Chocolate Peppermint Poke Cake

I must confess that we didn’t even wait until after Thanksgiving was over before we opened the first box of candy canes.

It is a little embarrassing.

But at least it went into something really yummy – a chocolate peppermint poke cake.

You remember the original poke cakes made with colorful jello poked into a white cake? This holiday version features a chocolate cake poked with a yummy peppermint simple syrup.

It’s rich and minty and most of all – super easy!

Chocolate Peppermint Poke Cake

1 – 9 x 13 chocolate cake (you can use a mix – or make your own from scratch)
1 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 tub of Cool Whip
1 or 2 crushed candy canes

Bake cake as directed.

While the cake is baking, combine the water and sugar in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture boils. Add the peppermint extract.

Reduce heat and let it simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, use a fork to poke the entire top and slowly pour the peppermint syrup over it all.

Let it cool completely.

Frost with the Cool Whip and garnish with the crushed peppermints.

Refrigerate until you are ready to serve.

The cake just gets more minty as it sits!

Enjoy!

I’ve linked this post with Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed With Grace and Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam.

Raspberry Fudge Cake

Who doesn’t love a rich, dark chocolate cake with a fudge frosting just dripping off the edges?!

We do! And so did our dinner guests the other night!

A luscious combination of chocolate and raspberry – and the perfect proportion of cake to frosting made this cake my diet buster of the week!

Good thing I served it to friends so there wasn’t much left -over the next day. I seriously would have eaten it for breakfast. 😉

Raspberry Fudge Cake

1 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate (cut in pieces)
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup seedless raspberry jam
1 tablespoon Kirsch or maraschino cherry juice
3 eggs

Frosting:

1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam
1 ounce semisweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon light corn syrup

Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 inch springform pan and dust it with cocoa.

Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the chocolate chips, unsweetened baking chocolate, and 3/4 cup butter. Stir till smooth. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

In a medium bowl, beat the sugar, 3/4 cup jam, the kirsch, and the eggs until well blended. Stir in the melted chocolate and the flour mixture.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 40 to 50 minutes.

Remove from the oven and carefully remove the sides of the pan leaving the cake on the pan bottom. Let the cake cool completely.

Spread the remaining raspberry jam over the top of the cooled cake. Let sit while you make the topping. In a saucepan over low heat melt the butter, corn syrup, and chocolate chips, stirring until smooth. Pour over the top of the cake.

This makes about 16 servings.

Enjoy!

I’ve linked this post up with Lisa over at Stop and Smell the Chocolates and at Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum.

Luscious Chocolate Cake

Once again Nana shares a yummy and quick recipe from her kitchen – which she shared with my younger sister for a few days…

Our youngest daughter and her 6 children were spending a couple of days with us to make the time go faster while hubby/daddy was in Australia on a business trip.

It was unseasonably cool, in fact almost cold! It just felt like baking weather.

She looked in the pantry and found this recipe taped to the back of a box of chocolate cake mix. (Papa Jim wanted to be sure & make it the next time he got urge to bake!)

It was indeed luscious and a hit with all of us. It was especially good with the home made ice cream that they had brought along!

Luscious Chocolate Cake
(Recipe Papa found on back of cake mix!)

1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk

1 cup applesauce

l cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 eggs

1 package super-moist chocolate cake mix

½ cup chopped pecans

½ cup vegetable oil

Heat oven to 350°. Grease bottom of 13”x9” pan; lightly flour. Microwave milk and ½ cup of the chocolate chips in small microwavable bowl uncovered on medium about l minute or until chocolate is softened; stir until smooth and set aside.

Beat cake mix & oil on low speed 30 seconds (mixture will be crumbly); reserve 1 cup. Beat applesauce and eggs into remaining cake mixture on low speed 30 seconds (batter will be thick & grainy); beat on medium speed 2 minutes. Spread in pan. Drop melted chocolate mixture by teaspoonfuls over batter, dropping more around edge than in center. Stir remaining ½ cup chocolate chips and the pecans into reserved cake mixture; sprinkle over batter.

Bake 35-45 minutes or until center is set. Run knife around side of pan to loosen cake. Cool completely, about 2 hours. Store covered at room temperature. (It does freeze well if you have enough left over!)

Until next time!

Nana Shirley

Coke Cake

The case of the disappearing coca cola cake was solved this week when a puzzled home school mom called to ask how she ended up with my cake pan!

Hmm…

Since the cake was such a big hit the first time we made it, Dagmar made another this week while some friends were visiting.

It disappearing again, but this time I watched it go- piece by moist and delicious piece!

Coca Cola Cake

Combine 1/2 cup margarine, 1/2 cup shortening, 3 tablespoons baking cocoa, 1 cup coca cola and 1 1/2 cup mini marshmallows in small saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and pour over 2 cups of sugar and 2 cups of flour. Stir well.

Add 2 eggs, 1/2 cup of buttermilk, and 1 teaspoon of soda. Mix well.

Pour into a greased 9 x 13 inch cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool in pan.

Frost with Coca Cola frosting.

Coca Cola Frosting

Combine 1/2 cup margarine, 3 tablespoons baking cocoa, and 6 tablespoons of coca cola in saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat stirring constantly. Add 16 ounces of powdered sugar and beat till smooth.

Spread on cooled cake.

Keep an eye on the finished cake- now you see it- now you don’t!