This layered chocolate peppermint cake is perfect for the holiday season. Tender chocolate cake is topped with peppermint-vanilla frosting, then crushed peppermint candies!
If you’re a fan of the irresistible duo of chocolate and peppermint, this dreamy cake is about to become your go-to holiday dessert. A moist and tender chocolate cake is topped with silky-smooth peppermint frosting, then finished with crushed candy canes. The result is a show stopping dessert that’s as stunning as it is easy to make – perfect for the celebrating the season.
Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Peppermint Cake
- Classic Holiday Flavor: Rich chocolate and cool peppermint are a match made in holiday heaven. Let’s get all the cozy vibes going!
- Festive: The crushed candy canes add a pop of color and sparkle that’s hard to resist.
- Impressive (Yet Easy): I love holiday desserts that look super impressive, yet were actually simple to put together. That’s this chocolate peppermint cake. Everyone will be wowed by the final result.
- Great Make-Ahead Dessert: You can make this cake a day in advance, making holiday prep easier. In fact, the flavors are even better the next day.
- A Crowd-Pleaser: This cake appeals to kids and adults alike, making it a hit at holiday gatherings.
Looking for more ways to make chocolate cake? Try my Chocolate Cake or Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake!
What You’ll Need
Peppermint frosting adds icy, refreshing notes to every single chocolatey bite of cake. Here’s a quick look at what you’ll need to make this recipe. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for a printable list of ingredients.
For the Cake
- Dry ingredients – All-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Water
- Granulated sugar – You can also go 50/50 with granulated sugar and light brown sugar.
- Dark chocolate – You can also use semi-sweet chocolate, though that will make this a sweeter cake.
- Unsalted butter
- Vegetable oil – Canola and olive oil are good swaps if needed.
- Vanilla extract
- Eggs – Use room temperature eggs.
For the Peppermint Frosting
- Unsalted butter – At room temperature.
- Extracts – You need vanilla and peppermint.
- Salt
- Powdered sugar – This is also called “confectioners’ sugar”.
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Tips For Success
- Use the center oven rack: Never bake in the bottom oven rack because the heat is too direct and will burn the bottom of the cake before the center is done. The top rack is too cool, affecting total baking time and texture. For best results, stick to the center oven rack.
- Use the right pans: Silver and rose gold-colored cake pans tend to distribute heat more evenly, preventing burning and darker colored edges. Use them instead of black cake pans if possible.
- Watch the temperature: Stick an oven thermometer on the oven rack that your cake pans are on to confirm that you’re baking at the temperature you set the oven to. Sometimes ovens aren’t calibrated and this causes issues with recipes.
- Keep the oven doors closed: Once the cake is in the oven, don’t open the door to check on it. Doing so lowers the oven’s internal temperature and can lead to a rubbery final texture. If you want to see what’s going on, turn on the oven light instead.
- If you need to cool the cakes quickly: If you’re pressed for time, pop the baked cake layers in the freezer for 1-1.5 hours to cool them down faster so you can frost and decorate sooner. If they’re still even slightly warm, the frosting will melt right off.
Topping Ideas
Want to add something other than (or in addition to) crushed candy canes? I also love these ideas on chocolate peppermint cake:
- Chocolate Shavings: Use milk, dark, or white chocolate to create delicate curls or shavings.
- Peppermint Bark Pieces: Add a mix of white and dark chocolate peppermint bark shards for a sophisticated touch.
- Sprinkles: Go for red, white, and green holiday sprinkles or edible glitter for a playful, festive vibe.
- Crushed Chocolate Cookies: Oreos or chocolate wafers add a crumbly, rich texture that complements the peppermint frosting.
How to Store
- Counter: Place it in a cake dome, away from direct heat and sunlight, for up to 2 days.
- Fridge: Store it in an airtight container for up to 7 days. Keep it away from strong-smelling foods like onions to prevent the transfer of odors.
- Freezer: Wrap it, whole or sliced, in plastic wrap twice. Transfer it to a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or on the counter for 20 minutes.
More Chocolate Cakes to Try
Yield: 12 slices
Chocolate Peppermint Cake
This fluffy chocolate peppermint cake recipe with creamy vanilla-peppermint frosting and crushed candy canes is an easy Christmas dessert.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 5 oz dark chocolate, chopped
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
Icing:
- 1 ½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon pure peppermint extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 7 cups powdered sugar
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter two 8 inch round cake pans and line the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, combine water and sugar. Bring to a boil and stir until sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and add chocolate and butter, stirring occasionally, until melted.
- Whisk in vegetable oil and vanilla extract. Quickly beat in eggs (do this quickly so they don’t cook) into the chocolate mixture until combined. Whisk in dry ingredients, until smooth.
- Divide batter evenly between prepared pans and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cakes cool in pans until cool to the touch – then frost.
Frosting
- Cream butter and butter in a stand mixer. Add vanilla, peppermint extract and salt. Gradually add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl as needed.
- When all sugar has been mixed in, beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Assemble the two cake layers with a thick layer of frosting in between the layers. Frost cake as desired.
Notes
Storage
- Counter: Place it in a cake dome for up to 2 days.
- Fridge: Store it in an airtight container for up to 7 days.
- Freezer: Wrap it, whole or sliced, in plastic wrap twice. Transfer it to a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 slice, Calories: 849kcal, Carbohydrates: 126g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 38g, Saturated Fat: 22g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 110mg, Sodium: 518mg, Potassium: 158mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 105g, Vitamin A: 964IU, Calcium: 69mg, Iron: 3mg
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I have baked this cake four times. It is so moist that there isn’t any structure to it. The center of each of my 8 inch round cake pans, con caves. It’s actually too moist. I can’t even hardly move it to position it for frosting it falls apart. It is so yummy. We eat all the crumbles. I have never been able to put the frosting on it because it won’t hold together. Any suggestions or recommendations? I live in a very dry part of the United States at about 6500 feet in elevation.
