Best Ever Chocolate Peppermint Cake

Chocolate Peppermint Cake – rich, dark chocolate peppermint cake layers with peppermint buttercream.

It’s another classic seasonal flavor turned into cake today! This Chocolate Peppermint Cake is a favorite around here, and I think it will be in your home too!

Chocolate Peppermint Cake

I’ve used my go-to chocolate cake recipe with a little peppermint extract. It’s one of the easiest recipes to whip up. You’ll mix your dry ingredients, then your wet ingredients, and the combine them all. Remember, once you start adding the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, your mixer should be on low speed. You only need to stir until the dry ingredients are incorporated into the wet ingredients. Over-mixing your batter is one of the main reasons your cake sinks in the center. I only mix my batter for about 30 seconds. Then I scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, and mix again for another 10 to 20 seconds.

Peppermint Frosting

Same goes for the frosting. This is my go-to whipped vanilla frosting with peppermint extract. The cake and frosting alone have a great peppermint flavor, but if you want to add a little texture to the cake, break up some candy canes or peppermint bark to add between the layers. They’ll make great decorations for the top of your cake, as well.

Video Tutorial

Enjoy!

Looking for more ideas? Check out my Christmas Cake Decorating Ideas post! 

Chocolate Peppermint Cake

5 from 13 votes

Rich, dark chocolate peppermint cake layers with peppermint buttercream.

Prep Time 2 hours hrs

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Inactive Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 50 minutes mins

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Ingredients

  

For the Cake

• 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup (88.5 g) Cacao Barry Extra Brute Cocoa Powder (or similar premium brand – can even use Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder)
• 2 teaspoons (8 g) baking soda
• 1 teaspoon (4 g) baking powder
• 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup (240 g) buttermilk, room temperature
• 1 cup (236 g) hot water
• 1/2 cup (110 g) vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) pure vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons (8.4 g) peppermint extract

For the Buttercream

• 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter, slightly chilled
• 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar, measured then sifted
• 3 tablespoon (43.3 g) heavy whipping cream
• 3 teaspoons (12.6 g) peppermint extract
• Pinch of salt
• Red food coloring
• *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping, you’ll want to make an extra ½ batch.

For the Drip

• 1 cup (150 g) semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
• ¾ to 1 cup (200-231 g) heavy whipping cream

Instructions

 

For the Cake

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare three 8-inch or four 6-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray, parchment paper, and one more spray of nonstick spray.
• In a bowl of electric mixer, combine all the dry ingredients. Set aside.
• In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, buttermilk, water, oil, vanilla and peppermint and lightly beat with a fork.
• With the mixer on low speed, add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix for about 30 seconds. Batter will be thin. Scrape sides and mix for another 10 to 20 seconds. Divide batter evenly among prepared pans (about 15 ounces of batter in each 8-inch pan or 11 ounces in each 6-inch pan).
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes (you may need more time depending on your oven), until toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs on it. Cool on wire racks for 10-15 minutes and then gently invert onto greased racks until cooled completely.
• When cakes are completely cooled, I like to wrap each cake layer individually with plastic wrap and stick it in the freezer until I’m ready to frost. The cake will be easier to work with if it’s cooled a bit. 

For the Buttercream

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until creamy, about two minutes.
• With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, and mix until combined.
• Add the whipping cream, salt and peppermint extract and beat on medium-high for about 3-5 minutes, until the frosting is light and fluffy.
• Reserve about 1 cup of frosting for the white stripes in the cake layers. Add red food coloring to the rest of the frosting and mix for another minute.
• If your frosting has air pockets, take a spatula or wooden spoon and mix by hand until the frosting is smooth.

For the Drip

• In a microwave safe bowl, heat the cream.
• Pour the cream over the chocolate chips and stir until the chocolate is melted.

Assembly

• After leveling each cake layer, set the first cake layer, right-side up, on a cake plate or board. Using piping bags, pipe alternating circles of white and red buttercream, as seen in the video above. 
• Repeat step one for the second cake layer.
• Place the third cake layer, bottom-side up, on top of the second layer of frosting. Give the cake an even crumb coat, filling in an areas that seem uneven with frosting. Freeze the cake for 10 minutes.
• When the crumb coat is set, finish frosting the cake with the red peppermint frosting. Let it chill again before spread the ganache on top. Garnish with candy canes or peppermint bark.

Author: Courtney Rich

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Cake

Keyword: chocolate, Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Peppermint Cake, Peppermint