Peppermint Bark Cake

My peppermint bark cake is made with moist dark chocolate cake layers and a white chocolate peppermint frosting. It's so festive and incredibly decadent!Recipe includes a how-to video!

Prep time: PT45M

Total time: PT65M

Rating

5 stars (7 reviews)

Keywords

peppermint bark cake

Ingredients

1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup light brown sugar (firmly packed)
1 cup granulated sugar
¾ cup dark cocoa powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoon table salt
½ cup unsalted butter (melted)
⅔ cup neutral cooking oil (vegetable, canola, or avocado oil)
2 large eggs (room temperature preferred)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
½ cup very hot or boiling water or coffee
12 oz white chocolate bars (chopped into fine pieces)
2 cups unsalted butter (softened)
4 cups powdered sugar
2 ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon salt
Crushed candy canes or peppermint candies (For decorating, optional)
4 oz semisweet or dark chocolate (chopped )
½ cup heavy cream

Cuisine

American

Steps

Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and grease and flour three 9” (23cm) round cake pans (or spray with baking spray). Line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment paper round (to insure against sticking). Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugars, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
Add butter, and oil, stirring until completely combined.
Add eggs and vanilla extract and stir until batter is uniform
Slowly add buttermilk, stirring to combine. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula to ensure all ingredients are well incorporated.
Slowly (and carefully) add hot water, stirring until batter is smooth and uniform.
Evenly divide batter between cake pans. Transfer to 350F (175C) oven and bake for 20-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Allow cakes to cool for 15 minutes before running a knife around the edge and carefully inverting onto a cooling rack to cool completely. While cakes are cooling, prepare your frosting.
For the frosting
- In a small, microwave-safe bowl, heat chopped chocolate for 30 seconds. Stir well, then return to the microwave in 15 second increments, stirring in between, until chocolate is melted and completely smooth. Allow chocolate to cool for 15 minutes and it is no longer warm to the touch.
- In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat butter until it is creamy and well-whipped.
- Add (cooled) melted chocolate and stir well.
- With mixer on low-speed, gradually add powdered sugar until completely combined.
- Scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl with a rubber spatula and add peppermint extract, vanilla extract, and salt and stir until combined and frosting is smooth.
For the ganache
- Place chopped chocolate in a medium sized heat-proof bowl. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, heat cream over medium-low heat just until cream begins to steam. Immediately remove from heat and pour evenly over chocolate. Cover bowl with foil and let sit for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, remove foil cover and whisk thoroughly until chocolate is smooth. Allow to cool for at least 10-15 minutes before pouring into a squeeze bottle for decorating the cake.
Assembly
- Once cake has cooled completely, frost each layer evenly with prepared frosting. Evenly frost the outside of the cake and place in the fridge for 15 minutes. Reserve some frosting for piping on top of cake.
- After 15 minutes, remove cake from refrigerator, hold the bottle of ganache vertically and drip chocolate around the edge of the cake, going all the way around the cake. Take remaining ganache and cover the top with a thin even layer so it is evenly covered (you may not use all of the ganache). I do have a tutorial on how to do a ganache drip.
- Set cake back in fridge for 15-20 minutes to allow ganache to become firm.
- After ganache has firmed, remove cake. Place reserved frosting in a piping bag with a closed-star tip ( I use Ateco 846 or 848). Pipe swirls on top of firm ganache along the top edge of the cake. If desired, sprinkle with crushed peppermint.
- Serve and enjoy!

Nutitrion

Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 1088 kcal
Carbohydrates: 114 g
Protein: 8 g
Fat: 70 g
Saturated Fat: 36 g
Trans Fat: 2 g
Cholesterol: 149 mg
Sodium: 381 mg
Sugar: 94 g
Unsaturated Fat: 29 g

Reviews

Tressa on 2025-12-21 (5 stars):
I think I love you. Your recipes are always reliable and delicious, but can we talk about this frosting? Yum! Perfect taste and texture, and spot-on amount of peppermint. AND, it works with fake butter. A few years ago, after a lifetime of baking, I learned that migraines and pain I was having was due to a dairy allergy. I was gutted. There were a shocking number of people who knew me only as "the cake lady". Dairy free baking - especially frostings - is not fun. But this frosting will be my base going forward (with alt flavors). I made it with vegan butter, and it's perfect. The white chocolate really adds to the texture, taste and muscle. Even with just vanilla, it's great. I'll take more time in the future drizzling in the chocolate, as it wants to harden against the mixing bowl otherwise. As an aside, if you are also tortured with a dairy-free baking life, do this test for yourself. Put a cup of your butter alternative (vegan, butter-flavored shortening, etc) into the bowl of your stand mixer and whip it for a minute or two. Many will be soup in a minute. This round I used Earth Balance fake butter, and it holds up perfectly. Thank you putting your sweet magic into the world.
Melissa on 2024-01-14 (5 stars):
delightful!!!! this was such a delight, everything was delicious & very balanced. my son crushed candy canes over the entire top of the cake & it was a wonderful crunch. loved it!!! even my husband, who *doesn't* like peppermint said he liked it!
Karen Russman on 2023-12-26 (5 stars):
This has got to be one of the best cakes I have ever made! The frosting is so light and creamy, and the combination of white chocolate and peppermint is fantastic! I love cakes made with the reverse creaming method. They turn out so well with a fine crumb and texture. The dark chocolate cake is so good, and the combination of this cake and this frosting together is heavenly! I made this cake for dessert on Christmas and everyone loved it. Thanks for such a great recipe!
Lorayne Karlsson on 2023-12-21 (5 stars):
What a GREAT cake! I was wishing for a really spectacular Christmas dessert for our table and this is definitely it....making it tomorrow. Tack så mycket from Sweden!