Pink Peppermint Cake

Our contributor, Tessa Huff, is sharing a new cake recipe today…

There is nothing quite like experiencing the holidays through the eyes of a child.  All the wonder and excitement in their hearts keep this time of year extra magical.  And while this is my first holiday season having a little one of my own at home, I’ve tried to take notes from my nieces and nephews over the years on how to slow down, stress less, and really try to enjoy all the celebration.

This cake is for them and anyone else that needs a little more whimsy in their lives this winter.  It is fun, festive, and just plain pretty!  While rustic, unfrosted, and drippy cakes are fairly trendy right now, nothing beats a pretty pink cake from time to time.  And it tastes just like peppermint ice cream!

Velvety vanilla bean cake is the base for this Pink Peppermint Cake.  The cake layers are versatile but also full of flavor.  White chocolate mellows out the peppermint and sweetness in the buttercream filling.  Really whipping the butter lightens up with filling so that it is neither too sweet nor too dense.  Tint the filling and each slice will be striped like a candy cane!  The whole cake has been frosted in cloud-like peppermint meringue.  It really is as dreamy and fluffy as it looks!  To finish it off, I added a generous sprinkle of while chocolate curls, sanding sugar, and sugar peals that all remind me of fresh snowflakes.

PINK PEPPERMINT CAKE
a recipe by Tessa Huff

For the Vanilla Bean Cake:
2 1/2 cup cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs + 1 egg yolk
1 cup whole milk

1. Grease and flour two 8-inch round pans and set aside.  Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together.  Set aside.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter until smooth.
4. Add in the sugar and vanilla bean seeds.  Continue to mix on medium speed until completely creamed together.  The mixture should be light and fluffy.
5. One at a time, mix in the eggs and egg yolk.  Mix in the vanilla.
6. Stop mixing and scrap down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
7. In alternating batches (starting and ending with the dry ingredients), add in the flour mixture and milk.
8. Mix on medium-low for no more than about 20 seconds after the last streaks of flour have disappeared to prevent over-mixing.
9. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and bake for about 28-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
10. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before removing the cakes from their pans.
11. Continue to cool completely (or chill wrapped in plastic) before trimming and torting.

For the Whipped White Chocolate Peppermint Filling:
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 to 2 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract (or to taste)
2 ounce melted white chocolate, cooled
red/pink gel food colouring (optional)

1. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium until smooth.
2. With the mixer on low, gradually add in the sugar, vanilla, and peppermint.
3. Once incorporated, turn the mixer up to medium-high for about 2 to 4 minutes, or until light,fluffy, and very pale in color.
4. Add in the melted white chocolate and gel food colouring (is using).  Mix again until combined.

For the Pink Peppermint Meringue Frosting:
3 egg whites
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract (or to taste)
red/pink gel food colouring (optional)

1. Place the sugar, corn syrup, and water in a saucepan over high heat.  Cook until the mixture registers 238 degrees on a candy thermometer (soft ball stage).
2. Meanwhile, place the egg whites in a clean/dry bowl of an electric mixer.  Beat with the whisk attachment until stiff peaks.
3. With the mixer running on high, carefully pour the hot sugar down the inner side of the bowl into the egg whites.
4. Continue to mix on high until glossy and the outside of the mixing bowl has returned to room temperature (about 7 minutes).
5. Add in the peppermint and gel food coloring and mix for about another 30 seconds until combined.  Use to frost immediately.

For the Assembly:
white chocolate bar for making curls
sugar pearls
sprinkles

To make the chocolate curls, heat a bar of white chocolate in the microwave at half power in increments of no more than 20 seconds at a time.  Heat until slightly softened and when scraped with a vegetable peeler, a curl is formed.  Test the curls in between heating, as you do not want the chocolate to get too warm or melty.  Create chocolate curls by scraping a vegetable peeler along the flat edge of the bar of chocolate, letting them fall on a piece of parchment paper.  Sprinkle on top the cake as desired.

 

Recipe Notes:

• The whole eggs in this butter cake recipe (as opposed to whipped egg whites) makes this cake fairly sturdy, but slightly on the denser sides (closer to a pound cake than an airy sponge cake).
• To off-set the rich cake layers, fluffy meringue icing was used instead of weighing the cake down even further with a thick, sugary frosting.
• The key to making the filling is to really whip it, incorporating more air and lightening it up, and making sure that your butter is the correct temperature before getting started.
• Instead of splitting the cakes into halves, you may keep it as a two layer cake instead of four.
• Be sure to frost the cake with the meringue soon after it is made.  The meringue may start to dry out if left alone too long, making it difficult to get that “fluffy” frosting effect.

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YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY:
Eggnog Cake
Peanut Butter & Chocolate Buckeye Cake
Gingerbread Latte Cake
Poached Pear & Cranberry Cake
Cranberry Orange Cupcakes
Pie Crust Cookies

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Find all of our holiday recipes and tutorials in our Christmas Gallery!