Lethal Peppermint Chocolate Cake

The Cake Mix Doctor's Easy Desserts

From the kitchen of The Cake Mix Doctor

Ingredients

1 tablespoon peppermint schnapps

solid vegetable shortening, for greasing the pans

flour, for dusting the pans

1 package plain devil's food cake mix (18.25 ounces)

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/3 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup vegetable oil (such as canola, corn, safflower, soybean or sunflower)

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 recipe Peppermint Buttercream Frosting

Cooking Directions

Prepare the Chocolate Ganache, adding the peppermint schnapps after all the chocolate has melted. Let the ganache cool.

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the over to 350°F. Generously grease two 9-inch round cake pans with solid vegetable shortening, then dust with flour. Shake out the excess flour. Set the pans aside.

Place the cake mix, cocoa powder, buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for one minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat two minutes more, scraping the sides down again if needed. The batter should look thick and combined. Divide the batter between the prepared pans, smoothing it out with the rubber spatula. Place the pans in the oven side by side.

Bake the cakes until they spring back when lightly pressed with your finger and just start to pull away from the sides of the pan, 28 to 30 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 10 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edge of each layer and invert each onto a rack, then invert them again onto another rack so that the cakes are right side up. Cool completely, 30 minutes more.

Place one cake layer, right side up, on a serving platter. Spread the top with Peppermint Buttercream Frosting. Place the second layer, right side up, on top of the first layer and frost the top and sides of the cake with Chocolate Ganache that has cooled and is spreadable. Work with clean, smooth strokes. Chill the cake until ready to serve.

* Place this cake, uncovered, in the refrigerator until the frosting sets, 20 minutes. Cover the cake with waxed paper and store in the refrigerator for up to one week. Or freeze it, unwrapped in aluminum foil, for up to six months. Thaw the cake overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

The Cake Mix Doctor, c. 2000