I used my own chocolate cake recipe for the peppermint cake, but I did follow this recipe for the frosting. I used a whisk attachment instead of a paddle and it turned out great! The only slight downside was that the frosting was pretty thick, but it was still spreadable and once I ate it it tasted great!
My daughter and I make this cake every year for Christmas and it’s WONDERFUL!!!! It’s so good and moist. We do make 1 1/2 recipes of the icing so there is plenty to cover. We then take small individual ginger bread houses and decorate just the front panel of them and put them around the edge of the cake for more Christmas decor. It has been our mother/daughter tradition now for about 5 years at least.
i give this a five star review this cake is amazing!!!
After reading the comments I wanted to come make a comment. I made this slightly modified – dairy-free butter and used some canned frosting that was also dairy-free. I also made it in a 9×13 pan because I don’t have round pans. The cake is super moist and delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
Unfortunately, I didn’t even bake this cake. Dumped it all before I even put it in the oven. I could tell from the way the ingredients were mixing together that it was not going to be a moist cake. Remade with my standard chocolate recipe and given the frosting comments, going to make my own and add the peppermint. Beautiful picture, but the ingredients just don’t seem to be correct.
I’m not sure how to respond since you never even baked it to give it a try.
Note to self: Read reviews before using recipes.
The cake was crumbly; the frosting too stiff (even with added milk).
This cake was absolutely a hit. I had trouble with the cake sinking — and I was going to pitch it but when I was leveling it, I tasted the cake and it was so good. I just piled more icing to make it level. I added a bit more peppermint to the icing and a little more salt. This was a favorite. Super moist!! Everyone loved it and it is definitely on my list of cakes to bake again and again
This cake was a disaster. I didn’t read the reviews online first, becuase all of the other cakes I have made from you were FANTASTIC. This was not. The cake was not usable, it crumbled and fell apart and the icing was way to thick even with only 5 cups of P.sugar.
I really wish I had seen the reviews first.
Hi Lori! I’m sorry to hear this. I wish I could be in your kitchens with you to figure out what is happening. I bake this cake every year, exactly as listed, and it comes out great. 🙁
My family got together for Christmas late this year which worked out for me because it gave me time to make this cake. SO FLIPPIN GOOD. My dad had THREE slices throughout the day. He kept telling me I was his new Chef and he was kicking my mom out of top spot. Thanks for making me seem like a better baker than I am.
Not the best taste. The cake tastes a bit watery and like soap. It doesn’t really taste like chocolate.
I made this for Christmas and I was so disappointed. The cake was super crumbly and the icing was unbearably thick. 0/10, worst cake I’ve ever made.
I started making this and the recipe does not separate the cake recipe from the frosting. Very difficult to figure out which amounts go with what.
Hi! I just baked this recipe and the cakes turned out WAYYY too crumbly. They were impossible to work with. What do you think could have went wrong?
I noticed there was not separate recipe for the frosting. It was hard to tell what the correct measurements were for each one.
Something went terribly wrong with my frosting g. It was dry and wouldn’t spread well on my cake. But it taste so good. Any idea what happened here?? Thanks
I so wanted to make this for Christmas Eve…. I knew something was wrong because the 2 8-in pans were way too full. What did I do wrong? Was I supposed to boil off more of the water? Good thing I always have a brownie mix on hand!
I just made this cake. It was a total flop. Everythi g went wrong. Both layers sunk in the middle. The texture was chewy, www. The frosting was actually crumbly. I had to brush my teeth to the the taste off my tongue.
Had to throw the whole thing in the garbage.
I have no idea what I did wrong. Followed all instructions to the letter. So sad…
Hi
Just made this cake and like mentioned above, I stopped at 6 cups of icing sugar because it was turning hard like a paste. I also added cream up to 1/4 cup but should of added more. Disappointed with the end result because it was hard to spread which made the cake crumble and it tasted too sweet and not creamy.
Hello Jessica and family, I made this Super delicious cake for New Years Celebration which I also took the opportunity to sing happy birthday to the last 3 birthdays of the love ones before the year 2016 ended, and it came out BANGING the fact that you don”t have to use milk is awesome and the peppermint outstanding , the cake still outside the fridge and we still eating the taste has not changed .I just want to thank you, as a baker myself I can say I have found another way to make chocolate cake to delight whosoever ask for, THANKS AGAIN and may GOD bless you abundantly in this New Year 2017 and throughout your life. With much appreciation Daisy a Satisfied Central Florida Baker.
I just made goodie! I am entering in to a bake off sponsored by my company. I would have gone in a totally different recipe but decided to take a risk. Intially I was hesitant with the steps outlined. My cake successfully cooled off, I added peppermint extract to the batter to give it an extra kick and glad it worked out well. I have to agree with all regarding the frosting, I’m often reminded to stick to the script but I don’t. It this case it worked out for me, I added 4oz of cream cheese to it and an additional 1/2 a stick of butter. It resulted into a creamy frosting but with consistency. I also added additional peppermint since the taste of sugar was overpowering the frosting. I took a chance and added a hint of orange extract. Wow! So I am so sorry to hear about the bad experiences but suggest to give it another try and color outside the lines. Happy Holidays!
I just made the frosting, and with 6 cups of powdered sugar, it came out so stiff even after letting the Kitchenaid work it for several minutes. I ended up adding some cream (1/2+ cup!) and 2 tsp meringue powder to make it work for me. With that, it’s delicious on a chocolate cake!