Chocolate Candy Cane Cake
Are you a huge fan of peppermint? This Chocolate Candy Cake Cake is delicious in so many ways. It’s made with cake mix, butter, and peppermint extract. It’s the most festive cake you can make this year.
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During the holidays, anything candy cake is a MUST make. This Candy Cane Cake is a crowd-pleaser because it’s made with chocolate AND peppermint! Each bite will taste intensely yummy!
Chocolate Peppermint Cake
Folklore says that candy canes were originally created in 1670 in Cologne, Germany. I don’t know about you but I don’t care where they were invented I just know that I love them, especially at Christmas time.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Rich and full of flavor – This chocolate peppermint cake is bursting with rich chocolate flavor and the minty taste of peppermint.
- Easy to make – This cake is very easy to make, with a simple and straightforward recipe.
- Versatile – This cake doesn’t have to be served at Christmas you can serve it any time of the year.
Ingredients
This recipe takes quite a few ingredients but I promise it’s worth the time and ingredients that it takes to make it.
Cake
- Triple chocolate cake mix
- eggs, room temp
- unsalted sweet cream butter
- whole milk
- pure peppermint extract
Candy Cane Frosting
- unsalted sweet cream butter, softened
- powdered sugar
- heavy whipping cream
- vanilla extract
- Red gel food coloring
Chocolate Frosting
- unsalted sweet cream butter
- powdered sugar
- dark hershey cocoa powder
- heavy whipping cream
- pure peppermint extract
Chocolate Ganache
- chocolate chips
- heavy whipping cream
- 1 squeeze bottle
Toppings
- crushed candy canes
- mini candy canes
- white nonpareils sprinkles
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Chocolate Candy Cane Cake
Cake Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spray the cake pans with pam baking spray.
Using a standing mixer, beat until combined with the cake mix, butter, milk, and peppermint extract, Divide the cake batter between the 3 cake pans.
Bake in the oven for about 25-35 minutes. Pull out the cakes and allow them to cool completely.
Candy Cane Frosting Instructions
Using a standing mixer, beat until combined, smooth and creamy the butter, powdered sugar, heavy whipping cream, and vanilla extract.
Scoop half of the vanilla frosting into a medium bowl and mix in a few drops of the red gel food coloring.
Scoop the white and red frosting into the disposable piping bags and cut tips off and set them aside.
Chocolate Frosting Instructions
Using a standing mixer, beat the butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, heavy whipping cream, and peppermint extract until combined, creamy, and holds peaks.
Scoop 1 ½ C of chocolate frosting into the piping bag.
How to build the cake
Remove the cakes from the cake pans and onto the cake boards.
Using a cake leveler, remove the tops of the cakes to create even layers.
Starting with 1 layer of cake, use the red frosting piping bag and pipe a thick ring around the top of the cake.
Using the white frosting piping bag, pipe a thick ring along the inside of the red frosting ring Alternate with the red and white frosting until you get to the center.
Place the second cake layer on top and repeat piping red and white alternating rings on the top of the cake layer
Place the third cake layer on top. And smooth out the frosting on the edges.
Chocolate Ganache Directions
Using a small pot, bring the whipping cream to a simmer
Pour over the chocolate chips and allow to sit for a minute before whisking until smooth Pour into the squeeze bottle
Using a flat spatula, smooth the frosting on the outside of the cake Frost the entire cake using the chocolate frosting and place it into the fridge while you make the ganache.
Decorating the cake
Using the ganache in the squeeze bottle, add drips along the top edge of the cake.
With the crushed candy canes, coat the entire bottom around the cake.
Using the chocolate frosting in the piping bag, pipe dollops around the top of the cake.
Sprinkle the white sprinkles around the top of the cake.
Place a mini candy cane into the center of the chocolate frosting dollops.
Substitutions
Don’t have everything you need on hand to make this recipe? Here are some of my favorite ways to substitute ingredients when I don’t have what I need.
- Dairy free chocolate chips – instead of using regular chocolate chips, you can use dairy free chocolate chips.
- Heavy whipping cream– if you don’t have heavy whipping cream, feel free to use milk and butter. You can also use milk and cornstarch.
- Gluten free cake mix – need to be gluten free? No problem? Use a chocolate gluten free cake mix!
When you don’t have something on hand, it’s so nice to use a substitution instead.
Variations
Do you want to change up this recipe and make it your own? Here are some ways that you can do that!
- Serve it warm with ice cream – When this cake is done, feel free to serve it warm with ice cream! The peppermint flavor mixed with ice cream will be amazing!
- Use crushed mints – if you don’t have peppermints on hand, you can used crushed mints.
- Change up the whipping cream – you can make the whipped cream chocolate OR serve the peppermint cake with peppermint whipped cream.
