Three's Company

Chocolate Peppermint Torte
Made with love for Mariel's Dad, Robert, Oct. x?

We weren't really sure which direction to take the Brigade, so at first we planned to make a different chocolate cake each week.

This particular week we added a peppermint twist to a triple-layer cake. In keeping with the "three" theme, Katie joined us in the kitchen for the first time.

We called the cake "Three's Company" to poke fun at Katie's inaugural baking venture. She greased the pans ... and that was the extent of her role in the Cake Brigade that day. We weren't sure if she wanted to embrace the role or tell us she'd rather laugh at us from the living room. Happily, she took the spatula and ran with it ... and now we're a merry bunch of bakers!

The peppermint filling had a consistency of whipped cream with a touch of peppermint extract and red food coloring for effect. The chocolate cake was delectable, and it aged well ... after a week's vacation Mariel still had a slice of the cake leftover in the frige and it was just as moist and delicious as the day it was baked!