Peppermint Rosette Cake

(With no mint flavor!)


Over this past year there has been thousands of cakes inspired by this one by I am baker.

I thought that Christmas Eve would be the perfect occasion to debut a version of this cake, but then the question arose: what colors? Green? Red? White?
Green would be too grinch-y. All red would be more for valentine's day. Not to mention that red is a super tricky color to make (remember the Minnie Mouse cookies with the black icing? Well we don't want that to happen with red!). So what about white and red striped like a candy cane? Yes! It will look like peppermints without being minty flavored (the hubby hates mint). But if you wanted to you could add a hint of mint extract to the frosting or cake. Seeing as not everyone likes mint in my family, I'm making it simple.

Keep in mind I'm not making buttercream frosting from scratch. My husband is a couponer. And he is VERY good at it. Therefore I have a TON of frosting, cake mixes, cookie mixes and everything else in the WORLD in my pantry, or as he likes to call it: the stash.

So here is what i'll be using:

• 1 box cake mix of your choice
• 2 cans of Cream cheese frosting
• confectioners sugar (sifted)
• 8 inch pan
• Red gel food coloring

1. Start by baking your cake layers (I'm making 3). Let them cool completely.

2. Once cooled, using a long serrated knife, slice off the top part of the cake until even. You don't want to have a lopsided cake!

3. In a stand mixer, whip entire can of frosting for about 4 mins. To make the frosting stiffer for the rosettes, add 1/4 cup of powdered sugar at a time until you get the desired consistency.
4. Add a very thin layer of frosting to the cake (crumb coating), but thick enough so you can not see your cake underneath. Place in the fridge until the frosting has set.

5. Draw 2 vertical lines with a paintbrush or toothpick on the inside of your piping bag from the tip to the end of the bag. Carefully add white frosting with added powdered sugar.
6. Starting at the bottom, pipe each rosette starting at the same place each time. Pipe, move in a circular motion, release pressure and lift. Make sure that your rows are tight, and slightly overlap to avoid open spaces.



Here is how it turned out:

Turned out alright. Good practice for next time!