Instructions

DARK CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT CAKE

1. Adjust your oven rack to the center position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray 3 8-inch round cake pans with non-stick baking spray and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, add flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and whisk to combine. In a medium bowl add the boiling water, chocolate, cocoa powder and instant espresso powder, whisk until smooth.
3. Attach the paddle attachment to a stand mixer and beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add eggs one at a time beating after each addition until combined. Beat in sour cream and peppermint extract until incorporated.
4. With the mixer speed on low, add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the chocolate mixture in 2 additions. Mix until just combined. Do not over mix. Add the mini chocolate chips and give the batter a few final stirs by hand.
5. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cake pans and smooth the tops with an offset cake spatula or rubber spatula. Gently tap the cake pans on the counter to release air bubbles. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Rotate cake pans twice through baking.
6. Let cakes cool in their pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Invert cakes on to wire racks to cool completely, about 2 hours.

PEPPERMINT BUTTERCREAM

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter, shortening and extract on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes.
2. Add the water, and peppermint extract, and half of the powdered sugar and mix until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
3. On low speed, slowly add the remaining powdered sugar and more water if needed to achieve the desired consistency. Use frosting immediately or cover with a damp cloth, as the frosting will start to harden as it sits.

ASSEMBLE

1. Reserve about 2 cups of the frosting to use for your crumb coat.
2. Reserve about 3 cups frosting in a separate bowl and color with red gel food color.
3. Fit two piping bags with Wilton #12 piping tips. Place white frosting in one piping bag and red frosting in the other piping bag.
4. Place one cake layer on a cake board and place on a cake turntable.
5. Create a stripped candy effect by piping a silver dollar sized circle in the center of the cake layer that’s on the cake turntable with red buttercream. Them trace that circle with white buttercream, followed by another layer of red and another layer of white, until you reach the edge of the cake. It should look like a target. Repeat this process with the second cake layer.
6. Place the last cake layer on top, (bottom side up) and use the reserved frosting for your crumb coat to apply a thin layer of frosting over the top and sides of the cake to catch any loose crumbs. Once your crumb coat has been applied, chill the cake in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or in the freezer for 15 minutes.

STRIPPED FROSTING

1. While the cake is chilling, line an 8-inch acrylic disc with parchment paper, attaching the paper with a small amount of frosting.
2. Apply a generous amount of white frosting on top of the chilled cake and smooth out the top with a small offset cake spatula. You should have some frosting hanging off the edge of the cake.
3. Place the lined acrylic disc on top of the cake, lining the disc up to the bottom cake board.
4. Refill your piping bags with frosting and remove the piping tips so you’re just using the couplers to pipe.
5. Starting at the bottom of the cake, pipe a ring around the cake with white frosting, followed by the red frosting and work your way up, alternating with the frostings.
6. With an icing smoother, smooth the sides of the cake rotating the cake on the turntable one rotation at a time. Check to see if you need to fill in any gaps with red or white frosting and with a clean icing smoother, smooth the frosting one more time. The more you smooth the cake the more the frosting will blend together, so don’t over smooth.
7. Chill the cake in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or in the freezer for 15 minutes before removing the disc. While the cake is chilling, prepare the White Chocolate Drip.

WHITE CHOCOLATE DRIP

1. In a microwavable bowl combined candy melts and heavy cream and microwave for 20 second intervals, stirring between each interval until melted.
2. Let chocolate cool slightly before applying the drips. Do a test drip on the back of the cake to test. The drip should still be fluid but not hot enough to melt the frosting.
3. Add chocolate drip to a squeeze bottle, piping bag or use a spoon to apply to the sides of the cake. Pour remaining white chocolate drip in the center of the cake and spread to meet the edges of the dripped chocolate.
4. Chill the cake in the refrigerator for 1 hour so the chocolate drip can set before adding additional decoration.
5. Fit a piping bag with Ateco piping tip #827. Cut the couplers off of the piping bags used to create the striped effect on the sides of the cake. Place both of those piping bags in the one piping bag.
6. Pipe swirls on the top edges of the cake and top with festive sprinkles and peppermint candies.