Peppermint Chocolate Cake Recipe

Robyn Stone

on Dec 18, 2024

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4.91 from 10 votes

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This decadent Peppermint Chocolate Cake combines all-time favorite Best Chocolate Cake Ever, peppermint buttercream, and peppermint bark for a festive cake perfect for the holidays!

This Peppermint Chocolate Cake recipe is perfect for your Christmas dessert table! It’s not only delicious but is also beautifully festive for the holiday season. And if you enjoy my Best Chocolate Cake, you will love this cake! It has the extra deliciousness of peppermint buttercream topped with homemade peppermint bark – and a little extra holiday flair!

Peppermint Chocolate Cake

Peppermint Buttercream frosting on Chocolate Cake, topped with Peppermint Bark crumbles, on a white cake plate

Hello, deliciousness.

Two scrumptious, decadent treats come together in this beauty of a dessert. Both treats are fabulous, but this cake has something special for the holidays!

It tastes like the best peppermint bark you’ve ever tasted in cake form. Not to mention, there’s an out-of-this-world decadent Peppermint Buttercream Frosting atop this beautiful cake.

Side view of cake topped with peppermint bark on white antique cake stand.

How to Make Peppermint Chocolate Cake

This beautiful cake is really easy to make. You’ll make my Best Chocolate Cake and add a Peppermint Buttercream to top it. Then top with the bark if you desire.

Here’s what you’ll need to make it.

Ingredients for Best Chocolate Cake

Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, notes, and estimated nutritional information.

You’ll need these dry ingredients to make my Best Chocolate Cake: all-purpose flour, sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder. I like to make homemade espresso powder, but you can also get it from your grocer or online if your grocer doesn’t stock it.

Other ingredients you’ll need: milk (you can use dairy milk, buttermilk, almond milk, oat milk, or coconut milk), oil (vegetable, canola, or melted coconut oil), and eggs (at room temperature). You will also need vanilla extract (use my homemade recipe or a quality one from your grocer) and boiling water. (Please do not skip the boiling water!)

Step-by-Step Instructions for Chocolate Cake

Prep. Preheat the oven to 350º F. Prepare two 9-inch cake pans with baking spray or by buttering and lightly flouring.

Whisk dry ingredients. Add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk through to combine or stir through flour mixture using your paddle attachment until combined well.

Mix in wet ingredients. Add milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla to the flour mixture and mix on medium speed until well combined. Reduce speed and carefully add boiling water to the cake batter until well combined.

Bake. Distribute the cake batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center of the chocolate cake comes out clean. You can follow my tips for how to tell when your cake is done.

Frost. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes; remove from the pan and cool completely. Frost with Peppermint Buttercream frosting. Ingredients and instructions to follow.

Note – If you want to make a three-layer cake instead of two – split the cake batter between 3 cake pans instead of 2 pans. If making 3 layers, check the cake for doneness after about 25 minutes.

Ingredients for Peppermint Buttercream Frosting

butter – softened
confectioner’s sugar – sifted
peppermint extract
pinch salt
milk, heavy cream, or half-and-half
peppermint bark – chopped, for garnish (optional)

If you don’t have peppermint bark on hand to garnish the top of the cake, you can either omit it or crush a few candy canes to sprinkle on top.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Frosting

Cream the butter. Place softened butter into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Turn the mixer on a medium setting and cream the butter until it is smooth and has lightened in color, about 3 minutes.

Add sugar and beat. Add confectioner’s sugar, ½ a cup at a time. After incorporating each cup, turn the mixer onto the highest speed setting for about 10 seconds to lighten the frosting.

Mix in extract and salt. Include the peppermint extract and a pinch of salt and combine until well incorporated.

Add milk for desired consistency. Add milk, heavy cream, or half-and-half until the frosting has reached the preferred consistency. Then, add more confectioner’s sugar, a ¼ cup at a time, for a firmer frosting. Add more milk or cream, a tablespoon at a time, for a softer frosting.

Frost and garnish cake. After the cake layers have cooled as directed, frost the cake. Sprinkle chopped peppermint bark on top of the cake if you wish.

Storage Tips

To store: Store the cake under a cake dome on the countertop for 3 to 4 days.

To freeze: Let the baked cake layers cool completely. Wrap them well with plastic wrap and then with foil. Put each layer into a freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months. To serve, thaw in the refrigerator overnight with wrapping intact. The next day, the layers are ready to fill and frost.

Closeup view of top of cake with crushed peppermint bark.

More Favorite Holiday Dessert Recipes

I hope you love this Peppermint Chocolate Cake as much as we do. It is the perfect dessert for Christmas and New Year!

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Peppermint Chocolate Cake Recipe

Robyn Stone

4.91 from 10 votes

This decadent Peppermint Chocolate Cake combines all-time favorite Best Chocolate Cake Ever, peppermint buttercream, and peppermint bark for a festive cake perfect for the holidays!

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 45

Total Time: 1

Servings: 24

Ingredients

▢ 1 chocolate cake recipe

Peppermint Buttercream Frosting

▢ 1 cup (226 g) butter, , softened
▢ 3 – 4 cups (340-454 g) confectioner’s sugar, sifted
▢ 1 teaspoon (4 g) peppermint extract
▢ pinch (0.4 g) kosher salt
▢ 2-3 tablespoons (28-43 g) milk, heavy cream, or half-and-half
▢ 1/2 cup (114 g) chopped peppermint bark, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Prepare chocolate cake as instructed. Allow to cool completely. As cake is cooling, prepare peppermint buttercream frosting.
Peppermint Buttercream Frosting
Place softened butter into the bowl of a stand mixer that has been fitted with the paddle attachment. Turn the mixer on a medium setting and cream the butter until it is smooth and has lightened in color, about 3 minutes.
Add confectioner’s sugar, ½ a cup at a time. After each cup has been incorporated, turn the mixer onto the highest speed setting and for about 10 seconds to lighten the frosting.
Add peppermint extract and a pinch of salt and combine until well-incorporated.
Add milk, heavy cream or half-and-half until the frosting has reached the preferred consistency. For a firmer frosting, add more confectioner’s sugar, a ¼ cup at a time. For a softer frosting, add more milk or cream, a tablespoon at a time.
Frost cake and sprinkle chopped peppermint bark on top of cake as garnishment (optional).

Notes

Notes:

The cake batter will be very thin after adding the boiling water. This is correct and results in the most delicious and moist chocolate cake I’ve ever tasted!

For 3 layers – I split the cake batter between 3 cake pans instead of 2. For 3 layers, check the cake for doneness after about 25 minutes.

Nutrition for 1 serving of cake with frosting.

Storage Tips:

To store: Store the cake under a cake dome on the countertop for 3 to 4 days.