Grandma's Hint-of-Mint Chocolate Cake

By AzWench

When you're bringing dessert for a potluck dinner, this is the cake to take. Garnish it with a few chocolate-covered peppermint patty candies to give a hint of the flavor.

Ingredients

• Chocolate Frosting:
• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 (12-ounce) package miniature chocolate-covered peppermint patties, unwrapped and halved crosswise
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 pound powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Garnish: miniature chocolate-covered peppermint patties

Preparation

Step 1

Cake:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; set aside.

2. Combine butter and 1 cup water in a saucepan; cook over low heat just until butter melts. Remove from heat; stir in baking soda. Add flour mixture, stirring well.

3. Combine egg, buttermilk, and vanilla; stir into flour mixture. Pour batter into a greased and floured 13 x 9-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

4. Top with peppermint patties, and bake 2 to 3 minutes or until patties melt. Gently spread melted patties over top of cake. Let cool completely. Spread Chocolate Frosting over top of cake. Garnish, if desired.

Chocolate Frosting:
1. Combine butter and milk in a saucepan; cook over low heat until butter melts and mixture is hot. Remove from heat. Combine powdered sugar and cocoa in a large bowl; add butter mixture, stirring until smooth. Stir in vanilla.

Makes 2 cups.

Tip: A handy disposable 13 x 9-inch foil pan with a tight-fitting lid makes baking, transport, and cleanup easy.