Chocolate Peppermint Brownie Cake & 5 Tricks To Keep Your House Clean
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Today I’m sharing the perfect cake recipe for brownie lovers, Chocolate Peppermint Brownie Cake along with 5 super easy ways to keep your house clean.
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Prepare your lips for the best cake they’ve ever seen! Allison said if Christmas had a taste……it would be this cake! A dense, but not heavy, moist deep dark chocolate cake with a subtle hint of peppermint, topped with a white chocolate peppermint ganache, that is Chocolate Peppermint Brownie Cake.
Not only is this one incredibly delicious cake, but it comes together in no time, thanks to a box cake and brownie mix, along with a few eggs, water, and oil. BAM! Melt white chocolate into some warm whipping cream to pour over top and you have yourself a treat fancy enough for company, or just because the house is clean and it’s Tuesday! 😉 It’s a sure way to satisfy true chocolate lovers and is perfect for any occasion.
First, let’s talk about a passion of mine……..a clean house. I’m not talking, spotless “nobody must live here” kind of house. When the house is clean I feel less stress, more motivated and well, it just puts me in a good mood! Clean feels good! As part of my ongoing partnership with my friends at Scotch-Brite Brand, I just want to share how I try my best to do a little housework each day, to keep my sanity.
Who else feels overwhelmed when the house is a mess?
A messy house can make you feel defeated. Add the stress of the holidays, and it can paralyze you until you throw up your hands and surrender.
Today I’d like to share a few of my favorite tips to help keep your house clean (not perfect). They don’t take long, and if you make them a daily habit, your house will stay clean forever.
Table of Contents
5 QUICK TRICKS TO KEEP YOUR HOUSE CLEAN
1. MAKE THE BED
The simple task of making the bed instantly tidies a room to make you feel more organized. Get in the habit of making your bed as part of your morning ritual, soon it will become a mindless routine. Often it causes a domino effect. Once I make the bed, I’ll see a few other things that need to be picked and I’m inspired to make the whole room look nice. Added benefit: It helps me get a good night sleep. There is nothing I love more than crawling into a made bed.
2. ONE LOAD OF LAUNDRY
Our laundry room sits right between our bedroom and my office. Each morning, between coffee and work, my husband or I will toss a load of laundry in the washer. I’d much rather smile at an empty laundry basket than growl at an overflowing hamper. Added benefit: I never have to spend an entire day doing laundry. Everything I want to wear is usually clean, instead of in the dirty clothes pile.
3. SHINE THE SINKS
Just as a made bed makes my bedroom feel clean, a clean and shiny sink makes the whole kitchen feel clean.
I can’t go to bed with a sink full of dirty dishes. Every night, as soon as we finish dinner, the dishes are cleaned up. When the dishwasher is loaded and the kitchen sink is sparkling clean, then I can relax for the evening. A clean kitchen sink is my starting point each morning that helps me accomplish everything else.
click for holiday home clean up tips | get your home ready for guests
4. SWIPE SURFACES
Just as shining the sink, a quick daily swipe over other surfaces will keep your home tidy. I love the Scotch-Brite 3-in-1 Microfiber Cloth, because they can be used wet or dry. Kitchen counters, tabletops, appliances and furniture are wiped clean of dust and fingerprints.
I like to keep a few Microfiber Clothes around the house where they will be needed the most. This routine requires very little thought or time. Simply wipe down surfaces in the kitchen and breakfast area after meals. Keep a Microfiber Cloth under the bathroom sink to swipe over the mirror as soon as you finish brushing your teeth. Keep another one in the drawer in the family room to wipe over the TV cabinet and coffee table when you’re on the phone or before sitting down in the evening to watch your favorite show.
Keeping surfaces clean on a daily basis will avoid that overwhelming feeling – when you finally take notice when company is coming over or you’re then too tired to deal with it at the end of a busy day.
5. 10 MINUTE TIDY UP
Designate 10 minutes for a tidy sweep before dinner or right before bed. Get the family involved and set the timer for a 10 minute clean sweep.
Assign everyone a task; put away toys, pick up items strewn around the house, empty the dishwasher, run the vacuum, use a lint roller on furniture, sort mail, wipe down bathroom counters and toilets, etc.
This ritual only takes a few minutes, and keeps everyone aware of their own household responsibility.
Remember, these rituals are a guide, I want my house to feel clean, not perfect, adjust to what works best for your family and schedule. When I used to work outside the home, I did most of the clean up in the morning before I left for work, because I liked to come home to a clean house 😉
So who’s ready for that Chocolate Peppermint Brownie Cake Recipe?!
CHECK OUT HOW EASY THIS CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT BROWNIE CAKE RECIPE IS TO MAKE! WATCH THE VIDEO!
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Chocolate Peppermint Brownie Cake
Chocolate lovers beware! This easy bundt dense, but not heavy cake is made with both a boxed cake and brownie mix.
Ingredients
- 1 (18-20 ounce) brownie mix
- 1 (16.5 ounce) chocolate cake mix
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cup water
- 1 cup canola oil
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- for White Chocolate Ganache:
- 10 ounces white chocolate chips
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
- Andes peppermint crunch chips for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F and grease and flour a bundt pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine brownie mix, cake mix, eggs, water, oil and extract with a wire whisk for about 2 minutes.
