Chocolate Peppermint Cake

This sweet and simple chocolate peppermint cake is a must-bake this holiday season! Each cake layer is filled with rich chocolate and bright peppermint flavors, and paired with the silky smooth white chocolate frosting, it makes a delightfully festive Christmas treat. Share it with your loved ones after your holiday feasts, or save it to indulge in after your guests have gone home - I won't tell if you won't!

For more holiday layer cake recipes, try Maple Eggnog Crepe Cake, Cranberry Orange Cake, Brown Sugar Chai Cake, and Gingerbread Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Why you'll love this chocolate peppermint cake

• Fudgy, Moist Texture: Unlike most chocolate cake recipes, this recipe bakes up incredibly fudgy & moist with a pronounced chocolate flavor, an even, tight crumb, and a melt-in-your-mouth texture that is utterly irresistible. 
• Holiday Chocolate Peppermint Flavor: One taste of the chocolate and peppermint flavor combination immediately evokes the joy of the holiday season.
• Creamy French Buttercream: French buttercream is made with a base of egg yolks, making it super creamy and almost custard-like. Paired with melted white chocolate, it's the ultimate rich, flavorful topping for this festive cake!

Ingredient Notes

• White Chocolate: True white chocolate contains at least 20% cocoa butter. I highly recommend using a true high-quality white chocolate, such as ifiProvisions 29.5% Belgian White Chocolate.
• Cocoa Powders: I used a combination of dutch process and black cocoa powders for an extra rich chocolate experience.
• Sour Cream: Use full fat sour cream for optimum flavor and texture.
• Oil: Use an extra light or neutral tasting oil like extra virgin olive oil, canola oil, or vegetable oil. 
• Unsalted Butter: Use high quality European-style butter for best overall flavor.
• Flour: Use high quality unbleached all-purpose flour best results.
• Eggs: Bring your eggs to room temperature quickly by placing them in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes.
• Vanilla: Add a high quality vanilla extract for optimal flavor.
• Peppermint Extract: A little goes a long way, so be careful not to add too much!

See recipe card for full information on ingredients and individual quantities.

Step by Step Instructions

Here are step by step photos and instructions on how to make this chocolate peppermint cake recipe! For the full ingredient list and method, see the recipe card at the end of this post.

STEP 1: Mix dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powders, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

STEP 2: Cream butter and sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar for 2-3 minutes until light & fluffy.

STEP 3: Alternate wet & dry ingredients. Mixing on low speed, add the eggs one at a time. Scrape down the bowl and mix in the vanilla and peppermint extract. Add half of the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Mix in the sour cream and oil, then the remaining dry ingredients until just combined. Scrape down the bowl to ensure everything is evenly incorporated.

STEP 4: Divide batter. Divide the batter between the prepared pans and smooth them out into even layers with an offset spatula.

STEP 5: Bake and cool. Bake the cakes for about 35-40 minutes or until the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Turn the cakes out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

STEP 6: Melt chocolate and mix eggs. In a small heat-proof bowl, add the white chocolate and place it over a pot of simmering water. Stir often until fully melted. Remove the bowl from heat and set aside.

Place the egg yolks and 24g (2 tbsp) of granulated sugar in a separate medium bowl or a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk on high speed until thick and foamy (about 3 minutes) while you heat the sugar and water.

STEP 7: Make the frosting. Heat the remaining granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan until the sugar dissolves, then bring to a boil. While the egg yolks are whisking, slowly add the sugar syrup into the bowl and mix until cooled down. Add the butter to the mixture a few cubes at a time, allowing them to fully incorporate before adding more. Lastly, add the cooled melted white chocolate and vanilla. Continue mixing on low speed until the buttercream is completely smooth.

STEP 8: Assemble. Use a serrated knife to cut each cake layer in half, creating four layers. Place the first cake layer on a cake stand. Use a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop to add 2 scoops of buttercream and spread into an even layer. Repeat with the remaining cake layers. Add the last cake layer and top with a few more scoops of buttercream. Use an offset spatula to smooth out the top, and spread the excess all over the sides. Continue decorating the cake as desired. Decorate the cake with crushed candy cane pieces, and enjoy!

Expert Baking Tips

• Black cocoa powder substitute: If you do not have black cocoa powder, you can use an equal amount of dutch process cocoa powder, making it a total of 63g or ¾ cup.
• Make the cake layers ahead of time. This cake stays moist for dayyyys, so you can make ahead of time. Store at room temperature wrapped tightly and stored in an airtight container for 1-2 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. If frozen, be sure to leave the cake layers out a room temperature overnight, then decorate the next day. 
• No need for cake strips! These cake layers bake up perfectly flat, so there's no need to add cake strips on the pans. 
• Use a cookie scoop to assemble the cake. Use a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop to add an equal amount of frosting to each layer.

All of the recipes on this blog are carefully developed with gram measurements so you can easily recreate them in your own kitchen with success. Volume measurements are extremely inaccurate and leave room for significant errors. Not all measuring cups are made equally, so your one cup of flour will be different from my one cup of flour. By providing precise measurements in grams (aside from minor ingredients, which are given in tsp/tbsp), you can make these recipes accurately and with less cleanup! All you need is this kitchen scale. 

If this still isn't enough to convince you, I have provided volume measurements in the recipe card. If you are interested in understanding the conversions, this is the best conversion chart.

But trust me, once you try baking in grams you'll never turn back!

Happy baking! x