Chocolate Peppermint Cake

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Chocolate Peppermint Cake is a delicious chocolate sheet cake with a peppermint white chocolate cream cheese frosting and topped with crushed candy canes that will make you feel like you’re tasting the holidays!

white chocolate peppermint frosting with candy canes

This post was sponsored by ALDI, all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own. Thanks so much for supporting the brands that support Baran Bakery!

I’m a firm believer that you should have whatever flavor of dessert you want any time of year. BUT, there is something extra special about enjoying seasonal flavors during their appropriate time of year. This Chocolate Peppermint Cake has all the classic looks, flavors, and feels of the holidays and tastes extra delicious on a snowy day with some hot cocoa and a lit fireplace. Bonus points for adding peppermint candies to your hot cocoa!

To make the holidays extra special, I partnered with my friends at ALDI, who are the masters at making holiday shopping enjoyable. Most of the time, anything related to holiday shopping makes me want to cry a little inside. But everything I needed for this cake I easily found at ALDI, and I didn’t have to sacrifice quality or my budget! Getting excited about the perfect grocery shopping experience is as adulting as it gets and I’m here for it!

close up of chocolate peppermint cake with a bite taken out

How to make Chocolate Peppermint Cake

For my Chocolate Peppermint Cake I went with a peppermint white chocolate cream cheese frosting. Because white chocolate is pretty sweet, I decided to make a dark chocolate cake to balance the sweetness. Finally, I always love some added texture to my cakes, so I added crushed peppermint on top of my frosting.

Chocolate Sheet Cake

If you’re not new around here, you know I usually use 6 Inch Chocolate Cake Recipe for a chocolate base but I developed this chocolate cake specifically for sheet cakes so it wouldn’t dome as much. It’s almost much softer and fluffier, pairing perfectly with that fluffy cloud of cream cheese frosting on top.

whisk together all the wet ingredients — whisk together all the dry ingredients

Ingredients & Substitutions:

All-purpose Flour: All-purpose flour is great in cakes and more readily available than other flours, which is why I chose to use it in this cake.
- It’s easy to overmeasure flour so I HIGHLY recommend using a digital scale.
Fat: To get the soft, fudgy texture I wanted for this cake, I opted to use only oil. When you add butter it creates a stiffer texture, which I prefer in layer cakes over sheet cakes.
Eggs: I always use large, room temperature eggs for my cakes. If you’re in a pinch, you place cold eggs in warm hot water while you get the rest of your ingredients together.
Sugar: Besides sweetness and flavor, sugar provides moisture to cakes and also helps with leavening. I used granulated sugar for this recipe but I have made it with half brown sugar as well.
Liquid: I find that the more runny the batter is, the less likely it is to dome so I used just milk for this chocolate cake and no sour cream like I usually do in my cakes.
Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: It’s important to use unsweetened cocoa powder when baking so that you can control the amount of sugar. The Baker’s Corner All-Purpose 100% Baking Cocoa Powder is perfect because a good quality cocoa powder will give you the rich flavor we are going for.

room temperature butter and cream cheese — cream temperature butter and cream cheese

add powdered sugar and mix until smooth — cream temperature butter and cream cheese

Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting

As I’m writing this post I’m literally eating this cake and I cannot get over how delicious this frosting is! I love a good cream cheese frosting because it still holds its shape, but it’s not as firm as other frostings. It’s silkier and has a slight tangier flavor, which pairs well with the sweetness of white chocolate and peppermint.

There are two main flavors in this frosting- white chocolate and peppermint, so you are going to want to use quality ingredients for both. White chocolate can be difficult to melt but the Baker’s Corner White Baking Morsels at were so easy to work with.

The Stonemill Pure Peppermint Extract also had just the right amount of concentration to add in the flavor I needed without overpowering the white chocolate. To add the final holiday touch, I crushed some candy canes and sprinkled them on top.

chocolate peppermint cake with white chocolate chips bag

chocolate peppermint cake with cocoa powder box

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Turn This Into A Layered Cake

There are so many options for this cake! You can really impress your friends and make a two layered 8-inch cake by splitting the batter into two 8-inch pans, or four layers by cutting them in half after cooling. You can also turn it into a three layered 6 inch cake by splitting the batter in three 6-inch pans.

Can I Use This Batter to Make Cupcakes

I suggest using my 6 Inch Chocolate Cake Recipe if you want to make cupcakes. It will make 23 cupcakes and finish baking in 18 minutes. You can also use my small-batch chocolate cupcake recipe.

Can I Use a Different Type Of Buttercream

If you make this as a sheet cake, almost any type of buttercream would work since the buttercream won’t have to hold up other layers. If you don’t want to use cream cheese you can make one batch of Swiss Meringue Buttercream and flavor it with peppermint extract. If you are interested in other options, my book Frosted has many options and goes into further detail about which frostings work on different cakes.

chocolate cake with white chocolate peppermint frosting

How to store Chocolate Peppermint Cake

If you need to store Chocolate Peppermint Cake, it is best to cover it with plastic wrap or store it in an airtight container to keep it from drying out. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week. To freeze, slice and wrap each slice in plastic wrap, place them in an airtight container, and place the container in a freezer bag, squeezing all the air out. You can freeze it for up to a month. Allow the cake to come to room temperature before serving so the frosting and cake is soft.

It can be frustrating when you go shopping to have to stop at multiple stores, especially during the holidays when everyone seems to be busier than usual. ALDI makes it easy to find everything you need without breaking the bank.

Thanks so much for reading today’s post, if you have any questions just comment down below! Make sure to tag me @baranbakery on instagram if you make this Chocolate Peppermint Cake and don’t forget to order my cookbook, Frosted, it makes a great Christmas gift 🤪. As always, have a blessed day and happy baking!

Love, B