- Pour batter into prepared bundt pan and bake for 50-55 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove cake from oven. Let cake cool for about 5-10 minutes in pan, then carefully turn cake onto cooling rack or serving plate to cool completely.
While cake is cooling, prepare ganache
- Combine chocolate and cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes, stoping to stir at 1 minute intervals, until chocolate is melted. Stir for about 2 minutes until shiny and smooth. Add extract and stir to combine.
- Cover ganache with plastic wrap, making sure wrap touches the surface of the ganache. Let cool, then pour over cooled cake. Sprinkle with Andes Peppermint Crunch Chips for garnish and enjoy!
Notes
- **DO NOT USE ingredients or directions on cake and brownie box. Only use what's listed in this recipe **if you choose, you can leave out the peppermint extract for just a chocolate brownie cake. **feel free to use chocolate chips instead of white chocolate for the ganache
- recipe adapted from justapinch.com
Share some of your favorite tips for keeping your house clean in the comments below.
Check out Scotch-Brite Cleaning Guides for more tips!
Disclosure: I have a working relationship with Scotch-Brite Brand, but as always, all views, opinions……and my love of a clean home are all my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support TidyMom.
Hi there, I'm Cheryl!
As a wife, mom, and caffeine enthusiast, my journey has taken me from bustling mornings with my family to sharing delicious recipes, home care tips, and heartfelt decorating insights with wonderful readers like you. My love for baking, photography, and tidiness shines through every post I craft. Dive into my world and discover the art of homemaking, one tidy moment at a time. Read more...
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I tell my husband my house would be a heck of a lot easier to keep clean if I did not have a giant, hairy dog who sheds every time he walks! But we love him (tumbleweeds and all…) Haha, now this cake I could deal with all the time! And I agree, Christmas tastes like cake 🙂
Great post, tips (for the new year!), and recipe. LOVE the cake with peppermint icing. Happy New Year, Cheryl!
What a great looking cake, and I love your quick tips for keeping the house tidy, I need those today for sure!
I’m making myself a promise to keep the new apartment clean and tidy and so far I’m doing good! Love the tips! I’m also totally in love with this easy cake!!
The laundry…argh! There’s always a mountain of clean clothes waiting to be folded & put away.
We always say we’re going to tackle it one load at a time, then somehow we fall back onto our (bad) old habit.
Love this cake! I’m going to stop at the store on my way home for the cake & brownie mixes!
Hope you and your family have a very healthy, happy 2016 in store!
This bundt cake is gorgeous! The crumb looks perfect! Your cleaning tips are spot on! Ha! For me it’s always the laundry that seems like it never ends. With three kids, the hamper is never empty!
Cheryl, this cake looks wonderful! It definitely looks like it would taste just like Christmas. 🙂
I’m dying over that beautiful cake! And your tips are great, I need to put those into practice! Thank you!
Loooove the cake, and the tips, of course! Also love your pups – I have a German Shepherd, too, so always lots of hair around that needs vacuumed up 🙂
I am always on the hunt for tips how people keep their home so beautiful! I have always admired your photos of your home. These are great tips and I will put them in place for my 2016 this is the year I actually DO IT!
And I am running into the kitchen to make this cake!
I love all these cleaning tips – specially making the bed and shining the sink! Is that a special shining sponge? My hubs and I are both cooks at a restaurant so a clean kitchen is super important to us!
I have intentions of doing 1 load of laundry thing ALL the time…and then I fail and end up with 3+ loads to do at once. Nothing feels better than a clean house but lately I just can’t keep on top of it all! I’d rather bake and eat a slice of that cake instead 😉
Wonderful tips and recipe. Off to great start in 2016.
I need to incorporate some of these rituals in 2016 – especially making the bed every day and cleaning the sink before bed!
Love these tips AND this cake!! I feel so good when I make my bed 🙂
That cake is stunning! I follow almost all of these cleaning, but need to do the 10 minute tidy up at the end of the day – I know it would make me feel so much better. And now I need to look for those microbial cloths.
Beautiful pictures! Looks delicious. And I agree with you about making the bed. If I do nothing else, I’m making the beds!
You had me at chocolate peppermint! This looks amazing!
These are the same as Fly Lady’s core habits! I love to give her credit whenever I see her standard starting point on other people’s posts.
these are things I’ve been doing for most of our 30 years of marriage and maintaining our home. I’m sure many people do the same, they are pretty basic concepts 😉
To be honest I only came for the delectable cake, since I’ve already came to the same conclusions from my own experience. 🙂
please can u mail me a rich moist Christmas cake recipe. I love your ideas and clean up guild lines. thank you. mwah!
Well the cake is in the oven, and I hope it is good because this recipe was a pain in the butt! Having to go through a bunch of cleaning stuff was ridculous!
The post was about 5 tricks to keep your house clean as well as a cake recipe. Hope you enjoy. Happy holidays
Making this cake now. It’s already been baking for 1 hrs. 10 mins and toothpick is still coming out wet. Anyone else have to bake for much longer than the recipe indicated? I followed the blog instructions not those on the brownie and cake mix boxes. 🙁