Sweet Dreams: Peppermint Mocha Cake

For the cake:
Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a large bowl blend together the wet ingredients (eggs through milk). Add instant coffee granules, then cake mix and mix until just incorporated. Pour batter into a greased bundt pan and bake for about 25-30 minutes, until your kitchen smells like hot chocolate.

Take cake out of oven, do a toothpick-test to make sure it comes out clean (assuming it does, you are done; if not, put it back into the oven for a couple more minutes) and let it cool in the cake pan for about 10 minutes. Then, turn it onto a rack and allow it to cool completely.

For the icing:
The icing is a snap. In a small bowl or cup dissolve the instant coffee in a bit of hot water. Put the powdered sugar in a medium sized bowl, add the coffee mixture and stir to combine. Drizzle icing over the cake, allowing it to glide down the sides.

Put 2 candy canes into a plastic bag, seal the bag and use the bottom of a small metal pot to bash them to bits! Cheap therapy is the bonus.

Eat the third candy cane. You need to keep up your energy.

Sprinkle crushed candy canes on top of the cake and serve!

Based on a recipe for THE BEST Chocolate Cake at kevinandamanda.com.