Chocolate cake with peppermint buttercream

It was my husband's birthday on the weekend and I, naturally, wanted to make him a cake. Every year around his birthday we have the same conversation. It goes like this:

I ask him "What sort of cake would you like?" 

And every year he says "Chocolate ripple cake."

Then I say "Wouldn't you like something a bit better than chocolate ripple cake?" 

And he says "What is better than chocolate ripple cake?"

So I end up making him chocolate ripple cake (for those who may not know, chocolate ripple cake is essentially a row of chocolate biscuits sandwiched together and covered all over with whipped cream).

This year we were going away with friends, and I was determined to make something other than the stock standard. Aaron loves chocolate and peppermint together, and this cake was a perfect combination of the two. Even better, it is ridiculously easy.

This would work with any chocolate cake recipe you like. I used old faithful Betty Crocker's extra moist chocolate cake (the packet mix... we're not too fancy for that), and simply split the batter between two pans.

For the frosting, I made peppermint buttercream using the recipe I got from Pip and Ebby's fabulous blog. Her version is for cupcakes, and it makes a lot of frosting, so you might want to make a half quantity and see how you go. I used the frosting in between the cakes and also on top and it was delicious but pretty intense. I think it would also be great with whipped cream in the middle, and the frosting on top.

And then, to jazz it up a little, I crushed up a peppermint crisp bar and piled that in the centre of the top. You could use and sort of choc mint bar, I guess, or even just shaved chocolate.

The mint flavouring was only in the frosting, you could do any other version you like. Caramel frosting with crushed up honeycomb on top, or strawberry frosting with fresh berries, or coffee frosting with those little choc coated beans on top... the options are endless.

Anyway, I think he was pretty happy with the result and that is all that matters.

xx