Peppermint Chocolate Cake

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This Peppermint Chocolate Cake is made with three layers of moist chocolate cake that are filled and frosted with peppermint buttercream and peppermint pieces! It’s finished off with a beautiful chocolate drip and is perfect for Christmas!

Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Peppermint Cake

Peppermint is a classic holiday flavor that is so fresh and tasty and just feels like Christmas! In a cake such as this one, there’s lots to love but here are some of my favorite things.

  • Super easy. The cake layers for this dessert are based on my favorite chocolate cake recipe which is just incredibly easy to make. It uses pretty much the simplest mixing method in the book and comes together in minutes.
  • So moist. The vegetable oil used in the cake batter ensures that the chocolate cake layers are supremely moist. An unbeatable texture.
  • A festive flavor combo. There’s just something about chocolate and peppermint married together. It reminds me of the classic peppermint bark I used to have as a kid at Christmas time. I hope it gets you into the holiday spirit as much as it gets me.
  • Impressive. Not only will the flavor of this cake have people asking you where you bought it, it’s also pretty enough to impress all your friends and family. The pop of red from the peppermint is stunning and festive.
Overhead image of chocolate peppermint layer cake on a cake stand.

What You’ll Need

In order to make this chocolate peppermint cake recipe, you will need the following ingredients. Be sure to scroll to the recipe card below for precise measurements.

Ingredients for chocolate peppermint cake.

Chocolate Cake Layers

  • All-purpose flour – Be sure to measure it properly, preferably with a food scale. Too much flour is the most common culprit to a dry cake.
  • Sugar – Added for sweetness, naturally, but sugar also adds to the tender texture of the cake.
  • Natural unsweetened cocoa powder – While I recommend natural unsweetened cocoa and it is ideal in this recipe, you could use Dutch-processed cocoa powder. Just be aware that the cakes may not rise as much.
  • Baking soda – To give the cake it’s rise and contribute to the tender texture.
  • Salt – For flavor! If you leave it out, you’ll have a bland cake.
  • Eggs – The eggs should be large in size, not medium or extra large.
  • Milk – I use 2% milk, but whole milk or buttermilk also work well.
  • Vegetable oil – The vegetable oil makes the cake layers so nice and moist. You won’t want to swap this out for butter. The result will not be the same.
  • Vanilla extract
  • Hot water – Hot water helps the cocoa powder bloom to bring out the chocolate flavor.

Peppermint Buttercream

  • Unsalted butter – Start with room-temperature butter. If it is too cold, you will find yourself with a lumpy frosting.
  • Powdered sugar – To add volume to your frosting and get it a good consistency for decorating. Feel free to reduce it, if desired. Just keep in mind that adjustments change the consistency of the frosting.
  • Heavy cream – Helps give you a creamy buttercream and adjust the consistency of the buttercream to make it thinner, if needed.
  • Vanilla extract and peppermint extract – For flavor. I highly recommend the vanilla. It’s subtle sweetness helps to balance out the peppermint so that it’s not too toothpaste-y.
  • Salt – You don’t have to use salt, but it does cut down the sweetness just a bit and amplifies the flavor of the buttercream.
  • Peppermint pieces – For between the cake layers and for decorating. They add a touch of texture and a lovely pop of color.

Chocolate Ganache

  • Semi-sweet chocolate chips – Dark or milk chocolate chips would also work, but will change the consistency of the ganache slightly.
  • Heavy whipping cream – Combined with the chocolate to create ganache. Adjusting it will thin or thicken the ganache. The high fat content also keeps it nice and creamy. Swapping it for milk or something else will thin it out.

How to Make Chocolate Peppermint Cake

Here’s a basic overview of how to make this chocolaty, pepperminty masterpiece. Don’t forget to scroll to the recipe card below for more detailed instructions.

Make the Cakes

  • Prep. Preheat the oven to 300°F, line the bottoms of three 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper, and grease the sides.
  • Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
  • Add wet ingredients. Stir the eggs, buttermilk and vegetable oil.
  • Add water. Combine the vanilla and hot water and stir it into the batter. It will be very thin.
  • Bake. Divide batter between cake pans and bake for 30-33 minutes.
  • Cool. Allow the cakes to cool in their pans for 10 minutes before turning them out onto wire racks to cool completely.

