Recipe for peppermint mocha layer cake: dark chocolate cake flavored with peppermint extract and coffee, filled and iced with dark chocolate peppermint mocha buttercream frosting.
About Peppermint Mocha Layer Cake:
This Christmas cake is adapted from my Dark Chocolate Layer Cake. It has an added peppermint flavor in the chocolate cake batter from peppermint extract. The dark chocolate buttercream also uses peppermint extract and instant coffee to give it a mocha flavor. If you love peppermint mochas I think you'll really love this cake!
Ingredients for Peppermint Mocha Layer Cake:
- Flour- all purpose flour is used to give this cake the best crumb possible
- Baking soda & powder- used together to help the cake rise and become fluffy
- Cocoa powder– make sure to use dark cocoa powder to get the darkest chocolate cake
- Sugar– granulated sugar goes in the cake and powdered sugar is used in the frosting
- Eggs– whole eggs go in the cake, make sure they are room temperature
- Butter– make sure it is softened, used in the frosting and cake
- Buttermilk– helps the cake to be moist
- Coffee-helps to bring out the best chocolate flavor, make sure it is hot
- Vanilla– I recommend vanilla bean paste for the best taste
- Peppermint extract- to give it a peppermint flavor of course!
- Salt– just a little helps to bring out all the flavors in the cake
- Instant coffee- used in the frosting to give it a mocha flavor
- Mini candy canes- for decorating (optional)
How to Make Peppermint Mocha Layer Cake:
For the Dark Chocolate Peppermint Mocha Cake Batter:
Start by creaming ¾ cup softened unsalted butter together with 2 cups of granulated sugar.
Then add in 3 whole eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla and ½ teaspoon of peppermint extract and combine. Next add in 1 ¼ cups of buttermilk and mix until combined.
Sift together 1 ¾ cups of all purpose flour, ¾ cup of dark cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon of salt, 1 ½ teaspoon of baking powder and ¼ teaspoon of baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients a little at a time until it is all thoroughly combined.
Lastly mix in ½ cup of hot coffee. (I used 2 tbsps of instant coffee dissolved in ½ cup of hot water).
Divide the batter evenly between three 6″ cake pans. It helps to use a food scale to ensure the same amount of batter is in each pan.
Bake the cakes at 350 degrees for 38-41 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the centers. After they are done baking, let the cakes cool in the pans for 15 minutes and then out of the pans on a cooling rack until completely cooled.
For the Dark Chocolate Peppermint Mocha Buttercream:
In a large bowl add 2 cups (4 sticks) of softened, unsalted butter and beat on medium speed with an electric mixer until the butter is smooth, pale in color and fluffy.
Dissolve 1 tablespoon of instant coffee with 1 teaspoon of water. Then to the butter add in ½ teaspoon of peppermint extract, the coffee paste and 4 ½ cups of powdered sugar a little at a time until it is all combined.
Next mix in ¼ teaspoon of salt and 1 cup of dark cocoa powder. The frosting will be very thick at this point.
Add 8-9 tablespoon of heavy cream a few spoonfuls at a time until the frosting is smooth and can easily be spread. If it is too stiff add more cream. If the frosting is smooth after only a few spoonfuls of cream, do not add the full amount. Add cream as necessary.
For the Dark Chocolate Ganache Drip:
Heat ¼ cup of heavy cream on the stove top in a small sauce pan just until it’s about to boil.
Place 2 oz of chopped dark chocolate in a medium sized bowl or liquid glass measuring cup. Make sure the chocolate is in small pieces, roughly all the same size.
Once the cream is hot, pour it over the chocolate and let it sit for about five minutes. After five minutes stir it to fully combine it. Let it sit on the counter to cool slightly until ready to use.
Assembling the Cake:
Once the cakes are completely cooled assemble the cake. You can simply fill each layer and ice the outside with the dark chocolate peppermint mocha buttercream and then pour the dark chocolate ganache over the top. However, if you are looking to make a really beautiful cake, follow these extra steps.
For These Steps you Will Need:
- a cake scrapper
- a rotating cake turntable
- a cake frosting spatula
- a sharp knife
- an icing piping bag fitted with a small circular tip
- an icing piping bag fitted with a large star tip
Getting Perfectly Sized Cake Layers:
Once the cakes are completely cooled, wrap them in plastic wrap and place them in the freezer for a few hours. Once they are frozen, or nearly frozen, remove them from the freezer and begin to make each layer as similar in size as possible. Usually you will only have to cut the tops off of each cake layer. With a sharp knife, remove the tops from each cake layer until each are flat and can be stacked to where the cake is even. So, each layer should sit flat on each other without the cake leaning.
