Peppermint Cocoa Cake Recipe
This Peppermint Cocoa Cake is rich, moist, and chocolaty with a whipped cream frosting that’s laced with peppermint!
Calling all mint lovers! I know there are hoards of you out there that love the smooth blend of chocolate and mint and this Peppermint Cocoa Cake is sure to have you drooling!
A rich and decadent chocolate cake is frosting with a creamy whipped frosting flavored with chocolate and peppermint. Every bite tastes like a sip of hot cocoa!
It’s also really delicious when served with my Peppermint Chocolate White Russian recipe!
The cake itself has been seen here before in my Black Magic Chocolate Cake, it’s made with coffee which brings the richness of the chocolate to life!
The frosting is a base whipped cream frosting recipe I use in many recipes and change out the flavor with different pudding and extracts. It’s so light and creamy!
The frosting is a stabilized whipped cream that’s light and airy and has just the slightest hint of peppermint. This cake tastes like a mug of peppermint cocoa, but it’s cake, which means it’s better 😉
How To Make Peppermint Cocoa Cake
- Preheat the oven and prepare your cake pans by lining them with parchment paper and nonstick spray.
- Mix together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl or stand mixer.
- Beat in eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil, and vanilla.
- Pour the batter into the cake pans.
- Bake the cakes and let cool completely before frosting.
- Whip the frosting ingredients together in a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment until light and fluffy.
- Frost and decorate your cake.
- Serve within 2 hours or store in the fridge for up to 24. Top with candy just before serving.
This Peppermint Cocoa Cake is so fun and delicious to make, so get creative with your decorations and toppings, here are a few ideas I love:
More Delicious Holiday Desserts!
Peppermint Cocoa Cake
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This recipe was originally published in November 2015, it’s been updated with new content and photos.
Peppermint Cocoa Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup baking cocoa
- 1 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup hot coffee
Frosting:
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 1 ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup Instant Chocolate Pudding Mix
Toppings:
- Peppermint Patties
- Peppermint Candies
- Sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease 2 (8×2-inch) or 3 (6×2-inch) round cake pans with butter and flour or cooking spray and lining the cake pans with parchment paper.
- Combine the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.
- Beat in eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil, and vanilla and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, the batter is going to be very thin.
- Pour 2 cups of batter into each 6-inch pan or divide evenly between the two 8-inch pans.
- Bake 6-inch cakes for 30-35 minutes and 8-inch cakes for 40-45 minutes until toothpick comes clean from center.
- Cool in pans for at least 10 minutes and loosen from sides of pan before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Whip frosting ingredients together in a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add about 1½ to 2 cups of frosting to the top of one of the layers of cake, spreading evenly over it, then topping with the second layer of cake. Use a frosting spatula to generously frost the outside of the cake. Serve within 2 hours or store in the fridge for up to 24. Top with candy just before serving.
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Would this batter be enough for a 9×13?
Hi Sam, I have personally never made it in a 9×13-inch pan, however, it should be plenty for that size. I would guess that it will take between 45 and 55 minutes to cook, but I would keep an eye on it and you’ll know it’s done when a toothpick comes clean from the center. You also might have excess frosting because you will only be frosting the top, presumably.
How much chocolate pudding mix?
1/3 cup