Chocolate Peppermint Cake | Life, Love and Sugar

14 de December de 2023

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This Peppermint Chocolate Cake is made with three layers of moist chocolate cake which might be crammed and frosted with peppermint buttercream and peppermint items! It’s completed off with a wonderful chocolate drip and is ideal for Christmas!

A slice of chocolate peppermint layer cake on a plate.

Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Peppermint Cake

Peppermint is a traditional vacation taste that’s so contemporary and engaging and simply seems like Christmas! In a cake similar to this one, there’s heaps to like however listed below are a few of my favourite issues.

Tremendous simple. The cake layers for this dessert are based mostly on my favourite chocolate cake recipe which is simply extremely simple to make. It makes use of just about the only mixing technique within the guide and comes collectively in minutes.
So moist. The vegetable oil used within the cake batter ensures that the chocolate cake layers are supremely moist. An unbeatable texture.
A festive taste combo. There’s simply one thing about chocolate and peppermint married collectively. It jogs my memory of the traditional peppermint bark I used to have as a child at Christmas time. I hope it will get you into the vacation spirit as a lot because it will get me.
Spectacular. Not solely will the flavour of this cake have individuals asking you the place you purchased it, it’s additionally fairly sufficient to impress all of your family and friends. The pop of crimson from the peppermint is beautiful and festive.

Overhead image of chocolate peppermint layer cake on a cake stand.

What You’ll Want

With a view to make this chocolate peppermint cake recipe, you have to the next elements. You’ll want to scroll to the recipe card under for exact measurements.

Ingredients for chocolate peppermint cake.

Chocolate Cake Layers

All-purpose flour – You’ll want to measure it correctly, ideally with a meals scale. An excessive amount of flour is the commonest wrongdoer to a dry cake.
Sugar – Added for sweetness, naturally, however sugar additionally provides to the tender texture of the cake.
Pure unsweetened cocoa powder – Whereas I like to recommend pure unsweetened cocoa and it’s best on this recipe, you possibly can use Dutch-processed cocoa powder. Simply bear in mind that the muffins might not rise as a lot.
Baking soda – To present the cake it’s rise and contribute to the tender texture.
Salt – For taste! In the event you depart it out, you’ll have a bland cake.
Eggs – The eggs ought to be giant in measurement, not medium or additional giant.
Milk – I take advantage of 2% milk, however complete milk or buttermilk additionally work effectively.
Vegetable oil – The vegetable oil makes the cake layers so good and moist. You gained’t wish to swap this out for butter. The outcome won’t be the identical.
Vanilla extract
Scorching water – Scorching water helps the cocoa powder bloom to deliver out the chocolate taste.

Peppermint Buttercream

Unsalted butter – Begin with room-temperature butter. Whether it is too chilly, you’ll find your self with a lumpy frosting.
Powdered sugar – So as to add quantity to your frosting and get it a great consistency for adorning. Be at liberty to cut back it, if desired. Simply remember the fact that changes change the consistency of the frosting.
Heavy cream – Helps offer you a creamy buttercream and modify the consistency of the buttercream to make it thinner, if wanted.
Vanilla extract and peppermint extract – For taste. I extremely suggest the vanilla. It’s refined sweetness helps to steadiness out the peppermint in order that it’s not too toothpaste-y.
Salt – You don’t have to make use of salt, nevertheless it does minimize down the sweetness only a bit and amplifies the flavour of the buttercream.
Peppermint items – For between the cake layers and for adorning. They add a contact of texture and a beautiful pop of coloration.

Chocolate Ganache

Semi-sweet chocolate chips – Darkish or milk chocolate chips would additionally work, however will change the consistency of the ganache barely.
Heavy whipping cream – Mixed with the chocolate to create ganache. Adjusting it can skinny or thicken the ganache. The excessive fats content material additionally retains it good and creamy. Swapping it for milk or one thing else will skinny it out.

The right way to Make Chocolate Peppermint Cake

Right here’s a primary overview of how you can make this chocolaty, pepperminty masterpiece. Don’t neglect to scroll to the recipe card under for extra detailed directions.

Make the Truffles

Prep. Preheat the oven to 300°F, line the bottoms of three 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper, and grease the perimeters.
Mix the dry elements. Whisk collectively the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
Add moist elements. Stir the eggs, buttermilk and vegetable oil.

Whisking together the dry ingredients for chocolate cake batter.

