Video
Chocolate Peppermint Cake
Celebrate the holidays with this moist, fudgy peppermint-infused chocolate cake with a creamy whipped peppermint cream cheese frosting and dark chocolate ganache drip!
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake batter dry ingredients:
1 x batch (630g) of Homemade Chocolate Cake Mix, OR blend the following 6 dry ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups (250g) all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup (56g) cocoa powder (I prefer this one)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
Chocolate Cake batter wet ingredients:
- 1 cup (240ml) very hot coffee (or use just boiled water)
- ⅔ cup (160ml) buttermilk (see write-up in the article above for substitutions)
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- ½ cup (113g) salted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon pure peppermint extract
Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 5 oz (142g) brick cream cheese, cold
- 1 ¼ cups (300ml) 35% heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup (60g) powdered sugar, divided
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon pure peppermint extract
Chocolate Drip:
- 4 oz (113g) semisweet dark chocolate
- ⅓ cup (80ml) 35% heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) corn syrup or honey
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans and line the base with rounds of parchment paper.
- First weight out 630g of my Homemade Chocolate Cake Mix, or combine dry ingredients listed above by sifting flour, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda into a large bowl. Add sugar and salt and whisk to blend very well.
- Prepare the coffee. Brew a pot or make instant coffee – measure out 1 cup of boiling water and stir in 1 tablespoon of instant coffee or 2 teaspoons of espresso powder. You can also use boiling water.
- Combine wet ingredients. Combine buttermilk, eggs, melted butter, vanilla and peppermint extract in a medium bowl and whisk to blend and break up the eggs. Add it to the dry ingredients and mix with an electric hand mixer on low speed until mostly blended. It will be quite thick.
- Add hot coffee gradually in three stages to minimize clumps forming and beat until evenly combined and the batter is smooth. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl once during mixing.
- Divide batter evenly between prepared pans (about 620g batter per pan) and tap the pans on the counter 3 times to force out any large air bubbles. Bake for 25-30 minutes until a skewer inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Transfer to a rack and cool in the pans for 15 minutes before inverting the cakes onto the rack to cool completely.
- Make the frosting. Add cold cream cheese to a large bowl and mix on medium speed to break it down so it starts to become smooth. Add vanilla extract, peppermint extract and half of the powdered sugar (30g), then mix until it is very smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl periodically. Once the mixture is smooth, gradually pour in 2 tablespoons (30ml) of cream and mix until it is very smooth and evenly combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and then slowly add in the rest of the cream while mixing on low until it is all blended. I like to pour it down the side of the bowl to prevent it from splattering.
- Now that it is all incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and whip until it reaches soft peaks. Watch the mixture closely as it will thicken and whip up very quickly. It will take shape and gain volume about 30 seconds after mixing in the heavy cream. Add the remaining powdered sugar and mix on low just to incorporate it. Do not over-mix at this point! Stop the mixer as soon as you see tracks forming in the cream from the whisk. If you lift up the whisk, the frosting should keep its shape and form a nice peak. If you do over-mix it will become soupy and runny and you won't be able to fix it. Refrigerate the frosting for 15 minutes so it is easier to work with.
- Dollop about 1 ½ cups of frosting over one of the cake layers and use a large offset spatula to spread it out in an even layer, leaving about ½ inch border around the edges. Add the top layer and then use the large offset spatula to spread the remaining frosting all over to cover the cake. Place the cake in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Make the chocolate drip. Chop the dark chocolate into small pieces and place it into a bowl. 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. 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.
- Spoon ganache around the edges of the cake, then use a small offset spatula to coax it over the edges to drip down the sides. Continue like this in a continuous motion all around the cake. I also like to use a squeeze bottle to do this which helps me be more precise about where I'm dripping the ganache, but either way works great. Place the cake in the fridge for 30 minutes, then decorate with crushed candy cane before serving.
