Easy peppermint cake with peppermint frosting recipe is here. An Old Fashioned homemade, moist delicious Christmas dessert everyone loves. Pretty red and pink type of Surprise Cake with a pop of mint!
Cake with peppermint brings a cool holiday whiz to your mouth. With candies crushed inside the mousse and frosting you can add as little or much as you’d like. The best Christmas dessert you will love. (affiliate links present)
How to Make Candy Cane Cake
If you tried and loved our Microwave Peppermint Fudge we did too. You can only have a little chunk of that and it is rather crunchy. For something fluffy, layered, pretty and feeding a crowd this one is another option to make and impress your guests this holiday season.
There are a ton of ways to incorporate the candy canes or round candies. You can add some to all the things or just one. Melting Peppermint Candy into shapes to incorporate on to the top is another fun activity you can do with your kids as well as making a few to hang on the tree.
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Just like our Microwave Peppermint Bark we have crushed round versions and canes depending on what I find on sale. You can buy them already crushed too but typically that is more expensive. That option is up to you.
Ingredients for Peppermint Cake
- 6 oz white chocolate chips or bar broken and melted
- Eggs
- 1.5 c milk whole
- Vanilla
- All purpose flour
- 1 1/4 c sugar
- Baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Butter softened to room temperature
Peppermint Cake using White Cake Mix
If you just wanted to use white boxed mix and amp that up then that works too. I would add 1 box of instant vanilla pudding into the batter to make it more moist with 1/4-1/2 cup of crushed candy canes. This will make it minty and then bake according to box directions. Use a tub of frosting with more crushed peppermint candies on the top.
Frosting
- 5 oz white chocolate chips or bar broken and melted
- Heavy cream or whipping cream
- 1.5 tbsp sour cream
- 1/2 c peppermints crushed will make it into Peppermint Frosting
As far as the middle you could go with the one listed below, use ganache or melt chocolate chips in microwave, cool and use that instead. There are tons of options as far as the middle layer goes.
Easy Christmas Cake Recipe
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Melt the 6 oz of white chocolate with ¼ c of the milk in the microwave in a safe bowl in 20 second increments until it is smooth. Set aside to cool.
- In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set to the side.
- Beat the butter and sugar together at medium speed until they are light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add in the eggs, one at a time and thoroughly combine, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go. Add in the vanilla and cooled white chocolate and mix.
- Using a spatula to fold in the ingredients, starting and ending with the dry ingredients, alternate between the flour mixture first.
- Then the milk until all ingredients are incorporated together.
- Evenly divide the batter between 2- 9” cake pans and bake (either lined with parchment paper – or nonstick).
- Oven should be set to 350 degrees for 22-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean with moist crumbs attached.
- Run a knife around the edge and release to be placed on a cooling rack to cool completely until room temperature.
- In a small pan over low heat, melt the white chocolate, sour cream, and half of the whipping cream together. Continually stir until it is just melted, then remove from heat. Allow to cool and stir on occasion for about 20 minutes until it has come to room temperature.
- In a medium bowl, whip the remaining cream until it is light and fluffy. Add the finely crushed candy canes. Gently fold in the cooled white chocolate mixture and place in the refrigerator for about 2 hours to chill until almost set.
- Take the first layer and place in the center of the cake plate flat side up. Cover the top with the peppermint mousse.
- Place the top layer of holiday cake, flat side down evenly on top. Then frost.
How to Make a Cake Minty
And the outside has a lot of options as well. There is a link in the recipe card below for the one with candies or tone it down with plain Cream Cheese Frosting Without Butter instead. Chocolate goes well with this flavor too so garnishing this with sprinkles is a winner too.
For a lot of intense flavors you can fold in vanilla or peppermint extract into the frosting of our Christmas Bar Cookies or any of these layers. Mix and match depending on your tastebuds. For leftover chocolate peppermint cake recipes you will want to wrap the outsides with plastic wrap touching all around. Store in fridge for up to 3 days for best results.
If you want to create a bar of holiday spirit in a sense I have included a few other festive ideas throughout this post. To drink we have made Peppermint Chocolate Cream Cold Foam to serve on top of cold brew as well. Another favorite that makes a cup of ok into WOW.
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Peppermint Cake
Equipment
- 2 9 inch cake pans
- 2 bowls
Ingredients
- 6 oz white chocolate chips or bar broken and melted
- 3 eggs
- 1.5 c milk whole
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2.5 c all purpose flour
- 1 1/4 c sugar
- 2.5 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 c butter softened to room temperature
Peppermint Mousse
- 5 oz white chocolate chips or bar broken and melted
- 1 c heavy cream or whipping cream
- 1.5 tbsp sour cream
- 1/2 c peppermints crushed
- Peppermint Frosting
Instructions
- Peppermint cake – Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt the 6 oz of white chocolate with ¼ c of the milk in the microwave in a safe bowl in 20 second increments until it is smooth. Set aside to cool. In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set to the side.
- Cream butter and sugar together until they are light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add in the eggs, one at a time and thoroughly combine, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go. Add in the vanilla and cooled white chocolate and mix.
- Using a spatula to fold in the ingredients, starting and ending with the dry ingredients, alternate between the flour mixture first, then the milk until all ingredients are incorporated together.
- Evenly divide the batter between 2- 9” cake pans (either lined with parchment paper – or nonstick). Bake in a 350 degree oven for 22-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Run a knife around the edge and release to be placed on a cooling rack until at room temperature.
- Peppermint Mousse – In a small pan over low heat, melt the white chocolate, sour cream, and half of the whipping cream together. Continually stir until it is just melted, then remove from heat. Allow to cool and stir on occasion for about 20 minutes until it has come to room temperature.
- In a medium bowl, whip the remaining cream until it is light and fluffy. Add the finely crushed peppermint candies. Gently fold in the cooled white chocolate mixture and place in the refrigerator for about 2 hours to chill until almost set.
- Assemble – Take the first layer and place in the center of the cake plate flat side up. Cover the top with the peppermint mousse. Place the top layer of cake, flat side down evenly on top.
- Frosting – Using an offset spatula coat the top and side with an even layer of frosting. (use link above for homemade or use a ready made tub of vanilla and sprinkle crushed candy canes on top)
- Using your hands, scoop up a small handful of peppermint candies and gently press into the side of the cake, firmly enough for them to stick to the frosting. Repeat until the entire side of the cake is coated in candies.
- Place in the refrigerator for about an hour to allow frosting to set before serving. Store in the refrigerator until ready to eat.