Cooking Light: Peppermint Ice Cream Cake

Christmas never really seems like Christmas unless there's some peppermint in something. And since I live in Texas, Christmas also means ice cream cake. Yes, while the rest of the country, except perhaps Florida, is wrapped in a blanket of snow, my family happily eats ice cream cake at the end of December.

Peppermint Ice Cream Cake
From Cooking Light magazine, December 2005

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa
¾ cup boiling water
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups low-fat peppermint ice cream, softened
3 cups frozen whipped topping, such as Cool Whip
⅛ teaspoon peppermint extract
8 peppermint candies, crushed (such as Starlite mints)
Preheat oven to 350°F.  Coat two (8-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray.  Line bottom of each pan with wax paper.

Combine cocoa, water, and butter, stirring with a whisk until blended.  Cool.

Combine sugars in a large bowl, stirring well until blended.  Add eggs; beat 2 minutes or until light and creamy.  Add cocoa mixture, and beat for 1 minute.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife.  Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Gradually add flour mixture to bowl; beat for 1 minute or until blended.  Stir in vanilla.  Pour batter into prepared pans.  Bake for 28 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool in pans 10 minutes on a wire rack.  Remove from pans.  Wrap in plastic wrap, and freeze for 2 hours or until slightly frozen.

Spread ice cream in an 8-inch round cake pan lined with plastic wrap.  Cover and freeze for 4 hours or until firm.

To assemble cake, place one cake layer, bottom side up, on a cake pedestal.  Remove ice cream layer from freezer; remove plastic wrap.  Place ice cream layer, bottom side up, on top of cake layer.  Top with remaining cake layer.

Combine whipped topping and peppermint extract, and stir until blended.  Spread frosting over top and sides of cake.  Sprinkle with crushed peppermints.  Freeze until ready to serve.  Let cake stand at room temperature 10 minutes before slicing.

Southern Living: Light Fruitcake

When I was growing up, I always thought fruitcake was this nasty brick full of dyed fruits that people sent you when they didn't like you very much.  I mean, the fruitcake is definitely the butt of a ridiculous amount of mockery, and it's hard not to absorb that as a child.  So I never ate a bite of fruitcake growing up.  It wasn't until I actually knew someone who wanted me to make them one and was willing to vouch for its deliciousness that I dared to try it.  And you know what?  It's actually pretty good, provided you use actual dried fruit and not neon-colored chemistry experiments.  And like any good recipe, you can use whatever fruit you like (I'm thinking maybe some dried mango or papaya? cranberries instead of cherries?), as long as you try to stick to the general vicinity of the recipe.

Note:  I actually made half of this recipe and cooked it up in a 9x5-inch loaf pan.  The baking time was about half.  So, if you don't have an army of fruitcake lovers hovering at the kitchen door, this is an option.  I eyeballed the half an egg.  Grease the pan really well so the cake doesn't stick.

Light Fruitcake
Adapted from Southern Living: 1990 Annual Recipes

1½ cups unsalted butter, softened

1½ cups granulated sugar

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon almond extract

7 large eggs, separated

3 cups all-purpose flour

1½ pounds diced candied pineapple (about 3 cups)

1 pound dried tart cherries (about 2 cups)

¼ pound diced candied orange peel (about ½ cup)

½ pound golden raisins (about 1½ cups)

3 cups pecan halves

1 cup black walnuts, coarsely chopped

½ cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup brandy

Additional brandy

Make a liner for a 10-inch tube-pan by drawing a circle with an 18-inch diameter on a piece of brown paper. Cut out circle; set pan in center, and draw around base of pan and inside tube. Fold circle into eighths, having the drawn lines on the outside. Cut off tip end of circle along inside drawn line. Unfold paper; cut along folds to the outside drawn line. From another piece of brown paper, cut another circle with a 10-inch diameter; grease and set aside. Place the 18-inch liner in pan; grease and set aside.

Cream butter; gradually add sugar, beating well at medium speed of an electric mixer. Stir in flavorings. Beat egg yolks; alternately add yolks and 3 cups flour to creamed mixture. Combine candied pineapple, cherries, citron, golden raisins, pecans, and walnuts in a bowl; dredge with ½ cup flour, stirring to coat well. Stir mixture into batter. Beat egg whites (at room temperature) until stiff peaks form; fold into butter. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Cover pan with 10-inch brown paper circle, greased side down.

Bake at 250°F for about 4 hours or until cake tests done. Remove from oven. Take off paper cover, and slowly pour ¼ cup brandy evenly over cake; cool completely on wire rack. Remove cake from pan; peel paper liner from cake. Wrap cake in brandy-soaked cheesecloth. Store in an airtight container in a cool place up to 3 weeks; pour a small amount of brandy over cake each week.

Makes one 10-inch cake