Santa's Favorite Cake

Santa's Favorite Cake
This cake is a red velvet cake with a peppermint twist,
and a delicious peppermint cream cheese frosting. Prep
Time: approx. 45 Minutes. Cook Time: approx. 25 Minutes.
Ready in: approx. 2 Hours 10 Minutes. Makes 1 - 3 layer cake
(12 servings).

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1 (18.25 ounce) package white
cake mix
3 egg whites
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 (9 ounce) package yellow
cake mix
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened
cocoa powder
2 tablespoons red food coloring
1 teaspoon cider vinegar

1 (8 ounce) package cream
cheese, softened
1 cup margarine, softened
2 (16 ounce) packages
confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons peppermint extract


Directions
1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease
and flour three 9 inch round cake pans.
2 In a large bowl, combine white cake mix, 3 egg whites,
1 1/3 cups buttermilk, and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil.
Mix with an electric mixer for 2 minutes on high speed. In
a separate bowl, combine yellow cake mix, 1/2 cup
buttermilk, 1 egg, cocoa, red food coloring, and vinegar. Use an
electric mixer to beat for 2 minutes on high speed.
3 Spoon white batter alternately with red batter into the
prepared cake pans. Swirl batter gently with a knife to create
a marbled effect.
4 Bake in preheated oven for 22 to 25 minutes, or until a
wooden pick inserted into the centers comes out clean. Let
cool in pans for at least 10 minutes before turning out
onto a wire rack to cool completely.
5 In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and margarine until
smooth. Gradually blend in sugar until incorporated and
smooth. Stir in peppermint extract. Spread peppermint cream
cheese frosting between layers, and on top and sides of cake.