Adding the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients to make chocolate cake batter.

Add water. Mix the vanilla and sizzling water and stir it into the batter. Will probably be very skinny.
Bake. Divide batter between cake pans and bake for 30-33 minutes.
Cool. Permit the muffins to chill of their pans for 10 minutes earlier than turning them out onto wire racks to chill fully.

Whisking the vanilla and hot water into chocolate cake batter.

Chocolate cake batter in cake pans ready to be baked.

Make the Buttercream and Assemble the Cake

Make the buttercream. Beat the butter till clean after which combine in half of the powdered sugar adopted by 3 tablespoons of heavy cream together with the vanilla extract, peppermint extract, and salt. Combine within the remaining powdered sugar. If the frosting is simply too thick, add just a little additional heavy cream.
Stack, fill, and frost. Reduce the domes from the tops of the muffins and set the primary layer on a serving plate. Unfold 1 cup of frosting over the cake, sprinkle 2 tablespoons of peppermint items over the frosting, and unfold a skinny layer of frosting over the peppermint items in a couple of locations. Stack the second cake layer on prime and repeat. Add the ultimate cake later and frost the surface of the cake.

Peppermint buttercream frosting in a mixing bowl.

Stacking and filling chocolate peppermint cake.

Make the chocolate ganache. Warmth the heavy whipping cream simply till it begins to boil and pour it over the chocolate chips. Permit the combination to sit down fo 2-3 minutes after which whisk till clean.
Enhance. Drizzle the chocolate ganache across the fringe of the cake, enable it to agency up a bit, after which pipe shells across the prime fringe of the cake with the remaining frosting and sprinkle with peppermint items.

Chocolate peppermint layer cake on a cake stand.

Suggestions for Success

Good the feel, taste, and look of this chocolate peppermint cake by following these easy ideas and methods. You’ll be a layer cake professional very quickly.

Don’t over-mix. When combining the moist and dry elements for the cake batter, be certain to not over-mix. This may trigger the glutens within the flour to over-develop, leading to a troublesome, overly dense cake.
Cool fully. Permit the muffins to chill fully earlier than making an attempt to assemble. If they’re too heat, the frosting will slide off the cake layers.
Begin stage. Don’t neglect to take away the domes from the cake layers. In the event you skip this step, your cake gained’t stack correctly.
Consistency issues. You wish to guarantee that your frosting isn’t too stiff or too runny. Stiff frosting gained’t unfold correctly and runny frosting will slide off the cake. Do your homework beforehand and study how one can modify the quantities of powdered sugar and heavy cream to get the correct frosting consistency.
Frost like a professional. Don’t go in blind right here, of us, try my publish on frosting a clean cake earlier than diving in.
Good the chocolate drip. I extremely suggest you check out my publish on The right way to Make a Chocolate Drip Cake if you’d like the prettiest peppermint chocolate cake attainable. I additionally like to make use of a squeeze bottle to make life simpler.

A slice of chocolate peppermint layer cake on a plate with a bite taken out of it.

Correct Storage

You may retailer this cake at room temperature for about 24 hours however then it ought to be refrigerated. I do suggest serving it at room temperature to expertise the perfect texture and taste.

Fridge. Retailer the cake in an hermetic cake service or wrap it in a few layers of plastic wrap (I recommend utilizing toothpicks to prop the plastic away from the decorations). You would additionally slice the cake and prepare the slices in a single layer in an hermetic container. This peppermint-chocolate dream will keep good as much as 5 days.
Freezer. You may undoubtedly freeze the cake layers and buttercream individually for as much as 3 months. I don’t often suggest freezing totally frosted muffins, however you’ll be able to and this one would most likely be tremendous. Simply remember the fact that condensation that varieties upon thawing might soften the peppermint items in the midst of the cake layers. To freeze the complete cake, pop the cake within the freezer for a few hours to agency up earlier than wrapping the entire thing in a double layer of plastic wrap. One other choices is to rearrange leftover slices in a single layer in an hermetic container. Retailer the cake within the freezer for as much as 3 months. Permit it to thaw within the fridge earlier than diving in.

Extra Peppermint Desserts

Christmas is coming and it’s the season for peppermint desserts! Listed here are a few of my different favourite recipes that fulfill that peppermint craving.

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Chocolate Peppermint Cake | Life, Love and Sugar

Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Peppermint Cake