Make the Buttercream and Assemble the Cake

  • Make the buttercream. Beat the butter until smooth and then mix in half of the powdered sugar followed by 3 tablespoons of heavy cream along with the vanilla extract, peppermint extract, and salt. Mix in the remaining powdered sugar. If the frosting is too thick, add a little extra heavy cream.
  • Stack, fill, and frost. Cut the domes from the tops of the cakes and set the first layer on a serving plate. Spread 1 cup of frosting over the cake, sprinkle 2 tablespoons of peppermint pieces over the frosting, and spread a thin layer of frosting over the peppermint pieces in a few places. Stack the second cake layer on top and repeat. Add the final cake later and frost the outside of the cake.
  • Make the chocolate ganache. Heat the heavy whipping cream just until it begins to boil and pour it over the chocolate chips. Allow the mixture to sit fo 2-3 minutes and then whisk until smooth.
  • Decorate. Drizzle the chocolate ganache around the edge of the cake, allow it to firm up a bit, and then pipe shells around the top edge of the cake with the remaining frosting and sprinkle with peppermint pieces.
Chocolate peppermint layer cake on a cake stand.

Tips for Success

Perfect the texture, flavor, and appearance of this chocolate peppermint cake by following these simple tips and tricks. You’ll be a layer cake expert in no time.

  • Don’t over-mix. When combining the wet and dry ingredients for the cake batter, be sure not to over-mix. This can cause the glutens in the flour to over-develop, resulting in a tough, overly dense cake.
  • Cool completely. Allow the cakes to cool completely before attempting to assemble. If they are too warm, the frosting will slide off the cake layers.
  • Start level. Don’t forget to remove the domes from the cake layers. If you skip this step, your cake won’t stack properly.
  • Consistency matters. You want to make sure that your frosting isn’t too stiff or too runny. Stiff frosting won’t spread properly and runny frosting will slide off the cake. Do your homework beforehand and learn how you can adjust the amounts of powdered sugar and heavy cream to get the right frosting consistency.
  • Frost like a pro. Don’t go in blind here, folks, check out my post on frosting a smooth cake before diving in.
  • Perfect the chocolate drip. I highly recommend you take a look at my post on How to Make a Chocolate Drip Cake if you want the prettiest peppermint chocolate cake possible. I also like to use a squeeze bottle to make life easier.
A slice of chocolate peppermint layer cake on a plate with a bite taken out of it.

Proper Storage

You can store this cake at room temperature for about 24 hours but then it should be refrigerated. I do recommend serving it at room temperature to experience the best texture and flavor.

  • Refrigerator. Store the cake in an airtight cake carrier or wrap it in a couple of layers of plastic wrap (I suggest using toothpicks to prop the plastic away from the decorations). You could also slice the cake and arrange the slices in a single layer in an airtight container. This peppermint-chocolate dream will stay good up to 5 days.
  • Freezer. You can definitely freeze the cake layers and buttercream individually for up to 3 months. I don’t usually recommend freezing fully frosted cakes, but you can and this one would probably be fine. Just keep in mind that condensation that forms upon thawing may melt the peppermint pieces in the middle of the cake layers. To freeze the full cake, pop the cake in the freezer for a couple of hours to firm up before wrapping the whole thing in a double layer of plastic wrap. Another options is to arrange leftover slices in a single layer in an airtight container. Store the cake in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow it to thaw in the fridge before diving in.

More Peppermint Desserts

Christmas is coming and it’s the season for peppermint desserts! Here are some of my other favorite recipes that satisfy that peppermint craving.

Print
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A slice of chocolate peppermint layer cake on a plate.
Recipe

Peppermint Chocolate Cake

  • Author: Lindsay Conchar
  • Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
  • Yield: 12-14 slices
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American

Description

This Peppermint Chocolate Cake is made with three layers of moist chocolate cake that are filled and frosted with peppermint buttercream and peppermint pieces! It’s finished off with a beautiful chocolate drip and is perfect for Christmas!


Ingredients

Chocolate Cake Layers

  • 2 cups (260g) all-purpose flour (measured correctly)
  • 2 cups (414g) sugar
  • 3/4 cup (85g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup (240ml) milk
  • 1 cup (240ml) vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup (240ml) hot water

Peppermint Buttercream

  • 2 1/2 cups (560g) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 10 cups (1150g) powdered sugar
  • 36 tbsp (45ml-90ml) heavy cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp peppermint extract
  • Pinch of salt
  • ¼ cup peppermint pieces, plus additional for decorating

Chocolate Ganache

  • 3 oz (1/2 cup | 85g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Instructions

Make the Cakes

  1. Preheat oven to 300°F (148°C). Prepare three 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper circles in the bottom, and grease the sides.
  2. Add flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt to a large bowl and whisk together.
  3. Add the eggs, milk and vegetable oil to the dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
  4. Add vanilla to the hot water, then pour into the batter. Mix until well combined. The batter will be very thin.
  5. Divide batter evenly between cakes pans and bake for 30-33 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.
  6. Remove cakes from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, then remove to cooling racks to cool completely.

