Chocolate Peppermint Cake
Impress your friends & family at a holiday party with this chocolate peppermint cake! Four layers of rich chocolate peppermint cake are enveloped in a silky white chocolate French buttercream, which is a buttery frosting with just the right amount of sweetness. Top it all off with some crushed candy cane for some extra festive flare!
Ingredients
For the chocolate peppermint cake:
- 120 g (1 cup) all-purpose flour
- 42 g (½ cup) dutch process cocoa powder
- 21 g (¼ cup) black cocoa powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 198 g (14 tablespoon) unsalted butter, room temp
- 250 g (1 ¼ cups) granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, room temp
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
- 113 g (½ cup) sour cream, room temp
- 100 g (½ cup) extra light tasting olive oil
For the white chocolate french buttercream:
- 227 g (8 oz) white chocolate
- 6 egg yolks
- 124 g (½ cup + 2 tbsp) granulated sugar, divided
- 42 g (3 tablespoon) water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 227 g (16 tablespoon) unsalted butter, room temp
Instructions
For the chocolate peppermint cake:
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and line two 6 inch cake pans with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powders, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- 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.
- 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.
- Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans and smooth them out into even layers with an offset spatula.
- 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.
For the white chocolate french buttercream:
- 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 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.
- Heat the remaining 100g (½ cup) of granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to medium and bring to a boil, or until it reaches 240 degrees F.
- While the egg yolks are whisking on medium speed, slowly add the sugar syrup into the bowl. Continue mixing until the mixture has 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.
For Assembly:
- 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!
Notes
- 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.
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 660kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 49g | Saturated Fat: 26g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 210mg | Sodium: 261mg | Potassium: 187mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 43g | Vitamin A: 1119IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 95mg | Iron: 2mg
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