Peppermint Patty Cake

I apologize in advance for the length of this post. But you’re going to get two cake recipes out of the deal! So please continue to love me. Unless you didn’t love me before, and then please consider loving me.

The other day I found myself with three bags of miniature peppermint patties. Don’t ask me how this happened. I would say I bought the bags of peppermint patties, but I’d rather not admit that in public. So all you need to know is that I found myself with them the other day.

I wanted to find something to do with the peppermint patties other than unwrap them and eat them over and over, which would cause all sorts of self-loathing. A cake was the obvious choice.

Cakes never cause self-loathing, after all.

So I made the chocolate sheet cake I’ve always made—the one my mother-in-law handed me when I became engaged to her son, the one she promised would get me through all kinds of trials and tribulations in life and in marriage—but spiked it with peppermint patties and also helped it all along with a tiny bit of mint extract. It baked into a beautiful cake and looked a little bit sticky. My hopes were very high.

At that point, I had to decide what to do with the icing. So I did what all normal home cooks do in these situations and took it to Twitter, asking for advice on whether to do a chocolate icing or more of a vanilla buttercream, both of which sounded delicious. I was losing daylight and just went the chocolate route, winding up with a drippy chocolate mint explosion…which I promptly topped with a single peppermint patty for garnish. I’ve never eaten anything so rich.

The next day, I still had chocolate mint on my mind and wanted to try the same cake with the buttercream icing instead. So I did it!

And it was delicious!

Two cakes in two days!

And I wasn’t sorry!

Here are the two approaches.

 
 
Start by unwrapping a whole bunch of miniature peppermint patties.

 
 
 
Throw two sticks of butter into a medium saucepan over medium heat.

 
 
 
Let it melt…

 
 
 
Then measure four heaping tablespoons of cocoa…

 
 
 
And throw it in with the buttah.

 
 
 
Whisk it around to combine and let it bubble up…

 
 
 
Then grab a big handful of peppermint patties…

 
 
 
Unwrap them…

 
 
 
And throw them in.

 
 
 
Stir this around so that the peppermint patties melt…

 
 
 
Then pour in a cup of boiling water.

 
 
 
And a tiny bit of mint extract.

Just a tiny bit! A little mint extract goes a long way.

 
 
 
Now just let it bubble up for a minute, then set it aside.

 
 
 
Measure flour and sugar in a big bowl…

 
 
 
With some salt.

 
 
 
Stir it around to combine, then set it aside.

 
 
 
Now, measure some buttermilk…

 
 
 
And crack in an egg.

 
 
 
Then add some baking soda…

 
 
 
Some vanilla…

 
 
 
And a tiny bit of mint extract.

 
 
 
Then whisk it with a fork!

 
 
 
Now pour the chocolate mixture into the dry ingredients…

 
 
 
And stir it gently until it’s halfway combined.

 
 
 
Then pour in the buttermilk mixture…

 
 
 
And stir it till it’s smooth.

 
 
 
Pour the (lumpy, but it doesn’t matter) batter into a sheet pan…

 
 
 
And bake it for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

 
 
 
While the cake is baking, make the icing! Melt 2 sticks of butter in the same saucepan you used before, because you’re so efficient you clean saucepans the second you’re finished with them.

 
 
 
Add 4 heaping tablespoons of cocoa—same amount as the cake.

 
 
 
Stir it around and pour in the milk…

 
 
 
And let the mixture bubble up a bit.

 
 
 
Then add some peppermint patties and let them melt…

 
 
 
Before adding a bunch of powdered sugar.

 
 
 
Then use your extremely disturbing-looking hand that you’d rather deny is yours to add a little bit of salt…

 
 
 
And a tiny bit of mint extract.

 
 
 
Stir it until it’s smooth! Give it a taste, and if it’s not minty enough, add a teeny tiny bit more mint extract.

 
 
 
As soon as the cake’s out of the oven…

 
 
 
Pour the icing all over the top.

 
 
 
Until it’s totally coated.

 
 
 
Uh…yum?

 
 
 
Uh…YUM.

Again, probably one of the richest things I’ve eaten in awhile.

Dear goodness.

 
 
 
Second option! Pour the batter into inadequately greased round pans and bake them as layers, ripping off the bottom layer of cake when you remove it from the pan.

Or maybe that’s just me.

 
 
 
Then make a buttercream! Add 4 sticks of butter to the bowl of a mixer…

 
 
 
And whip it till it’s nice and fluffy.

 
 
 
Grab a buncha powdered sugar…

 
 
 
And sift it. I sometimes stick the sifter in to a big ziploc if I don’t feel like getting a cloud of sugar all over my kitchen. But I only do that when my kitchen is clean, which is approximately half a day a year.

 
 
 
Sprinkle the sifted powdered sugar into the mixer…

 
 
 
And mix it till it’s fluffy.

 
 
 
Then scrape two vanilla beans…

 
 
 
And add it to the mixer.

