Chocolate Peppermint Cake

Made this Chocolate Peppermint Cake that is on the cover of the Everyday Food Holiday Baking issue. Everyday Food is published by the folks at Martha Stewart and they have a show on PBS with a lot of didactic moments, and hella bad lighting. I always wonder, can't they get some of the crew from Martha's show? (To Yuko: It is just like NHK!)

This "cake" actually turned into an 8" round brownie. It was very dense! I didn't know I was making a flourless chocolate cake (with 1 cup of flour). It only had 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder in it.

Anyway, it weighed almost 2 pounds (used my trusty scale to determine that!!)

The peppermint ganache was yumtastic though and saved the day. Next time, I think I would make a regular chocolate cake and cover it with this ganache.

P.S. Happy Birthday today to Dave - my undergrad UCLA buddy from the very first day of school way, way back in time!! Happy Birthday yesterday to Librarian Brian! AND, Countdown to my birthday and those of my fellow Decemberists (Helen, Rose, Diane, Jami, Jamillah, Gary!)!!

I shaved some white chocolate to top this cake. Next time, crushed candy canes!