Chocolate Peppermint Cake

If you're looking for the most perfect holiday cake, here it is! My Chocolate Peppermint Cake is absolute heaven! Fudgy chocolate cake layers that are so easy to make in one bowl with minimal effort, combined with the lightest creamiest whipped peppermint cream cheese frosting topped with a dark chocolate ganache drip. AMAZING. The chocolate cake recipe is based off of my most popular Moist Chocolate Cake, except here it's made fudgier with butter. If you love chocolate with peppermint, try my Mocha Peppermint Chocolate Cookies.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

• Easy to make - this cake can be made in one bowl with a whisk. You don't need a mixer, although I often use my electric hand mixer to make it.
• Moist chocolate cake - the cake is SO super moist! It has the softest texture and stays moist for days without drying out.
• Fudgy cake texture - melted butter instead of oil gives this cake a fudgy texture and it stays so moist. It is best served at room temperature, but it is still good cold from the fridge.
• Whipped cream cheese frosting - the frosting is a light and fluffy whipped cream cheese with peppermint extract and it is divine!
• Chocolate peppermint flavor - there is just the right amount of peppermint extract in the cake batter and the frosting.

INGREDIENTS FOR CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT CAKE

• Homemade Chocolate Cake Mix - you can use 1 batch of my easy and foolproof homemade chocolate cake mix for this chocolate peppermint cake recipe, or you can blend the ingredients individually if you don't already have it prepared.
• All purpose flour - you do not need specialty cake flour to make a wonderful chocolate cake. Just be sure to measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour is the most common mistake and leads to tough and dry cake. The most accurate way to measure flour is using a scale. If you don't have one then fluff your flour with a spoon, spoon it into your measuring cup and use a knife to level it off. This batter is meant to be quite runny so refrain from adding more flour to make it thicker.
• Granulated sugar - simple white sugar will keep this cake sweet and moist.
• Pure vanilla extract - vanilla is essential to enhance the flavor of the chocolate and lends a more rounded flavor to the peppermint.
• Peppermint extract - you will use peppermint extract in the cake batter and the frosting. It goes a long way so only use ¼ teaspoon for the cake batter.

• Cocoa powder - you can use either Dutch process or natural cocoa for this recipe. It's the main flavor and you want it to shine so use the best you can find. I love to use this Dutch Process cocoa powder for this recipe.
• Buttermilk - buttermilk adds acidity to react with the baking soda and it also adds a tanginess to balance the sweetness and bitter taste of the cocoa. If you don't have buttermilk, you can still make this cake with my recommended substitutions of yogurt and milk in the FAQ section at the bottom of this post. I often do this and it works just as well!
• Butter - melted butter lends a fudgy texture to this cake. I often use oil for one bowl cakes to create a fluid batter that will accommodate the moving air bubbles to make a light crumb texture, but the combination of hot coffee and buttermilk will add enough moisture to loosen and soften the texture.
• Cream cheese - the frosting is a light whipped cream cheese which is so creamy and airy.
• Whipping cream - use cream with minimum 35% milk fat content or the mixture will not whip properly and may not get stiff enough to spread.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS: HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT CAKE

• STEP 1). Make the cake layers. Combine dry ingredients. Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda into a large bowl. Add sugar and salt and whisk to blend well.
• STEP 2). Combine wet ingredients. Combine eggs, melted butter, buttermilk, peppermint extract and vanilla in a medium bowl and whisk to blend well.
• STEP 3). Mix wet and dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix with a whisk or an electric hand mixer on medium-low until blended. It will be thick and somewhat dry.
• STEP 4). Mix in hot coffee. Add the hot coffee gradually in two stages to minimize clumps forming and beat until evenly combined and the batter is smooth.
• STEP 5). Bake. Divide batter evenly between the prepared pans and bake for 25-30 minutes until cakes spring back when pressed gently and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer pans to a wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes before you run a knife around the edges and inverting onto the rack to cool completely.