 
 
 
Along with a teeny bit of mint extract.

Remember to go really light with this stuff!

 
 
 
Finally, add a little half and half.

 
 
 
Yum! Buttery, sugary, vanilla-y, minty, smooth, creamy goodness!

 
 
 
Plop a good amount of frosting on the first layer (which is face down so the top is flat)…

 
 
 
And smooth it evenly.

 
 
 
Put the second layer face down on top of the first one…

 
 
 
Then totally go for it, man.

 
 
 
Get it all even on the top, then start on the sides…

 
 
 
Smoothing it a bit as you go.

 
 
 
If you have any left, decorate the top with more peppermint patties.

 
 
 
And serve it up!

 
 
 
In the words of Rachel Zoe: I die.

 
 
 
Then I serve to my kids.

 
 
 
Then I pack up a big wedge to deliver it to my sister-in-law Missy’s house! I had to get it out of here.

And psst. I liked this one better. The vanilla buttercream broke up all that chocolate mint craziness.

Enjoy both of these cakes, guys. Make whichever one appeals to your soul more.

You’ll love either one!

(Or both, if you’re anything like me.)

Here are the handy printables.

Ingredients

• Cake
• 2 sticks 1 Cup Butter
• 4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa Powder
• 1 cup Water, Boiling
• 10 whole Miniature Peppermint Patties, Unwrapped
• 2 cups All-purpose Flour
• 2 cups Sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 cup Buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 2 whole Eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1/4 teaspoon Mint Extract
• FROSTING
• 2 sticks 1 Cup Butter
• 4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa Powder
• Dash Of Salt
• 1/3 cup Whole Milk
• 8 whole Miniature Peppermint Patties, Unwrapped
• 1 pound Powdered Sugar, Sifted
• Extra Miniature Peppermint Patties, For Decorating (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon Mint Extract

Preparation Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

CAKE

In a medium saucepan, melt 2 sticks of butter and stir in 4 tablespoons cocoa. Pour in boiling water, let mixture bubble up for 30 seconds, then turn the burner to low. Add 10 peppermint patties and stir until almost totally melted. Remove pan from heat and set aside.

In a measuring cup mix together the buttermilk, baking soda, egg, vanilla, and mint extract. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, and salt. Pour the hot cocoa mixture into the bowl, stirring to slightly cool. Pour in the buttermilk mixture and stir until smooth. Pour into a greased sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes. While the cake is baking, make the icing.

ICING

Wash the same saucepan you used for the cake, then add in 2 more sticks of butter. When melted, add 4 tablespoons of cocoa and salt and stir till combined. Add milk and peppermint patties, stirring to melt. Add sifted powdered sugar, stirring until smooth. Add mint extract at the end.

Pour hot icing over hot cake, smoothing gently with a spatula. Serve immediately or allow icing to set before serving.

(Optional: Garnish cake with more peppermint patties.)

Posted by Ree | The Pioneer Woman on March 8 2013

 

Ingredients

• FOR THE CAKE:
• 2 sticks Butter
• 4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa Powder
• 1 cup Water, Boiling
• 10 whole Miniature Peppermint Patties, Unwrapped
• 1/2 cup Buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 2 whole Eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1/4 teaspoon Mint Extract
• 2 cups All-purpose Flour
• 2 cups Sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• FOR THE FROSTING:
• 4 sticks Butter, Softened
• 2 whole Vanilla Beans, Caviar Scraped Out
• 6 cups (more To Taste) Powdered Sugar, Sifted
• 1 dash Salt
• 4 Tablespoons Half-and-half, More To Taste
• 1/4 teaspoon Mint Extract
• Extra Miniature Peppermint Patties, For Decorating

Preparation Instructions

For the cake:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour two round cake pans.

In a medium saucepan, melt 2 sticks of butter and stir in 4 tablespoons cocoa. Pour in boiling water, let the mixture bubble up for 30 seconds, then turn the burner to low. Add 10 peppermint patties and stir until almost totally melted. Remove pan from heat and set aside.

In a measuring cup mix together the buttermilk, baking soda, eggs, vanilla, and mint extract. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, and salt. Pour the hot cocoa mixture into the bowl, stirring to slightly cool it. Pour in the buttermilk mixture and stir until smooth.

Pour batter into cake pans and bake for 16-18 minutes, or until done. Remove cakes from pans and let them cool completely on a wire rack.

For the frosting?
In a large bowl beat butter until fluffy. Add vanilla caviar to bowl. Slowly add powdered sugar and salt and beat until fluffy. Add half-and-half and mint extract and beat until totally fluffy.

Place one layer of cake face down on a platter (flat side up) and spread a good layer of icing on top. Place the second layer face down on top, then ice the top and sides of the cake, getting plenty of icing around the sides. Decorate the cake with a circle of peppermint patties.

Store leftovers in the fridge!

Posted by Ree | The Pioneer Woman on March 8 2013

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