Chocolate Cake with Candy Cane Peppermint Glaze

This is my "go-to" chocolate cake recipe - so easy!  It turns out a smooth, moist, even cake with a great chocolate-y flavour every time.

For the Christmas season and an event at work, I dressed it up with a peppermint glaze and crushed candy canes. 

Cake
2 cups white sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour your baking pan(s) - you can use two nine inch round pans, one bundt pan, or a tall 9" pan.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, mix for 2 minutes on medium speed of mixer. Stir in the boiling water last. Batter will be thin. Pour evenly into the prepared pan(s).
3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the cake tests done with a toothpick. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Glaze:
Icing Sugar
Hot Water
Peppermint Extract

Portions are up to you depending on how much of the glaze you want,  but you could start with 1 cup of icing sugar.  Put the icing sugar into a cup, and gradually add a couple drops of hot water, stirring each time, until you reach your desired consistency.  Hint: the thicker it is, the more it will show up as white on your cake.  Once you're happy with the glaze, add a couple drops of peppermint extract to your taste. 

Topping: I took three candy canes and crushed them, then sprinkled them onto the cake *while the glaze was still fresh - so they would stay in place.

Chocolate Cake recipe originally from All Recipes.com
Theresa

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