I am always slightly embarrassed to post a recipe that includes cake mix as an ingredient because I feel like I am obligated to make absolutely everything from scratch all of the time and cake mix is somehow a personal failure. However, the truth is that sometimes I do use cake mix and sometimes I use canned soup (never together) and sometimes I use Cool Whip and other pre-made store bought products. Sometimes, the foods and desserts made with those products are really good…and easy as a bonus. One of my all-time favorite desserts is sopaipilla cheesecake which is made mostly of crescent rolls from a can.

I am not a big chocolate fan myself, but I have it on good authority that this cake is G-O-O-D. It is super moist, very chocolatey and festive for Christmas with the peppermint flavoring. And, yes, this glorious cake starts with a cake mix and a box of pudding. You just might have to add this one to your Christmas dessert menu. People will love you for it.

Chocolate Peppermint Cake

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• a small amount of cocoa for dusting your pan
• 1 box of chocolate fudge or Devil’s food cake mix (my cake decorating instructors recommended Duncan Hines, so that is always what I use)
• 1 small box (3.9 ounces) instant chocolate pudding
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
• 1 cup oil
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons peppermint extract
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips, whole or roughly chopped

For the glaze and garnish:

• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 2-3 crushed candy canes (optional)

Optional: Serve each piece topped with fresh whipped cream or ice cream.

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter or spray a bundt pan and then dust with cocoa, covering all surfaces and shaking out any extra.
2. Place cake mix and dry (not prepared) pudding mix in a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer. Mix and set aside.
3. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, sour cream, oil, milk, vanilla, and peppermint until smooth. Add this mixture to the cake mix and pudding mix and beat to combine. Scrape down sides of the bowl and then beat for two minutes on medium high speed. (Tip: I prefer to measure things such as sour cream with my digital scale. Use the spatula to add directly to the mixing bowl.)
   

   

   

4. Add chocolate chips and stir to combine. (Tip: The original recipe calls for roughly chopping the chips before adding, but that did not work really well for me. The next time, I just added the chips whole and received comments about people who “loved the texture contrast” of the soft moist cake with the firm chocolate chips.)
5. Pour batter evenly into prepared bundt pan and bake for 45-50 minutes, until a skewer comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.

   

   

6. When cake is done, let cool for 15-20 minutes in the pan and then invert onto a piece of parchment paper or foil on a wire rack until completely cool.
7. At this point, you can wrap the cake and freeze it for future use or you can prepare the glaze to use immediately.
8. To prepare the glaze, place chocolate chips and butter in a heat-proof bowl. Heat cream until hot and bubbly and then pour over the chocolate and butter. Let sit for 2-3 minutes, add peppermint, and then whisk until smooth. At first the glaze will be runny, but it will thicken over time. Let it sit for a few minutes and then spoon or pour glaze over the cooled cake. (Tip: If you heat the cream in the microwave, watch it closely. One second it will not be doing anything and the next thing you know, it has bubbled out of the cup and made a huge mess in the microwave. Not that I have any personal experience with that… About 40-45 seconds is all that is needed in my microwave.)

   

   

   

9. Let the glaze set on the cake for a few minutes and then sprinkle crushed candy canes over it as a garnish. (Tip: If you are not going to be eating the cake within a couple of hours, you may want to wait to add the glaze and candy canes. I recently made the cake for a friend to take to work, and the cake ended up not being served until the next day. The candy canes dissolved and made a bit of a mess out of the presentation.)

   

   

10. Serve plain or with a spoonful of fresh whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream. (Tip: Add a bit of peppermint extract to the cream while whipping to add even more festive flavor.)

Source: Our Best Bites

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Category: Cakes, Christmas, Desserts Tags: bundt cake, chocolate peppermint cake, Christmas dessert

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