Make the Buttercream

  1. To make the buttercream, beat the butter until smooth.
  2. Add half of the powdered sugar and mix until well combined and smooth.
  3. Add 3 tablespoons of heavy cream, vanilla and peppermint extracts and salt and mix until well combined and smooth.
  4. Slowly add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until well combined smooth. Add additional heavy cream, as needed to get the right consistency of frosting.

To Assemble the Cake

  1. To put the cake together, use a large serrated knife to remove the domes from the top of the cakes so that they’re flat. These cakes don’t have a large dome, but I like to make sure they’re completely flat.
  2. Place the first cake on a serving plate or a cardboard cake round.
  3. Spread about 1 cup of buttercream evenly on top of the cake. Sprinkle two tablespoons of peppermint pieces over the top of the buttercream and press down into the frosting a bit. Spread a super thin layer of buttercream over the peppermint pieces in a few places to help the next cake layer have something to stick to.
  4. Add the second layer of cake, another cup of buttercream and the remaining 2 tablespoons of peppermint pieces.
  5. Top the cake with the remaining layer and frost the outside of the cake. Refer to my tutorial for frosting a smooth cake, if needed.
  6. To make the chocolate ganache, add the chocolate chips to a medium sized bowl (see my tips on making chocolate ganache).
  7. Heat the heavy whipping cream just until it begins to boil, then pour it over the chocolate chips. Allow it to sit for 2-3 minutes, then stir until smooth.
  8. Drizzle the chocolate ganache around the edge of the cake. I like to use a squeeze bottle for drizzling around the edges. (See my tips on making a chocolate drip cake.)
  9. Allow the ganache to firm up a bit, then pipe shells with the remainder of the frosting around the top edge of the cake. I used Ateco tip 847. Decorate with additional peppermint pieces, if desired.
  10. Store cake in an air-tight container. It should be fine at room temperature for up to 24 hours, then should be refrigerated. Serve at room temperature or only slightly cool, not cold. The cake is best if eaten within 4-5 days.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 Slice
  • Calories: 976
  • Sugar: 138.1 g
  • Sodium: 490.3 mg
  • Fat: 43.3 g
  • Carbohydrates: 151.5 g
  • Protein: 4.2 g
  • Cholesterol: 96.1 mg

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16 Comments
  1. June @ How to Philosophize with Cake

    Peppermint peeps? What a time to be alive! 😛 This cake looks incredible, love that thick layer of chocolate frosting 😀

  2. Peggy Acosta

    I would love to print out this recipe, it looks great but every time I go to print it half of the first page is filled with an obnoxious ad. I have turned off the ads via my cookies but they still are popping up, a real shame for your website!

    1. lifeloveandsugar@gmail.com

      Hi Peggy, I’m so sorry you are having that problem. Unfortunately those things slip through sometimes so I really appreciate you letting me know. I’ve contacted the appropriate people to see if they can prevent that from happening again. In the meantime, I’m emailing the pdf of the recipe to you so that you shouldn’t have any trouble printing it.

  3. Heather

    OMG! I’m grabbing my keys and coat right now to pick up some of these peeps! The cake of course is STUNNING!

  4. Annette

    Another gorgeous cake! My favorite Peeps ever! Absolutely love this cake! (in case all my exclamation points weren’t obvious :)) Soooo looking forward to your cookbook!

  5. Michelle

    This cake is stunning and sounds really delicious. I have been mulling over what to do for my mom’s birthday cake for Friday and I couldn’t settle on anything that really excited me… and then I saw this! She is going to absolutely love it! Thank you!

  6. Mir

    Wow, people get very territorial with the Peeps. Makes sense, since they’re so darn cute.
    This cake is beautiful. I love that they’re sitting in that happy pool of gorgeous chocolate!

Lindsay
About Lindsay

I'm a wife and a mom to twin boys and a baby girl! And I've got a serious sweets addiction! Bring on the treats!

Scripture I’m Loving

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29