Candy Cane Cake

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon almond extract 
• 8 ounces peppermint candies 
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar 
• 12  egg whites at room temperature
• 2 cups cup heavy whipping cream 
• 1 cup pastry flour sifted
• 0.3 teaspoon salt 
• 1.8 cups sugar 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• oven
• knife
• wire rack
• sieve
• blender
• ziploc bags
• spatula
• rolling pin
• meat tenderizer
• serrated knife
• baking spatula

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 32
2. Sift together flour and 3/4 cup sugar. Sift again and set aside.
3. In a large bowl or standing mixer, beat egg whites until foamy.
4. Add cream of tartar and salt. Beat until soft peaks form.
5. Add 3/4 cup sugar and the vanilla and almond extracts. Continue beating until egg whites are firm but not dry.
6. Sift one-third of the flour-sugar mixture onto the egg whites and, with a rubber or silicone spatula, gently fold the mixture into the egg whites.
7. Add remaining flour in two batches, folding gently after each addition. Turn batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan and bake until browned and firm to the touch, 50 to 60 minutes.
8. Invert cake (in pan) on a cooling rack for at least an hour. When completely cool, run a long, thin, sharp knife between cake and pan to loosen, and remove cake.
9. Put candy canes in a large sealable plastic bag. Crush them into small pieces with a meat pounder, rolling pin, or the bottom of a small frying pan. Sift crushed candy with a fine-mesh strainer and reserve candy dust for another use (see Notes). Set crushed candy aside.
10. In a large bowl, beat cream with remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar until soft peaks form. Frost cake with whipped cream using a spatula to form swirls and peaks.
11. Sprinkle frosted cake with crushed candy canes. (To get candy on the sides, hold your hand about 1 in. from the cake and gently toss crushed candy at the sides.)
12. Serve immediately, using a serrated knife to cut slices.