New Favorite Christmas Dessert: Peppermint Bark Cake
Today we’re transforming classic peppermint bark candy into a fun and festive holiday cake. This peppermint bark cake is a stunner and sure to be the star of your Christmas dessert table. The base is the same richly fudgy and chocolatey cake from my triple chocolate cake recipe, which we’ll top with a peppermint-infused white chocolate frosting (a favorite of mine!). We’ll cloak the whole thing in a dark chocolate ganache, and then pipe peppermint swirls to finish.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Incredible combination of rich chocolate cake layers, a white chocolate peppermint buttercream, and fudgy chocolate ganache. Surprisingly not too sweet! The dark cocoa in the cake and reduced sugar in the frosting (compared to traditional buttercream frosting) means this cake is well-balanced. Uses the reverse creaming method (sort of) so there’s very little chance of over-mixing AND technically you could combine the batter by hand without even plugging in a mixer! Incorporates oil and butter for a moist and flavorful cake crumb. Using all oil would keep the layers moist, but the flavor wouldn’t be quite as nice. All butter would taste great, but could be dry. So a combination really is best!
I have a feeling this peppermint bark cake will be just as popular as the gingerbread layer cake I shared last year. It’s perfect for everyone who has had their fill of Christmas cookies by the time the big day rolls around 🤪 I can’t wait for you to try it!
What You Need
Don’t be overwhelmed by the amount of ingredients here; most will already be in your pantry already. I’ll point out a few of the important ones before we get started.
Cocoa powder. I like dark cocoa for the darkest color and flavor. If you can’t find this, use Dutch process. Buttermilk. This makes our cake incredibly moist and flavorful. I recommend using full fat buttermilk for the best results, but you could use my easy buttermilk substitute in a pinch. Hot water. If you really want to amp up the chocolate flavor in this peppermint bark cake, use hot coffee instead! Peppermint extract. Make sure you use peppermint extract and not mint extract! They have totally different flavors (mint tends to lean more towards a toothpaste flavor–not what we’re looking for here). White chocolate. Use a quality white chocolate and heat it slowly so it doesn’t seize. I have a tutorial on how to melt chocolate in the microwave if you have had issues with this in the past.
We should probably discuss the pile of butter in the very center of this photo too…yes, it’s a lot! This is because we’re frosting a three layer cake, and I wanted to have plenty leftover for those pretty swirls on top. Feel free to reduce the frosting if you like, just know you won’t be able to decorate the cake as shown in photos. I’m admittedly over-indulgent when it comes to frosting, especially one I like so much! SAM’S TIP: Use room temperature eggs! This ensures a smooth and uniform batter. If you forget to set your eggs out ahead of time, follow my tips on how to quickly bring eggs to room temperature. Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Peppermint Bark Cake
Make the Cake Layers
Make the Frosting
Prepare the Ganache
Decorate the Cake
SAM’S TIP: While I’m using three 9″ pans here, this peppermint bark cake can be made in 8″ pans or a single 9×13″ cake pan. I provide baking times for all versions in the recipe notes below. This cake is so perfect for the holidays–I hope you get a chance to make it this year! Enjoy! Let’s bake together! Subscribe to my newsletter to be notified of all the newest recipes, and find my free recipe tutorials on YouTube 💜
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