Andi's Beautiful Candy Cane Cake

and the lessons we learned from it .
Lesson 1 - Kellog's fruit strips are disgusting.
Lesson 2 - The peppermint extract flavor strength can not be adequately be determined by the beaters. You must taste the bowl in order to get a true measure of the taste.
Lesson 3 - Too much peppermint extract in your icing is the same as icing your cake with those "Sweet Breath" drops you buy in the checkout line at Wal-Mart.

Lesson 4 - Sweet Breath icing is not good.
Lesson 5 - This cake is extremely flammable as the extract - of which is there is a LOT - is 89% alcohol.
Lesson 6 - We do not like peppermint liquor unless it is Schnapps.
Lesson 7 - Schnapps would be good 'long about now to get the taste of the icing out of our mouth.
Lesson 8 - Do not wipe your eyes with the finger you have taste tested the extreme icing with. It burns.
Lesson 9 - You can smile like Andi in the picture above - IF you have eaten all the extra icing and are feeling the effects of the alcohol.
Lesson 10 - Once you scrape the icing off and get the disgusting fruit strips off - the cake is yummy.