Baking with crushed candy cane pieces

[marmalady]

I tried a new version of the 'gooey butter' cake, using a red velvet cake mix; came out great, and I'd like to do one for Christmas, and put crushed up pieces of candy cane on top. Has anyone ever used these in cookies, or cake? My question is, should I sprinkle the pieces on top before I bake, or just put them on after? Don't know how much they'll melt.

Tx!

 

[licia]

I've seen them used, but never did it myself. I think I would put some before baking, and if the effect wasn't what I wanted, add some afterward(i.e.garnish).

 

[Brianschef]

Bake one or two cakes in a mini muffin pan, try it both ways....

This way you will still have the majority of your cake mix to bake off a whole cake.

 

[mudbug]

marm, I would put them on after baking, maybe immediately after, but no sooner. I don't trust crushed candy to behave under heat.

 

[purrfectlydevine]

I've seen cookie recipes where they are part of the dough, but then the bake time isn't that long and the candy isn't really exposed. I've also seen recipes for stained glass cookies where you crush life saver type candy and put it in cutouts within a cookie. Again the bake time is shorter than for a cake. maybe put the candy on the last 5 minutes of baking.

 

[PA Baker]

Last year I made cut-outs with cut-out centers (used a smaller cutter) and put crushed candy cane in the holes before baking. I lined the pans with parchment and didn't crush the candy canes too fine (not to a powder) and they melted very nicely. They looked like stained glass

I'd say it all depends on what sort of effect you want on your, marm. Off the top of my head, I'd say add them about 5 minutes before you take the cake out of the oven.

 

[marmalady]

Thanks all - I think I'm leaning towards PA Baker's idea of sprinkling them on 5 minutes or so before they come out of the oven. I still want the 'chunks', but the cream cheese topping on the GBC does tend to get a little crust on it.