Description

A festive and rich Chocolate Peppermint Cake layered with smooth Peppermint Swiss Meringue Buttercream, decorated with crushed candy canes and festive sprinkles. Perfect for holiday celebrations, this cake blends deep chocolate flavor with refreshing peppermint, creating a delightful treat that is as beautiful as it is delicious.

Ingredients

Scale

Chocolate Peppermint Cake:

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder sifted
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup buttermilk room temperature
3/4 cup hot water or hot coffee
2 large eggs room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp peppermint extract optional

Peppermint Swiss Meringue Buttercream:

6 large egg whites
2 cup granulated sugar lightly packed
2 cups unsalted butter cubed, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp peppermint extract or more to taste
Bright white color gel
2 Tbsp powdered sugar
Red color gel

Assembly:

1/2 cup crushed candy canes plus more for outside of cake
Candy cane sprinkles

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Instructions

Prepare pans and oven. Preheat oven to 350F, grease three 6-inch round baking pans, dust with cocoa powder, and line bottoms with parchment paper.
Mix dry ingredients. Place all dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and stir to combine thoroughly.
Mix wet ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together all wet ingredients, slowly adding hot water or coffee to avoid cooking the eggs if very hot.
Combine wet and dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry mixture and mix on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until the batter is very thin.
Bake the cake layers. Pour batter evenly into the prepared pans using a kitchen scale to ensure equal distribution. Bake at 350F for 35 minutes or until a cake tester comes out mostly clean.
Cool the layers. Let cakes cool for 10 minutes in the pans, then turn them out onto wire racks to cool completely.
Make the Swiss Meringue. Combine egg whites and sugar in the mixer bowl. Place bowl over a hot water bath and whisk constantly for about 3 minutes until mixture is hot and no longer grainy, reaching 160F on a candy thermometer.
Whisk meringue to stiff peaks. Move bowl to stand mixer and whisk on medium-high until stiff, glossy peaks form and the bowl is no longer warm to the touch (about 5-10 minutes).
Add butter to the meringue. Switch to the paddle attachment and slowly add cubed butter, mixing until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla and peppermint extracts, then whip until well combined.
Color the buttercream. Remove 1 1/2 cups buttercream to a separate bowl, add powdered sugar and red color gel, mixing until you achieve desired red color. Use bright white color gel to whiten the remaining frosting if desired.
Assemble the cake. Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread about 2/3 cup buttercream over it and sprinkle with 1/4 cup crushed candy canes if desired. Repeat with remaining layers. Apply a thin crumb coat of frosting around the cake and chill for 20 minutes.
Frost the outside. Frost and smooth the outside of the cake generously, smoothing with an icing smoother and using a cake comb to finish the sides until smooth.
Decorate the cake. Pipe red buttercream dollops on top using a 1M piping tip, spacing them slightly apart. Pipe smaller white frosting dollops in between red ones using a 4B tip. Decorate the base with crushed candy canes and sprinkles as desired.

Notes

Ensure no traces of egg yolk remain in the egg whites and that mixing tools are grease-free to achieve stiff meringue.
The buttercream may appear curdled during mixing; continue beating until it becomes smooth and creamy.
Using hot coffee instead of water enhances the chocolate flavor without affecting the cake texture.
Adjust peppermint extract amount to taste for desired mint intensity.
For best results, allow cakes to cool completely before decorating to prevent frosting melting.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 slice
Calories: 450 kcal
Sugar: 45 g
Sodium: 250 mg
Fat: 25 g
Saturated Fat: 15 g
Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Carbohydrates: 55 g
Fiber: 3 g
Protein: 5 g
Cholesterol: 90 mg