Check out these Peppermint Whoopie Pies, they are also full of peppermint and super delicious!
Equipment
I will go ahead and warn you that you do need quite a few kitchen tools to help you make this recipe.
- three 9 inch round cake pans
- three 10 inch round cake boards
- three disposable piping bags with star tips
- mixer
- mixing bowls
- squeeze bottle
- saucepan
Storage
This Chocolate Candy Cane Cake is so easy to store. Because of the amount of dairy used in this cake, storing it in the fridge is best!
This cake is also GREAT for freezing. Simply place in an airtight freezer storage container and then you can freeze for 3-6 months!
Tips
Put this cake on your holiday menu this year. However, it also makes a great special occasion cake. While it’s perfect for the holidays, you’ll also notice that the taste of it makes it a great cake for any time of the year!
Making this cake does take quite a bit of time but I promise that it is worth it. It’s best to make this cake the day before it’s needed.
Drizzle the chocolate ganache slowly so that it has time to harden in the drip-style that I’ve shown here on this cake.
You can use a homemade cake mix instead of your box cake mix if your family prefers. Just make sure that you use a cake mix that is large enough to make three full cake pans.
FAQ
Do you have questions about this recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions.
Most cakes you don’t need to put in the fridge. However, if it’s full of dairy, the fridge is the best way to go!
For most cakes, putting the cake in the fridge won’t dry it out.
They are very tiny balls that help decorate any cake or cupcake. The tiny balls are made out of sugar and starch. Keep in mind they do roll all over the place. You can buy these sprinkles at almost any supermarket.
More Holiday Cake Recipes
Do you like holiday cakes? Try these delicious recipes:
Peppermint Cake
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Chocolate Candy Cane Cake
Equipment
- three 9inch round cake pans
- three 10in round cake boards
- three disposable piping bags with star tips
- mixer
- mixing bowls
- Squeeze bottle
- saucepan
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 boxes Triple chocolate cake mix
- 6 large eggs room temp
- 1 cup unsalted sweet cream butter room temp
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 tablespoon pure peppermint extract
Candy Cane Frosting
- 2 cups unsalted sweet cream butter softened
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 5 – 7 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Red gel food coloring until you get the color you desired
Chocolate Frosting
- 2 cups unsalted sweet cream butter softened
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup dark cocoa powder
- 5 – 8 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
Chocolate Ganache
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
Toppings
- 1 cup crushed candy canes
- 12 mini candy canes
- ½ cup white nonpareils sprinkles
Instructions
Cake Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Spray the cake pans with pam baking spray.
- Using a standing mixer, beat until combined with the cake mix, butter, milk, and peppermint extract, Divide the cake batter between the 3 cake pans.
- Bake in the oven for about 25-35 minutes. Pull out the cakes and allow them to cool completely.
Candy Cane Frosting Instructions
- Using a standing mixer, beat until combined, smooth and creamy the butter, powdered sugar, heavy whipping cream, and vanilla extract.
- Scoop half of the vanilla frosting into a medium bowl and mix in a few drops of the red gel food coloring.
- Scoop the white and red frosting into the disposable piping bags and cut tips off and set them aside.
Chocolate Frosting Instructions
- Using a standing mixer, beat the butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, heavy whipping cream, and peppermint extract until combined, creamy, and holds peaks.
- Scoop 1 ½ C of chocolate frosting into the piping bag.
How to Build The Cake
- Remove the cakes from the cake pans and onto the cake boards.
- Using a cake leveler, remove the tops of the cakes to create even layers.
- Starting with 1 layer of cake, use the red frosting piping bag and pipe a thick ring around the top of the cake.
- Using the white frosting piping bag, pipe a thick ring along the inside of the red frosting ring Alternate with the red and white frosting until you get to the center.
- Place the second cake layer on top and repeat piping red and white alternating rings on the top of the cake layer
- Place the third cake layer on top. Smooth out the frosting on the sides.
Chocolate Ganache Instructions
- Using a small pot, bring the whipping cream to a simmer
- Pour over the chocolate chips and allow to sit for a minute before whisking until smooth Pour into the squeeze bottle
- Using a flat spatula, smooth the frosting on the outside of the cake Frost the entire cake using the chocolate frosting and place it into the fridge while you make the ganache.
Topping Instructions
- Using the ganache in the squeeze bottle, add drips along the top edge of the cake.
- With the crushed candy canes, coat the entire bottom around the cake.
- Using the chocolate frosting in the piping bag, pipe dollops around the top of the cake.
- Sprinkle the white sprinkles around the top of the cake.
- Place a mini candy cane into the center of the chocolate frosting dollops.
Notes
Disclaimer:
Any nutritional data I provide is an approximation and actual dietary information can vary based on ingredients and proportion sizes.
Nutrition
