Chocolate Peppermint Cake
Servings: 12 Servings
Calories: 1561kcal
A holiday chocolate cake with peppermint frosting ganache drips and crushed candy cane crunch that is perfect for winter celebrations.
Print Recipe
Equipment
- Disposable piping bags
- Red gel food coloring
- 3 nine inch round cake pans
- Cake leveler
- Squeeze bottle
- Star piping tip
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients
- 2 boxes triple chocolate cake mix
- 6 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup sweet cream butter unsalted, softened
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 tbsp pure peppermint extract
Candy Cane Frosting Ingredients
- 2 cups sweet cream butter unsalted, softened
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 5 to 7 tbsp heavy whipping cream
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- Red gel food coloring
Chocolate Frosting Ingredients
- 2 cups sweet cream butter unsalted, softened
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup dark Hershey cocoa powder
- 5 to 8 tbsp heavy whipping cream
- 1 tsp pure peppermint extract
Ganache Ingredients
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
Decoration Ingredients
- 3 cups crushed candy canes
- 12 mini candy canes
- 1 small container white nonpareils sprinkles
Instructions
Bake the Cakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F
- Spray the cake pans with baking spray
- In a stand mixer beat the cake mix butter milk eggs and peppermint extract until combined
- Divide the batter evenly between the cake pans
- Bake for 25 to 35 minutes until cakes are cooked through
- Cool in pans for 10 minutes then turn out on to cooling racks and cool completely
Make the Chocolate Frosting
- Beat butter powdered sugar cocoa powder heavy cream and peppermint extract until creamy and holding peaks
- Scoop 1 1/2 cups of chocolate frosting into a piping bag and set aside
Make the Candy Cane Frosting
- Beat butter powdered sugar heavy cream and vanilla until smooth and creamy
- Divide the frosting in half and tint one portion red using gel food coloring
- Transfer the red and white frostings into separate piping bags and set aside
Assemble the Cake
- Use a cake leveler to trim the tops and create even layers
- Place the first cake layer down on your cake plate
- Pipe a thick ring of red frosting around the outer edge
- Pipe a thick ring of white frosting just inside the red ring
- Continue alternating red and white rings until the center is filled
- Add the second cake layer and repeat the piping pattern but start with the white frosting
- Add the third cake layer and repeat the frosting pattern of the first layer
- Smooth the frosting around the outside with a spatula
- Frost the entire cake with chocolate frosting
- Place the cake in the fridge while preparing the ganache
Make the Ganache
- Heat the heavy cream in a small pot until simmering
- Pour over the chocolate chips and let sit for 1 minute
- Whisk until smooth then pour into a squeeze bottle
- cool the ganache until it's no longer runny and a drip only runs down a veritcal butter knife and stops halfway down the blade
Decorate the Cake
- Once the ganache has cooled enough add drips around the top edge of the cake
- Press crushed candy canes around the bottom edge
- Fit a piping bag with a star tip and fill with chocolate frosting
- Pipe dollops around the top edge over the ganache
- Sprinkle with white nonpareils
- Place a mini candy cane into the center of each dollop
Video
Notes
This cake can be served without the ganache and decorations if you want a simpler finish
Nutrition
Serving: 1 Serving | Calories: 1561kcal | Carbohydrates: 163g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 102g | Saturated Fat: 59g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 28g | Trans Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 321mg | Sodium: 1262mg | Potassium: 529mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 131g | Vitamin A: 2827IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 221mg | Iron: 5mg