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Chocolate Candy Cane Cake

This cake is a showstopper for your holiday dessert. A moist and tender chocolate cake is frosted with a white chocolate and peppermint frosting. The peppermint, in the frosting, offsets the sweetness of the buttercream. This cake freezes beautifully, if there are any leftovers.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 10 slices
Author Debby - www.AFeastfortheEyes.net

Ingredients

For the cake:

  • 1-3/4 cup all-purpose flour I use King Arthur Flour unbleached flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup black coffee cooled (I used a dark roast coffee. You can't taste the coffee, but the chocolate is deeper in flavor and richness with this ingredient
  • 1 cup buttermilk or 1 Tbsp lemon juice with milk to equal 1 cup; or 1 Tbsp vinegar with milk to equal 1 cup
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the frosting:

  • 1 pouond butter softened
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • ⅛ tsp salt
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp peppermint extract optional, but added more flavor to the frosting
  • 4 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 8 ounces white chocolate melted and cooled
  • 1 ¾ cups peppermint candy finely ground

Instructions

For the cake:

  • Prepare 2 9-inch cake pans (I always line mine with parchment paper and then use a non-stick baking spray with flour.
  • Preheat the oven to 350F.
  • Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, & salt in a large bowl or in bowl of stand mixer.
  • Add eggs, coffee, buttermilk, oil, & vanilla.
  • Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. (Batter will be thin.)
  • Divide evenly into cake pans (this cake makes a great sheet cake or cupcakes).
  • Bake for 20 minutes (for cupcakes) or 27 minutes (approx) for a baking pan at 350°F or until toothpick comes out clean.
  • Cool completely and frost.

For the frosting:

  • With electric mixer, beat butter at medium-high speed until smooth, about 30 seconds.
  • Add confectioners' sugar and salt; beat at medium-low speed, scraping bowl once, until smooth, about 1 minute.
  • Add vanilla and cream and beat at medium speed until incorporated, about 10 seconds.
  • Increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down bowl once or twice.
  • Transfer half of frosting to clean bowl and stir in white chocolate.
  • Add 3/4 cup ground peppermint candies to remaining frosting.

To assemble:

  • Place one cake layer on serving platter. Spread half of peppermint frosting over cake. Repeat with second cake layer and remaining peppermint frosting.
  • Top with final cake layer and frost top and sides with white chocolate frosting, reserving 3/4 cup for final garnish.
  • Press remaining ground peppermint candies into sides of cake and sprinkle evenly over top of cake.
  • Use remaining white chocolate frosting to pipe ring of dots around base of cake and pipe 6 rosettes on top of cake.
  • Place 1 whole peppermint candy on each rosette.
  • Baker's notes: I decided to add the crushed peppermint candies into the frosting. I found some Ghirardelli peppermint chocolate squares, so I used those instead of peppermint candies.

Notes

Frosting recipe, slightly adapted from Cook's Country Magazine 2008 issue