Chocolate Peppermint Cake

My Aqua Group had our fun Christmas party this past week. 

 I made a Chocolate Peppermint Bundt cake with my Wilton Pine Forest Bundt Cake Pan.  It was a big hit.  I used cream cheese frosting on it to resemble snowy mountaintops.  If you've ever made the chocolate cake from a cake mix that has sour cream and chocolate chips in it, it's similar, but has peppermint chips instead of chocolate chips.

These are what I used....the peppermint bark chips for inside the cake and the peppermint chocolate baking confetti for decorating the frosting.  However, peppermint bark mix-ins are hard to find.  I want to make loaves for neighbors and had to resort to buying the peppermint bark squares and I'll chop them up.  I have enough of the confetti leftover.

On the left side is a Fitz and Floyd front and back of the teapot.  The teapot is such a detailed work of art!  Bottom left is my snowcapped pine forest cake.  Top right is a Tea Holiday Tea Collection from Mary of six different delicious teas of ten each that will keep me happy all winter.  Thank you so much, Mary! I had Candy Cane  Chai tea for my first selection, and so perfect with the cake.  The next pictures are of my favorite Johnson Bros Merry Christmas pattern.

Yield: 1 bundt cake or 2 loaf cakes

Author: Kitty, but recipe is adapted from Tina at Epicuricloud

Chocolate Peppermint Bundt Cake

This is a tasty chocolate cake to serve during Christmastime.

Ingredients

• Baking Spray, oil or butter to grease pan or use Homemade Cake Release (see NOTE)
• Cake:
• 1 box chocolate cake mix (15.25 ounce)
• 1 small box chocolate instant pudding mix
• 1 cup sour cream room temp.
• 4 large eggs room temp.
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1/2 cup coffee (not hot) or water + 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup peppermint bark mix-ins (or mini chocolate chips)
• Glaze:
• 2 ounces cream cheese room temp.
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons milk
• sprinkles optional

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange oven rack to lower central portion.
2. Prepare bundt pan by using Baker's Joy or Homemade Cake Release (see NOTE), or grease 2, 8" x 4" metal loaf pans. (You can use baking spray. You can also line pan with parchment for easy removal for the loaf pans.)
3. Cake
4. In large mixing bowl, combine cake mix and pudding mix. In large liquid measuring cup or small bowl stir together: Sour Cream, Eggs, Oil. Coffee and vanilla.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips or peppermint bark chips.
6. Pour into prepared pan.
7. Bake for 40-45 minutes for the loaf pans, and around 50 minutes for the bundt cake, or until toothpick in the center comes out clean
8. Let cool in pan about 5-10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.
9. Glaze
10. Use mixer to smooth cream cheese until there are no lumps. Add powdered sugar, vanilla and milk*. Mix until smooth. (*For thicker or thinner texture you can adjust the amount of milk.)
11. Once the cake or loaves are almost cool, drizzle on the glaze and sprinkle with decorative sprinkles if desired.
12. Keeps for several days in refrigerator. You can loosely cover once the cake is completely cool and the glaze has set.

Notes

Homemade Cake Release:

Mix 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, and 1/2 cup shortening together until smooth. I used an electric mixer. Use a pastry brush to get into all the crevices in a bundt pan. The mix keeps in airtight container in the pantry for 3 months or in the fridge for 6 months. I label and date the container.

My Baker's Joy would always get clogged up and it was frustrating; no more frustration with this!

I made some more of my Artisan Bread and I had found a video on YouTube on how to make this Christmas tree design by scoring it with a razor blade into eight sections and then using scissors for the sides of the trees  I told my son, Mike, about it, and he tried it out.  It looks so pretty, doesn't it?

Thank you for your visit!  xo

I'm sharing with these parties:

Talking About It Tuesdays

Love Your Creativity Link Party

Full Plate Thursday at Miz Helen's Country Cottage