water

Grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan or 2 (8-inch round cake pans). In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar. Then add 2 eggs and beat well. In a medium, and separate, bowl, add the whole wheat flour and cocoa together. In a small bowl, add the buttermilk and vanilla together. Then add the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture to the creamed butter and sugar mixture. alternately, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Add to mixture the baking soda. Finally, add the 7/8 cup boiling water all at once and mix thoroughly. Pour immediately into prepared pan(s) and bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes if using a 13 x 9 x 2 pan or 25 to 30 minutes if using the 8-inch round pans. Frost with Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting -- see recipe below.

Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting

Blend together 3/4 cup room temperature butter, 4 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 cup cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 3-4 tablespoons water. You may need to add extra water, depending on how thick you want it.  I always like a moist frosting.

While frosting is still moist, place small candy canes on the side of the cake.  Add crushed peppermint rods and chocolate curls to the top of the cake.  Make sure to add some crushed peppermint to the cake platter to give it that Christmas feeling.

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Posted with the following:  Weekend Wrapup, Made By You Monday