• STEP 1). Make the frosting. Beat cream cheese with sugar. Combine soft cream cheese with 3 tablespoon of sugar and beat on medium-low speed until smooth and creamy. It should look glossy and there should be no lumps.
• STEP 2). Add cream. Add just ¼ cup of cream and beat on low to gradually incorporate the cream into the cream cheese mixture until it is smooth. Then, gradually add remaining cream and continue to beat on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in remaining 3 tablespoon of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
• STEP 3). Mix in extract. Add vanilla and peppermint extracts and mix them in evenly.
• STEP 4). Frost the cake. Spread about 2 cups of frosting in an even layer between the cooled cake layers and then spread the remaining frosting all over to cover the cake.
• STEP 5). Chill. Place the cake in the fridge for 1 hour.

• STEP 1). Make the chocolate drip. Chop the chocolate. Chop the dark chocolate into small pieces and place it into a bowl.
• STEP 2). Add cream. Place cream in a small saucepan with corn syrup and heat it over medium heat until it begins to simmer. Pour it over the chocolate in the bowl, cover and let stand for 2 minutes.
• STEP 3). Mix. Whisk gently from the center making circles outwards until the chocolate is completely melted, smooth and glossy. Let it cool for 15-20 minutes so it is no longer hot, but still fluid.
• STEP 4). Drip the cake. Spoon ganache around the edges of the cake, coaxing it over the sides to drip down. Continue like this in a continuous motion all around the cake. I like to use a squeeze bottle to do this.

EXPERT BAKING TIPS FOR CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT CAKE

• Use Dutch Process cocoa powder for a dark-colored cake. I actually prefer the fruity taste of natural cocoa in cakes, but the dark fudgy cake layers look so decadent with Dutch cocoa.
• Use salted butter for the cake. It really adds a richness and more dimension to bring out the chocolate and peppermint flavors.
• Do not reduce the sugar. The right amount of sugar will make cake moist because it binds water so that it stays tightly in the batter and doesn't evaporate excessively during baking.
• Keep an eye on the baking time. Set a timer for the first time stated in the recipe and use the skewer test to check the cakes. A wooden skewer or toothpick should come out clean.
• Use cold but smooth cream cheese for the frosting. It is really important to mix the cream cheese well before adding any cream. The cream cheese should be soft and smooth so it blends easily, otherwise you are more likely to have lumps in your frosting.
• Use cold cream. Take your heavy cream out of the fridge just before you plan to use it. Cold cream will whip to a greater volume because it traps air bubbles when hard fat crystals form a network around them.
• Slowly add in the cream to create a smooth mixture that will whip up more effectively and evenly.
• Use the frosting shortly after making it. This frosting should be used immediately since whipped cream can lose volume as it sits.
• Refrigerate the frosting before covering the cake to make it easier to work with. This will harden the fat from the cream and the cream cheese for a thicker spreading consistency.

RECIPE FAQ

HOW TO MAKE FROSTING WITHOUT BUTTER

I have really been into making this lighter cream cheese frosting that's made without butter. It is so easy to make, pipes and swooshes beautifully and isn't dense nor heavy. This whipped cream cheese frosting is so light and fluffy and ultra creamy. It's more cream than it is cheese - the cheese is there mainly to stabilize the cream. If you want or make a DOUBLE Chocolate Peppermint Cake, I recommend you use this recipe for the BEST Chocolate Frosting. 

If you love cake, check out these recipes!

The BEST Moist Chocolate Cake Recipe Ultimate Moist Chocolate Fudge Cake Sticky Toffee Date Cake Moist Lemon Blueberry Bread Olive Oil Chocolate Bundt Cake Best Vanilla Cupcake Recipe with Chocolate Fudge Frosting Chocolate Chip Banana Cake with Creamy Milk Chocolate Frosting Blueberry Peach Upside Down Cake