Peppermint Cocoa Chiffon Cake??

Posted by -colleen
So the question marks are there because my cake DOES NOT merit having the same title as the previously posted GORGEOUS cake by Angela. Mine looks more like a giant doughnut. Oh well. Here is my post (written prior to seeing that "other" cake and I'm just too lazy to re-write or make a new cake)!!!
Every month when the new challenge gets posted, I feel like I'm in college again. I was the one who HAD to get an assignment done right away; it didn't matter if we were given a month to read the book, I started right away so it would be done. Same with this. I check for the post right away on the first of each month and immediately start researching recipe ideas. Chiffon cake posed quite the dilemma for me-so many options. I lingered over lime chiffon cake recipes, a cinnamon chiffon cupcake recipe, various lemony-luscious recipes before hitting on this one: Cocoa Peppermint Chiffon Cake. Perhaps, it's the way-too-early influx of holiday stuff everywhere but this just sounded perfect to me. Chocolate and peppermint can do no wrong.
Here is the original recipe from the Hershey's site (the stars mean I wavered from the ingredient a bit-I explain what I did at the end):

• 2 cups sugar, divided *
  
• 1-1/2 cups cake flour *
  
• 2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda *
  
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil *
  
• 7 eggs, separated and at room temperature
• 3/4 cup cold water
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract *
  
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar *
• VANILLA GLAZE(recipe follows) *

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 325°F.

2. Combine 1-3/4 cups sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt and baking soda in large bowl. Add oil, egg yolks, water and vanilla; beat until smooth.

3. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar in extra-large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Gradually pour chocolate batter over beaten egg whites, folding with rubber spatula just until blended. Pour into ungreased 10-inch tube pan.

4. Bake 1 hour and 20 minutes or until top springs back when touched lightly. Invert pan on heat-proof funnel until completely cool. Remove cake from pan; invert onto serving plate. Spread top of cake with VANILLA GLAZE, allowing some to drizzle down sides. 12 to 16 servings.

*for sugar I used Splenda
*for cake flour I used All-Purpose flour with a little cornstarch instead (the ratio is 2 T cornstarch per 1 c. cake flour)
*I substituted all baking soda for the baking soda/powder/cream of tartar b/c I didn't have any cream of tartar-this may have contributed to a little dryness :(
*I used Pure Peppermint extract instead of vanilla.
*I made a chocolate glaze instead: melt 2 T. butter. Add 1/4 c. cocoa, 1/2 t. vanilla and 3 T. water. Remove from heat. Slowly add 1 and 1/2 c. powdered sugar. Stir well adding water as needed until you get the consistency you want.

Learning from my past mistakes separating eggs, I had 3 bowls at the ready this time (one for yolks, one for the whites and one for cracking the egg) so I was able to get through this part of the recipe without tainting the whites! The whites whipped up perfectly. The cocoa portion of the recipe was quite thick-almost like a brownie batter but once it was folded into the whites the whole thing was amazingly light and fluffy. I poured the batter into my (borrowed) tube pan an popped it in the oven for about an hour (no where near the 1 hour 20 minutes the recipe says).
Now, here is where I encountered a problem: the recipe says to use an ungreased cake pan so I did BUT the tube pan I borrowed must have been old or the coating was all worn off because there was no getting the cake out of the pan. I pounded. I shook. I tapped. I left it suspended upside down hoping gravity would kick in at some point. Alas, I had to poke and scrape and cajole it out losing a bit of the bottom and some of the part around the tube. It didn't fall apart, though so the holes can be covered with glaze! I poured the glaze over the top and then sprinkled some smashed up candy canes on top. The cake looked like an enormous donut!
Flavor-wise this cake rocked. Texture-wise? I suggest having it with a beverage as it was a bit dry.
The tube pan? Yeah. It is still soaking. I think I may have to buy the person I borrowed it from a new one. It has scratches on it and I've scrubbed it a couple times and there is still chocolate coating on it! No more ungreased pans for me....