Devil's Food Peppermint Cake Truffles

Cake pops are all the rage these days because they deliver all the flavors of a large piece of cake in one bite size round.  After a full meal of corn fritters, homemade ricotta, short ribs, whipped potatoes and panzanella (whoa) – you are not going to have room for a big dessert. My devil’s food, peppermint cake truffles pack the ultimate holiday punch of flavors in an itty, bitty living space. (If you just got that movie quote, you should be proud and ashamed at the same time…just as I am…)

Before you lay out your gorgeous tray of desserts, treat yourself and your guests to a sip or two of the classic holiday after dinner drink – Barnard Griffin Syrah Port 2009. The aromas of chocolate and toasty wood will have your mouth watering for dark chocolate and peppermint spices. I can taste them already…

Ingredients
Devil’s Food Boxed Cake Mix
12 ounces chocolate bar for melting
6-8 Candy Canes
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, cut into 4 pieces and softened
1/8 teaspoon peppermint extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cake batter according to package directions.

Pour the batter into a buttered and floured baking dish. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. See package directions for exact times. Allow the cake to cool.

While cake is cooling, in a stand mixer, cream the sugar, butter and cream cheese together until light and creamy. Add peppermint extract and mix to incorporate. Set aside.

Once the cake has cooled, crumble the cake using the tongs of a fork and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the frosting to cake and mix thoroughly. Using a small ice cream scoop, portion out the cake truffles and place them on the prepared baking sheet (try to keep them as round as possible). Chill the cake truffles for an hour in the freezer.

Add candy canes to a small ziploc bag and using a heavy pan or meat pounder crush lightly.

Melt the chocolate over a double boiler by placing a heatproof bowl over a small pot of simmering water, making sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl.

Once the chocolate is melted, dip the cake truffles into the chocolate and, using 2 forks, gently turn the cake in the chocolate. Place the chocolate covered cake truffles back on a sheet of parchment paper and top with the crushed candy canes. Return them to the refridgerator to set, about 30 more minutes.

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