Good Tidings we Bring: Vegan Chocolate Cake w/ Peppermint Buttercream Frosting

As a child, I was one of those kids who would sneak candy canes off of the Christmas tree and scarf them down, until my Mom noticed so many were missing and scolded us for eating all the decorations.  I was such a porker.  For my holiday cakes (one for Christmas Eve and another for Christmas Day), I combined two classic holiday flavors: peppermint and chocolate.  At first I was worried the candies would make the frosting gritty, but they blended beautifully into a smooth, rich and minty buttercream.

Vegan Chocolate Cake w/ Peppermint Buttercream Frosting

Dry Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Pastry Flour 3/4 cup Cocoa Powder 2 tbs Corn Starch 2 tsp Baking Soda 1 tsp Baking Powder 1 tsp Salt

Wet Ingredients:  1/4 cup Soy Milk + 1 tbs Apple Cider Vinegar 3 tsp Ener-G Egg Replacer + 4 tbs Water 4 tbs Earth Balance 1 3/4 cup Sugar 2/3 cup Canola Oil 2 cups Water 1/4 cup Apple Sauce 2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Preheat oven to 320ºF.  Add vinegar to soy milk and reserve.  Stir egg replacer and 4 tbs water, reserve.  Sift together dry ingredients into a medium sized bowl.

Using an electric hand mixer, cream margarine in a large bowl.  Mix in sugar and oil to margarine.  Add egg replacer mixture, water, apple sauce, and vanilla to combine until smooth.  Fold in dry ingredients.  Lastly, fold in soy milk and vinegar mixture.  Pour into two 9-inch cake pans and bake for 27-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Allow cakes to cool.  

Peppermint Buttercream Frosting 

1/2 cup Earth Balance Vegan Margarine

1/2 cup Earth Balance Natural Shortening

3 cups Powdered Sugar
1/2 cup (around 22 pieces) "Starlight" Peppermint Candies (pulverized in food processor)

1/4 cup Soymilk

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Using an electric hand mixer, cream margarine and shortening until light and fluffy.  Add powdered sugar in stages.  Mix in soymilk and vanilla.  Lastly, fold in pulverized peppermint candies