Chocolate Candy-Cane Cake

RECIPE FORUM Recipe Exchange
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This sounds like a good Christmas Cake. I have never made it came from a cookbook called “Christmas From The Heart” by Better Homes and Gardens as they want me to preview it for 30 days but I am not. I’ve got a lot of cookbooks that I don’t even use any more and I’ve got the RSN site which is better than any cookbook.

Ingredients

2-1/4 cup sifted cake flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup Crisco shortening
1-1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 oz. red food coloring (1/4 cup)
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vinegar
Cream Cheese
Crushed peppermint candy

Cream Cheese Frosting to follow recipe.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour two 9X1-1/2 in. round baking pans. In a small mixing bowl stir together flour, cocoa powder and salt. Set pans and flour mixture aside.

Beat the shortening with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for about 30 seconds or until softened. Add the sugar and vanilla to the shortening and beat until smooth.

Add eggs, one at the time, beating after each addition. Beat in food coloring on law speed.

Alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk, beating on low speed after each addition until just combines.

Stir together the baking soda and vinegar. Add to the batter, mixing until combined.

Pour batter into prepared pans bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of cakes comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes on a wire rack.

Remove the cake layers from the pans and completely cool on wire racks.

Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting. If, desired decorate top of cake with crushed peppermint candy. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 8-oz, package cream cheese
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
5-1/2 to 6 cups powdered sugar

In a large mixing bowl combine cream cheese, 1/2 cup butter, and 2 tsp. vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in 5-1/2 to 6 cups of powdered sugar until frosting reaches a spreading consistency.

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O.K. This the rest of the recipes that are on the flyer. They also sound good

Crinkle Fudge Truffle Cookies

3 4-oz. bars sweet baking chocolate, chopped
2 Tbsp. buttered -flavored shortening
1 tsp. instant coffee granules
3 large eggs
1-1/4 cups sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
6 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
non-stick foil

Preheat oven to 350*

In a small saucepan heat and stir chocolate and shortening over very low heat until chocolate begins to melt. Remove from heat, add coffee stir until smooth.

Beat eggs and sugar with a mixer on medium speed until light and lemony colored. Beat in chocolate mixture and vanilla. On low speed beat in pecans, flour,cinnamon, baking powder and salt until combined. Line the cookie sheets with the non-stick foil tucked at each end. Drop tsp. of cookie dough 2-in. apart on the cookie sheets. Place half of a pecan if desired on top of cookies. Bake for 8-10 minutes or just until done, do not over bake. Cool for 1 to 2 minutes, transfer to rack to cool completely. If desired sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Makes 54 to 60 cookies

Cappuccino Brownies

Preheat oven to 350*

1/2 cup butter
3 -oz. unsweetened chocolate, cut up
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. instant coffee crystals
1 Tbsp. whipping cream
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. butter

Chocolate to follow recipe.

Put the butter and chocolate in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat cool slightly. Stir in sugar. Add eggs one at a time beating well with a wooden spoon just until combines. Stir in vanilla.

Stir together flour and baking soda in a small bowl. Add flour mixture to chocolate mixture and stir just until combined. Spread batter in a greased 8X8X2-in. baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, for topping dissolve coffee crystals in whipping cream. Beat together powdered sugar and the 2 Tbsp. butter in a small bowl on medium speed. Add whipping cream mixture and beat until creamy. If necessary, add a little whipping cream until mixture is of spreading consistency. Spread over the warm brownies. Chill about 1 hour or until topping is set. Carefully spread chocolate frosting over brownies. Chill until frosting is set. Cut into bars. Makes 16 bars.

Chocolate Frosting

Combine 1 cup semisweet chocolate pieces and 1/3 cup whipping cream in small saucepan. Stir over low heat until chocolate is melted and mixture begins to thicken.