Peppermint Candy Cake

3 layers white cake (use your own recipe or see below)
1/3 cup Purity butter
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup Mayfield milk
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 cup crushed hard Brach's peppermint candies, divided
Vanilla frosting (use your own recipe or see below)
To make peppermint filling, melt butter in small saucepan. Add sugar, milk and extract. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. While cake layers are still warm, prick tops with a toothpick. Place 1 layer on cake plate and pour 1/3 of peppermint filling slowly over layer. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of peppermint candy. Repeat with remaining layers, but don't sprinkle top layer with candy. Frost top and sides with frosting, then sprinkle top and sides with remaining 1/2 cup peppermint candy.

For Cake Layers:

2/3 cup shortening
1 3/4 cup sugar
3 cups Martha White all-purpose flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups Turner Dairies milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 egg whites
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat shortening at medium speed of mixer until fluffy. Gradually add sugar, beating at medium speed 5 minutes. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add to shortening mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour. Mix at low speed after each addition until blended. Stir in vanilla.

Beat egg whites at high speed until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into batter. Pour batter into 3 greased and floured 8-inch cake pans. Bake for 25-27 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool 10 more minutes on wire racks.

For Boiled Frosting:

3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Pinch of salt
2 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Combine sugar, water, cream of tartar and salt in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture is clear. Cook without stirring until mixture reaches soft ball stage or registers 240 degrees on a candy thermometer. While syrup cooks, beat egg whites at high speed with electric mixer until soft peaks form. Continue to beat egg whites, adding hot syrup in a heavy stream. Add extract and beat until stiff peaks form and frosting is thick enough to spread.