White Christmas Peppermint Cake

This cake is soft and tender with a velvety crumb, frosted with a silken white chocolate buttercream, filled and topped with a fine crunch of peppermint. My friend Joe Tully says it reminds him of Christmas morning. However, if you omit the peppermint extract and increase the vanilla extract to one tablespoon, you will have a lovely all-purpose white layer cake.