Peppermint and chocolate is the perfect flavor combination for the Christmas season. I’ll peppermint anything I can, even if it’s not chocolate, as is probably obvious by now(see HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE).
Yep. Love me some mint chocolate.
This Peppermint Chocolate Holiday Cake makes a wonderful, stunning dessert for any party or occasion. Layers of dark chocolate mint cake are frosted with a pink peppermint cream cheese buttercream. Rich ganache is draped over the top and the whole cake is sprinkled with crushed candy cane and these little Peppermint Meringue Kisses make the perfect, festive garnish.
The cake itself is easy enough to frost, seeing as perfection is not required thanks to the thick layer of chocolate ganache that blankets the top, easily hiding any imperfections. The ganache itself is ridiculously easy to prepare.
The one thing that will need to be made ahead of time is the peppermint meringue kisses, which need at least 5 hours to bake and cool. So bake those the day before if making this cake . And make sure to have extra meringues on hand, I promise they’ll be popular 😉
Tips for slicing the cake:
You will need to remove the meringues from the top before slicing. After each slice is cut, top with a meringue or two, and place some on the side of the plate, if desired.
Keep your slicing knife in a large cup of boiling hot water. This will make your cuts smooth as the hot knife will glide through the cold cake. Keep a towel close by that you can use to wipe the water off the knife before each slice.
- 1 recipe Chocolate Mint Cakes(baked in 3 layers in 8" cake pans, leveled and cooled)
- 1 C. Butter(2 sticks), softened
- 8 oz.(1 pkg.) Cream Cheese, softened
- ¼ t. Salt
- Red Gel Food Color
- 1 t. Vanilla Extract
- ½ t. Peppermint Extract
- 2 lb. Powdered Sugar
- 2-3 T. Milk
- 1½ C. Dark Chocolate chips
- 1 C. Heavy Whipping Cream
- 2 Candy Canes, crushed
- Peppermint Meringue Kisses(for garnish)
- Make the chocolate mint cake according to recipe instructions, baking in 3, 8" baking pans instead of mini bundts, Let cool and level the tops off.
- FOR THE FROSTING:
- Place the butter, cream cheese, salt, and a little red food color together in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat together with the paddle attachment until smooth and creamy.
- Add in the vanilla and peppermint extract. Add ¼ of the powdered sugar and beat on low speed until incorporated. Add 1 T. of milk and beat into the frosting. Add another ¼ of the powdered sugar, beating in on low speed until incorporated. Add another T. of milk and mix in.
- Repeat this process until all the powdered sugar is incorporated. Add more milk, if necessary, until desired consistency is achieved. Scrap the bowl down with a rubber spatula. Beat one more time on medium speed until the frosting is smooth.
- Frost the cake with the peppermint frosting, keeping the frosting level between each level, covering the cake with the frosting and smoothing over the top and sides. Chill in the fridge.
- FOR THE GANACHE:
- Place the chocolate chips and heavy cream in a microwave safe bowl and heat in the microwave at 30 second intervals until the cream is very hot. Whisk the chocolate and cream together until smooth. Pour the ganache over the top of the cake, in the center, and spread it to the edges of the cake, nudging portions of the ganache over the sides and allowing it to drip down. Smooth the ganache on top of the cake.
- Sprinkle the crushed candy cane around the top edges of the cake. Refrigerate until the ganache is firm and set.
- Top with peppermint meringue kisses before displaying or serving.
Cake inspired by Southern Living Magazine
Frosting recipe via Southern Living
This cake is absolutely stunning! Love the peppermint chocolate flavour, so good! Perfect holiday bake!
Thanks so much, Jessica!
This cake is insanely gorgeous! I need you to teach me how to decorate cakes….
Thank you so much Tina! =)
This is absolutely stunning!! I will definitely be making this for Christmas and for every possible occasion before and after. Yum!
Thanks Kate! I hope you like it! =)
What an absolute stunner this cake is!!!!! Loving the mint cake with the peppermint buttercream and that layer of chocolate ganache on top of that sliced cake is just WOW! Pinning this!!!!! <3 Loved it!
Thank you so much, Samina! I appreciate your kind comments! =)
Wow – what a beautiful cake. I’ve never decorated with ganache before – but you’ve inspired to me. Just gorgeous!
Thank you Geraldine! I hope you try using the ganache…it’s really so easy!
Wait…seriously? Is this real life? Omg. That looks otherworldly good….Pinned!
Haha…thanks so much, Erica!
This is beautiful! Love those meringue kisses!
Thank you Dana!
What a gorgeous cake! Those meringues on top just send this cake over the top! Beautiful photos too. 🙂
Thank you so much, Miranda!
This cake is a real stunner! Love the festivity and all the chocolate!!
Thank you Jessica! =)
My favorite Christmas flavor combination is chocolate and peppermint and this looks absolutely divine. I can not wait to make this cake!
Thank you Amy! They are my favorite flavors too! =)
That is FLAWLESS. So beautiful. Even better that it has chocolate + peppermint 🙂
Thank you so much! =)
Stunning cake! Id like to make this for our family Christmas party! Can you tell me if im supposed to frost the top of the cake with the buttercream? The picture looks like there isnt any pink frosting but the directions say to frost the top under #6. I want to make this perfect like the pic!
Thanks so muh in advance!
Hi Lauren! You can frost the top of the cake if you like. I didn’t because it’s not necessary, visually. It won’t make a difference in how it looks if you do frost the top, though. =)
I’m getting ready to make the cake and was wondering how long to bake it for in the 8″ pans,your intructions don’t say.
Thanks
Sorry about that! it should take 20-25 minutes =)
Amazing cake recipe and really detailed instructions. Making it for Christmas 2016 family dinner! Looks awesome!!!
Hello! What a gorgeous recipe – I will be making it for Christmas this year! How do you store this cake? Cheers 🙂
So the 2 lbs of powder sugar is all for the peppermint frosting right? How much is 2lbs? A box or two?