The end of Christmas is always a sad time for me, but having a treat like this during the final stretch of the most joyous month of the entire year takes a bit of the sting away. What treat is it this time? Holly Jolly Peppermint Fudge Delight, a chocolate fudge cake with a minty twist! It's big, it's thick, it's delicious, it'll help you keep the Christmas spirit alive as long as possible, and it's easy to make! You don't have to feel like Christmas is entirely gone just because the big day has passed. Be like me, see all of December as Christmastime, let that happiness and love and the beauty of the season linger awhile, and make and enjoy this cake with me. Your loved ones will enjoy it too, provided they like chocolate and peppermint.

Ingredients:
- 1 box of Betty Crocker chocolate fudge cake mix
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup of cooking oil
- 1 1/4 cups of milk
- 2 containers of Betty Crocker milk chocolate frosting
- 2 1/2 tbsp of finely crushed peppermint candy canes
- 6-8 white chocolate-covered "snowy" Oreos (these can be found in many grocery stores around Christmastime, but if you can't get any, use regular or Double Stuf Oreos instead)
- Peppermint extract
- Butter or margarine and flour to coat the cake pans with

Recipe:
1. Grab a ziplock bag, place the Oreos into it, and freeze them for at least 1 hour in advance. When ready, use a meat tenderizer or other such tool to thoroughly crush them up, then set them aside for later.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease and flour two cake pans of equal size. For this cake, the pans can be round or square, either way works.
3. Make the cake batter as directed on the back of the mix box, adding 1 tsp of peppermint extract during the process.
4. Pour the batter equally into the cake pans and smooth out each one's surface.
5. Bake both at the same time for 20-25 minutes, using the old toothpick trick to tell when they're ready.
6. Take the cakes out of the oven and let them sit in their pans for 10-15 minutes, then turn them onto a cooling rack and leave them for another 45 minutes to 1 hour to cool completely.
7. Carefully trim off any bits of excess from the edges of the cakes during or after the cooling process, and if using square pans, soften the corners if they happened to turn out a bit tough.
8. Mix about 1/2 tsp of peppermint extract into each container of frosting.
9. Move one of the cakes onto a large serving plate and coat the top of it with a generous layer of frosting.
10. Place the second cake on top of the first, then cover the entire combined cake with the remaining frosting.
11. Sprinkle the crushed candy canes over the top of the cake and gently press the crushed Oreos into the frosting all around the sides of the cake.
12. Put the cake uncovered in the fridge to chill for at least 1 hour before serving.
And there you have it, a wonderful, glorious Christmas cake perfect for any chocolate fiend and bursting with festive cheer! Keep this recipe handy for Christmastime, give it a try for yourself, and see if you end up with a new family favourite! :3