Mint Chocolate Candy Cane Cake

With a name like mine, you know you can trust me when I tell you this dessert is not only Christmasy, but it's delectable!  With a smooth buttermilk cake batter, topped with a chocolate gananche and then sprinkled with crushed candy cane pieces and dust, this might be the best thing you taste this season.

I admit that my blog crush is Jenna at Eat Live Run, but how can I resist her food?!  Every single post is mouth-watering and right up my alley.  Sometimes I wonder if she knows what I'm thinking.  The recipe seemed just perfect, and I had all the ingredients, so I didn't change a thing.

Mint Chocolate Candy Cane Cake

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 tsp mint extract

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder 

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

Ganache Topping—

8 oz dark chocolate chips

1/3 cup cream

About a handful worth of crushed candy canes- I used about 12 small ones.  I did the deed with a mallet and a Zip-lock

Butter and flour your loaf pan.  Set your oven to 325.

Sift your dry ingredients together.  I find this super helpful with the cocoa powder that likes to ball up.

Did you turn up your Christmas music?  My favorite is Charlie Brown Jazz Christmas station on Pandora.  I just start dancing around the kitchen like snoopy would.

In a mixing bowl beat your butter and sugar.  Add your egg and the mint extract.  Now the holidays are officially here!

Slowly add the buttermilk and the dry ingredients alternately.  This helps to avoid the flour mess.

Continue beating until batter is smooth and velvety.

Alright Jenna, I had to mimic your shot. :-)

Using a spatula, scoop it into your loaf pan.  It won't look perfect, but it will turn out lovely.

Bake for 60 minutes. 

What did I tell ya?  LOVELY.  Let cool for at least 10 minutes.

During this time make your ganache.  Such a fancy word.  And to think it's so simple.

1) Heat cream on stove top over medium until it JUST begins to simmer.  Don't get distracted.  It won't take very long.

2)  Pour hot cream over chocolate in a glass bowl.  Stir slowly as the cream melts the chocolate.

3)  Wa-la!  Ganache.  Fancy pants.

Using a knife around the edges, cake should come out easily.

With a large spoon, ladle your fancy silk topping over the loaf.  While the ganache is still wet, sprinkle candy cane over the top.

Eat NOW, or later.  Both are wonderful.

If you eat it now, you will get a spoon full of hot cake, liquid ganache and peppermint crunch.

If you eat later, the ganache will harden a little bit, turning each bite into chocolately-fudge-minty goodness.

After tasting, you'll think what I thought: "Everyone needs to taste this cake.  Everyone."

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