Candy Cane Cake

Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 1 cup cake flour or 1 cup pastry flour, sifted
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 12 egg whites, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 8 ounces peppermint candy canes
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 325°. sift together flour and 3/4 cup sugar. sift again and set aside.
• 2 in a large bowl or standing mixer, beat egg whites until foamy. add cream of tartar and salt. beat until soft peaks form. add 3/4 cup sugar and the vanilla and almond extracts. continue beating until egg whites are firm but not dry.
• 3 sift one-third of the flour-sugar mixture onto the egg whites and, with a rubber or silicone spatula, gently fold the mixture into the egg whites. add remaining flour in two batches, folding gently after each addition. turn batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan and bake until browned and firm to the touch, 50 to 60 minutes.
• 4 invert cake (in pan) on a cooling rack for at least an hour. when completely cool, run a long, thin, sharp knife between cake and pan to loosen, and remove cake.
• 5 put candy canes in a large sealable plastic bag. crush them into small pieces with a meat pounder, rolling pin, or the bottom of a small frying pan. sift crushed candy with a fine-mesh strainer and reserve candy dust for another use (see notes). set crushed candy aside.
• 6 in a large bowl, beat cream with remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar until soft peaks form. frost cake with whipped cream using a spatula to form swirls and peaks. sprinkle frosted cake with crushed candy canes. (to get candy on the sides, hold your hand about 1 inches from the cake and gently toss crushed candy at the sides.) serve immediately, using a serrated knife to cut slices.