Peppermint Drum Cake
I get asked to make this year after year for Christmas and sometimes Thanksgiving. Everyone really likes it as a dessert after big family meals because its so light & refreshing. When a past boyfriend took me to his familys Christmas dinner, I was asked back Even if you stop dating our boy since it was such a hit!
I get asked to make this year after year for Christmas and sometimes Thanksgiving. Everyone really likes it as a dessert after big family meals because its so light & refreshing. When a past boyfriend took me to his familys Christmas dinner, I was asked back Even if you stop dating our boy since it was such a hit!
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- 2/3 cup shortening
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 3 egg whites
- 4 egg whites
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- garnish
- 1 3/4 cups sugar
- 3 cups sifted cake flour
- 1 1/3 cups milk
- -- peppermint glaze --
- 1/3 cup butter or margarine melted
- 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
- -- fluffy frosting --
- 1/2 cup peppermint mints crushed and divided
- peppermint sticks
- round peppermint candy
- Carbohydrate 101.444854592321 g
- Cholesterol 20.4754842413545 mg
- Fat 13.878678903442 g
- Fiber 0.993634471756758 g
- Protein 7.86509805653075 g
- Saturated Fat 6.78910345421335 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (210g)
- Sodium 1694.94303893139 mg
- Sugar 100.451220120564 g
- Trans Fat 0.909178745195323 g
- Calories 553 calories
Step-by-step
- Beat shortening it medium speed of an electric mixer until fluffy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix after each addition. Stir in vanilla.
- Beat egg whites at high speed of an electric mixer until stiff peaks form; gently fold into batter. Pour batter into 3 greased and floured 9-inch round cakepans.
- Bake at 350F for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool 10 minutes on wire racks. Prick warm cake layers at 1?inch intervals with a fork. Spoon Peppermint Glaze over layers; let cool completely.
- Place 1 cake layer on plate. Spread with 1 cup Fluffy Frosting, and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons crushed peppermint candy. Repeat with second cake layer. Add third cake layer, and frost top and sides of cake with remaining 3 cups Fluffy Frosting. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup crushed peppermint around edge of cake top, making a 2-inch hand. Place peppermint sticks in a zigzag pattern around sides of cake. Place round peppermints at points where peppermint sticks meet.
- Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Yield: I cup.
- Combine first 3 ingredients in a saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Cook, without stirring, to soft ball stage (until candy thermometer registers 240F). Beat egg whites at high speed of an electric mixer until soft peaks form; continue beating, adding sugar syrup mixture in a heavy stream. Add vanilla; beat until stiff peaks form and frosting is spreading consistency. Yield: 5 cups.
Standard measurements on a recipe card omit the crucial interaction between structural crumb and liquid application. Pricking the warm sponge layers at one-inch intervals allows the boiled peppermint glaze to penetrate the interior without dissolving the crumb entirely. Achieving this balance depends entirely on timing the saturation while the layers remain warm on the wire rack.
Mastering the Boiled Sugar Frosting
Cooking sugar and water to the soft-ball stage—precisely 240 degrees Fahrenheit on a candy thermometer—creates the structural backbone for the fluffy frosting. Pouring this hot syrup in a steady stream into whipped egg whites requires a standing mixer running at high speed to trap air effectively. Stopping the heat too early yields a runny syrup, while overheating results in hard granules that ruin the spreading consistency.
Historical Context of Layered Holiday Cakes
Confections utilizing crushed peppermint and boiled frostings gained popularity during the mid-twentieth century as domestic kitchens adopted reliable thermometers and commercial extracts. Festive tortes and celebration cakes often featured elaborate decorative patterns using seasonal candies to demarcate slices and provide textural contrast against soft fillings.
