Chocolate Peppermint Cake

Triple Chocolate Peppermint Cake with a festive red and white frosting that depicts a tasty peppermint candy. Use a box cake mix and decorate with a fabulous candy cane frosting. A great addition to your holiday dessert table.

Course Christmas dessert, Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword chocolate peppermint cake, chocolate peppermint layer cake, holiday peppermint cake

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 25

cooling time 35

Total Time 1 25

Servings servings

Calories 1056kcal

Author Eileen Kelly

Equipment

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9 inch round cake pan
10 inch round cake board
Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls
Measuring Spoons and Cups
Stand Mixer
Spatula
Squeeze Bottles
Disposable Piping Bags
Star Piping Tip
Cooling Racks
Cake Leveler

Ingredients

Chocolate Peppermint Cake

2 (15.25) ounce Triple chocolate cake mix boxed cake mix
6 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups whole milk
1 Tablespoon peppermint extract

Candy Cane Frosting

2 cups unsalted butter, softened
5-7 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
red gel food coloring

Chocolate Frosting

2 cups unsalted butter
5 cups confectioners sugar
1 cup dark cocoa powder
5-8 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon peppermint extract

Chocolate Ganache

½ cup chocolate chip morsels
¼ cup heavy whipping cream

Decorate the Cake

Instructions

Baking the cake

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray the cake pans with pam baking spray
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat until combine cake mix, unsalted butter, milk, and peppermint extract.
Divide the cake batter equally between the 3 cake pans. Bake in the oven for about 25-35 minutes.
Bake in the oven for about 25-35 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes will come out clean when fully baked.
Remove the cakes from the oven. Allow them to cool completely before frosting.

Candy Cane Frosting

In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the beaters, cream the unsalted butter, confectioners sugar, heavy whipping cream, and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy.
Scoop half of the vanilla frosting and place in a medium bowl. Mix in a few drops of red food gel to get a festive red color to the frosting.
Scoop the white and red frosting into the disposable piping bags using the star tip. Cut the tips off and set aside.

Chocolate Peppermint Frosting

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat unsalted butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, heavy whipping cream, and peppermint extract until combined, creamy, and holds peaks.
Scoop 1½ cups of chocolate frosting into a piping bag. Set aside.

Building the cake

Remove the cakes from the cake pans and keep them on the cooling rack or place them on cake boards for easy handling. Note 2
Using a cake leveler, remove the very tops of the cakes to create even layers.
Starting with 1 layer of cake, if not using cake boards, place the first layer of cake on a cake stand. Use the red frosting piping bag and pipe a thick ring around the top of the cake.
Using the white frosting piping bag, pipe a thick ring along the inside of the red frosting ring.
Alternate with the red and white frosting until you get to the center.
Place the second cake layer on top and repeat piping red and white alternating rings on the top of the cake layer.
Place the third cake layer on top.
Using a flat spatula, smooth the frosting on the outside of the cake
Frost the cake using the chocolate frosting and place in the refrigerator while the chocolate ganache is prepared, recipe below.
Use the ganache in the squeeze bottle to add drips along the top edge of the cake.
Place the crushed peppermint candies around the entire bottom of the cake.
Use the remaining chocolate frosting in the piping bag with the star tip and place dollops of chocolate around the top of the cake.
Sprinkle the white nonpareils around the top of the cake.
Place mini candy canes on the chocolate dollops around the cake.
Slice and serve. Enjoy!

Chocolate Ganache

Use a small saucepan over medium/low heat, simmer whipping cream to warm, do not boil.
Pour the heated cream over the chocolate chips. Allow it to sit for a minute before whisking until smooth.
Pour into the squeeze bottle to complete decorating the cake.

Notes

Be sure to check Expert Tips and FAQs above with important tips and questions that can help make a delicious recipe.

Note 1: I put my cakes in the freezer for a few minutes before frosting them. This helps the cake not to crumble while frosting.

Note 2: Since I have taken baking courses, I have found baking round boards are very helpful when decorating cakes such as this one. It is optional. You can place the first layer right on a cake platter.

Chocolate Ganache: Using a squeeze bottle to add the ganache is a super easy way to decorate the ganache.

Storage:

Because of all the dairy in the cake, I recommend storing this yummy chocolate peppermint cake in a cake box or cake plate in the fridge for up to three days.

I am not a registered dietician, I do my best to provide the most accurate nutritional values. Any nutritional data I provide is an approximation. Actual dietary information can vary based on ingredients and portion sizes.

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Nutrition