Peppermint Pound Cake

I’ve been on a peppermint roll lately! Recipes with peppermint have been sounding really good to me this holiday season. This recipe did not come from a cookbook or from the internet…it came from a Christmas kitchen towel a friend had given me. I added a glaze and crushed candy canes as a finishing touch. If you like peppermint, you’ll enjoy this, and even if you are not a big peppermint fan, I think you’ll still like this because the peppermint flavor is definitely on the lighter side.

PEPPERMINT POUND CAKE

• 3 cups sugar
• 3 sticks butter (1 1/2 cups), softened
• 5 eggs
• 3 cups flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1-2 teaspoons peppermint extract (just use one teaspoon for a light peppermint flavor, or 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons for a stronger peppermint flavor)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a bundt or tube pan (I used a 12-cup bundt pan, but I think it would work fine in a 10-cup pan, too–the baking time would be slightly longer).

In large bowl, blend sugar and softened butter. Add eggs one at a time, stirring well after each addition. Alternate adding flour and milk to mixture, blending well. Add peppermint and vanilla extracts, and stir until blended. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees for 70-80 minutes (for a 12-cup pan, baking time will be about 70-75 minutes; for a 10-cup pan, it will be more like 80 minutes). Let cake cool in pan for 10-15 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely. While cake is cooling, you can make the glaze…

CREAMY PEPPERMINT GLAZE

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup marshmallow creme (half of a 7-oz. container)
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 5 Tablespoons milk or half and half
• 3 crushed candy canes, for garnish

Blend softened butter and marshmallow creme together until smooth, then add peppermint extract and mix well. Add in powdered sugar a cup at a time, blending well after each addition. Add milk or half and half and blend well.

Shortly before you are ready to serve the cake, spoon the glaze over the top, letting it run down the sides (you’ll have some glaze left over). Then sprinkle top of cake with crushed candy canes, and serve. (Note: this glaze is a little gooey because of the marshmallow creme, so you may need to wipe your knife occasionally as you’re slicing the cake).