Peppermint Ribbon Cake
Originally published in Taste of Home Christmas Annual 2009, this cake boasts a pretty pink layer and delightful mint flavor. Its convenience is a plus for busy schedules, using a cake mix as a base.
Originally published in Taste of Home Christmas Annual 2009, this cake boasts a pretty pink layer and delightful mint flavor. Its convenience is a plus for busy schedules, using a cake mix as a base.
- Carbohydrate 77.5262583333333 g
- Cholesterol 0.0933333333333333 mg
- Fat 5.28464333333333 g
- Fiber 0.564666656653086 g
- Protein 2.09451 g
- Saturated Fat 1.10261166666667 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (71g)
- Sodium 281.883166666667 mg
- Sugar 76.9615916766802 g
- Trans Fat 0.454739333333333 g
- Calories 361 calories
Step-by-step
- Prepare cake batter according to package directions. Transfer 1 cup to a small bowl; stir in the extract, food coloring and 1/2 cup crushed candies.
- Spoon 2 cups of remaining batter into a greased and floured 10-in. fluted tube pan. Carefully top with peppermint batter; do not swirl. Top with remaining plain batter.
- Bake at 350° for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Combine confectioners' sugar and milk; drizzle over cake.
- Sprinkle with remaining crushed candies.
Bakers frequently err by swirling distinct batter layers together during assembly, which obliterates the clean visual striation intended for this specific tube-pan dessert. Developed during the mid-twentieth-century surge in commercial convenience baking, molded tube cakes gained popularity through standardized box mixes that provided home cooks with reliable crumb structures. This particular iteration adapts the traditional pound cake format into a lighter, layered construction by utilizing contrasting batter densities and targeted mix-ins. Maintaining strict separation between the white base batter and the tinted, peppermint-infused portion relies entirely on gravity and careful spooning rather than mechanical intervention.
Achieving distinct internal ribbons requires portioning precisely one cup of the prepared batter into a separate vessel, where crushed hard candies, red food coloring, and extract are thoroughly incorporated without defusing the leavening agents. When depositing this denser, pink mixture over the initial two cups of plain batter in a greased and floured ten-inch fluted tube pan, pouring it in a concentric circle prevents it from sinking unevenly into the base. Subsequent placement of the remaining plain batter seals the pink layer securely between neutral strata, ensuring the structural integrity of the crumb remains uniform throughout the baking process. Confectioners sugar and milk create a fluid glaze that must be applied only after the baked structure has cooled completely on a wire rack.
Baking at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for thirty-five to forty-five minutes requires close monitoring because crushed peppermint candies contain high concentrations of sucrose that can caramelize rapidly near the pan edges if exposed to excessive heat. Inserting a wooden toothpick near the thickest portion of the tube pan cavity provides the most reliable indicator of doneness, signaling completion when it emerges free of wet crumbs. Allowing the baked dessert to rest undisturbed in its pan for exactly ten minutes permits the crumb to firm up enough to release cleanly from the fluted surfaces without fracturing. Cooling the cake entirely before glazing prevents the confectioners sugar icing from melting into a translucent syrup rather than setting into a crisp, opaque finish.
Substituting alternative extracts requires careful measurement adjustments because concentrated oils behave differently in batter than alcohol-based counterparts. Peppermint extract is significantly more potent than standard vanilla extract, meaning reducing the volume by half is necessary if swapping flavors to avoid overwhelming the palate. Granulated sugar can replace confectioners sugar in the glaze if milk is heated slightly to dissolve the coarser crystals completely before drizzling, though the resulting texture will lack the smooth opacity characteristic of powdered sugar icings.
