A CAKE FOR AFTER EIGHT!

We all love After Eights! Once I open a box, I unfortunately can’t stop. So I never buy them!!! Except at Xmas, of course. So I got the idea of using Chocolate and Peppermint Extract to give you that wonderful flavour in a cake. I also love cakes made using oil and buttermilk. I wasn’t even sure this would work! Trust me… it does, with bells on.

Pre heat your fan oven to 160C. Lightly oil and line a 9 x 9 inch [about] square brownie tin. Leave plenty hanging over the sides to help you lift it out.

8 oz SR flour
2 oz dark cocoa powder  [Use Green and Blacks - it is so good]
1 small teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
large pinch salt
3 fl oz sunflower oil
7 oz caster sugar [I used golden caster]
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
4 fl oz buttermilk
4 fl oz strong black coffee [cooled]

1 teaspoon of Peppermint Extract. [I bought it in Asda]

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, bicarb, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the oil and sugar until well combined - about 1 minute. Best to use a hand mixer for this cake. Whisk in the egg, vanilla and peppermint then continue whisking until it is paler and quite light, maybe 2 minutes. Add the buttermilk and cooled coffee, whisking on a very low speed as it will be quite runny now. Lastly, still on low speed, mix in the flour, until just combined, then continue with a metal spoon. You need to be careful as you do not want to knock out the air you have carefully whisked in! Then pour the batter into your prepared tin and pop it into the oven for about 40 mins.

Leave in the tin for a few minutes, then cool on a rack.  I inverted the cake to remove the parchment and the peppermint flavour hits you right away! You can cheat and buy a frosting in a tub or, like me, make a light chocolate Butter icing with a few more drops of the peppermint, to decorate. You could also use some After Eights, cut or broken! I don’t have a box, it’s not Xmas