(no longer) The Northernmost Jew

Occasionally I have been asked for the recipe for my world-famous Patty-Cake. So here is my delicious and super-easy recipe.

you need:
- boxed chocolate cake mix. Get one with pudding in it.
- whatever the boxed cake mix says you need to add
- LOTS of powdered unsweetened cocoa
- vanilla extract. Get the real stuff, not the imitation
- peppermint extract. Get the real stuff, not the imitation
- stick of butter, not margarine, softened at room temperature
- 1 lb package of powdered sugar
- cream
- merangue powder (avaiable at JoAnn's)
- whatever garnish you want to use, if any

Mix the mix for the cake with whatever it tells you to use on the box.

Add in A LOT of unsweetened cocoa powder. More is more.

Bake the cake according to the directions on the box.

Let the cake cool before icing. Do NOT make the icing until you are ready to ice the cake.

To make the icing, mix together the sugar, the butter, a bit of vanilla extract, a bit of peppermint extract (not too much peppermint, or it will taste like toothpaste) A LOT of unsweetened cocoa (a lot a lot a lot) and a couple of spoonfuls of merangue powder. The icing will probably be too thick or powdery. Add a couple of drops of cream and mix it through. Keep adding cream, only a few drops at a time until it seems right.

Ice the cake right away. Then add any optional garnish.

Chill the cake in the refrigerator for at least a few hours.

suggestions for optional garnish:
- get a bag of peppermint hard candies. Before unwrapping each candy, hit it with the blade of an ulu a few times to break it up. Sprinkle the candy pieces over the cake.
- Get some York peppermint patties. Cut them into wedges as though you were slicing a pizza. Arrange the wedges on the cake in a geometric pattern.
- Make some extra icing but leave out the cocoa. Use a bag for decorating cakes with icing and use this tannish-white to decorate the cake.