The Best Cake I've Ever Made..

I tend to bake a lot of cakes - they're just fun for me. I don't know why but they are and I do.

That being said, this is by far the coolest combo I have come up with. While at my girlfriends, I was snacking on some mint flavored white chocolate morsels and thought, "Wow! what a good icing this would make!" 

Being already a huge fan of Ina Gartens Chocolate Cake, I checked that off the list as a possible canvas for this new awesome icing. Her recipe calls for a light and fluffy milk chocolate icing, but I was shooting for the more dense and think style. I already had it in the back of my mind that somehow I was going to work those white and red swirly mints into the picture, a al white chocolate holiday bark. I ended up using Ina's icing as the base, subbed in white chocolate for the dark, and added in peppermint extract. It turned out great!

I then got to have some fun swinging a zip top bag filled with mints into random appliances and counter tops. I then dusted the cake with the mint particles. I think it turned out great and is a perfect treat for the holiday season or whenever you're in mood. 

Chocolate Peppermint Cake

Ina Garten's Chocolate Cake (too good to mess with)

White Chocolate Peppermint Icing

 - adapted from Ina Garten

6 oz. good white chocolate

2 sticks of butter, room temp

1 and 1/4 cups sifted confectioners sugar

1 egg yolk

1 to 1.5 tsp. pure peppermint extract, depending on how minty you would like it

Melt the chocolate in the microwave, heating in short intervals and stirring in between. Beat the sugar and butter until fluffy. Add in the mint extract followed by the egg yolk. Combine. Add in the chocolate and beat one last time. 

Ice cake once cooled. 

To finish this cake, take 5-8 red/white swirl mints and crush. Dust the cake as desired.