Creating the Crumb Layer:
Then place a dollop of dark chocolate peppermint mocha buttercream frosting in the center of your cake turntable. Place the first cake layer over it. Then add a generous amount of dark chocolate peppermint mocha buttercream frosting on top of the cake layer and even it out with your frosting spatula, turning the cake table as you go. Place the next layer over top and repeat the step. Then place the final layer over the top and place small dollops of frosting on the outsides and top of the cake. Even out the frosting as much as possible with your frosting spatula.
Then with your cake scraper, scrape the icing across the cake, turning the cake table as you go to make this as easy as possible. This layer of frosting should be very thin. This is called the ‘crumb layer’ and will ensure that the cake’s final coating of frosting is smooth and free of crumbs. Freezing the cake layers before frosting them also helps tremendously with this step.
For the Final Frosting Layer:
Once the crumb layer of frosting has been applied, place the cake in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to allow the frosting to harden. Once the cake has chilled in the fridge, remove it and apply the final coating of frosting. Apply generous dollops of frosting on the sides and top of the cake and smooth them out with your cake frosting spatula. Then with your cake scraper even out the frosting, turning the cake table as you go, to give you an even coating of dark chocolate peppermint mocha buttercream frosting. Make sure it is not too thin so you do not see the layers underneath, unless of course that it is how you want it to look.
For the Chocolate Ganache Drip:
Once the final layer of frosting is applied, place the cake back in the fridge to chill for another 30 minutes, up to an hour. While the cake chills prepare the chocolate ganache by pouring it into an icing piping bag fitted with a small circular tip. The ganche should be slightly warm but not hot and come easily out of the icing bag. Once chilled, remove the cake from the fridge.
Go around the top edges of the cake and squeeze the chocolate ganache so it starts to drip down the sides of the cake. A good tip is to space out your drips about every inch. If at first it doesn’t look like it will be a long enough drip, wait a few minutes. The ganache will continue to drip down the sides of the cake. Also squeeze ganache around the top of the cake and smooth it out slightly with a clean frosting spatula. As it sits the ganache will smooth out and come together to form a beautiful finish on top of the cake.
Decorating the Cake:
Place the cake back in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour to let the ganache harden up a bit. While it is chilling, place the remaining dark chocolate peppermint mocha buttercream frosting in a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. (I use a Wilton 1M). Once the cake is chilled, remove it from the fridge and go along the top edges of the cake with the buttercream frosting to create a ruffle. Do this by slowly moving the piping bag back and forth in a small zigzag formation. Practice on a cutting board before to get the feel for it. Once your ruffle is on you can decorate the top of the cake with mini candy canes and crushed candy cane pieces or whatever else you think would look beautiful!
Serve this cake right away, or keep in the fridge until ready to serve. Store left overs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days for the freshest, best flavor.
If you make this cake, please tag me on Instagram @inbloombakery_ so I can see your beautiful creation! Also follow me on Pinterest for other dessert inspiration.
Other Cake Recipes to Try:
📖 Recipe
Peppermint Mocha Layer Cake
Ingredients
For the Dark Chocolate Peppermint Mocha Cake:
- 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup dark cocoa powder
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 ¼ cups buttermilk
- ¾ cup softened, unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
- ½ cup hot coffee (½ cup of hot water with 2 tablespoon instant coffee)
- mini candy canes and crushed candy canes for decorating
For the Dark Chocolate Peppermint Mocha Buttercream:
- 2 cups softened, unsalted butter
- 4 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup dark cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon instant coffee dissolved in 1 teaspoon of water
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
- 8-9 tablespoon heavy cream
For the Dark Chocolate Ganache Drip:
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 oz chopped dark chocolate
Instructions
For the Dark Chocolate Peppermint Mocha Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Start by creaming ¾ cup softened unsalted butter together with 2 cups of granulated sugar.
- Then add in 3 whole eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla and ½ teaspoon of peppermint extract and combine.
- Next add in 1 ¼ cups of buttermilk and mix until combined.
- Sift together 1 ¾ cups of all purpose flour, ¾ cup of dark cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon of salt, 1 ½ teaspoon of baking powder and ¼ teaspoon of baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients a little at a time until it is all thoroughly combined.
- Lastly mix in ½ cup of hot coffee. (I used 2 tablespoon of instant coffee dissolved in ½ cup of hot water).
- Divide the batter evenly between three 6″ cake pans. It helps to use a food scale to ensure the same amount of batter is in each pan.
- Bake the cakes for 38-41 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the centers. After they are done baking, let the cakes cool in the pans for 15 minutes and then out of the pans on a cooling rack until completely cooled.
For the Dark Chocolate Peppermint Mocha Buttercream:
- In a large bowl add 2 cups (4 sticks) of softened, unsalted butter and beat on medium speed with an electric mixer until the butter is smooth, pale in color and fluffy.
- Dissolve 1 tablespoon of instant coffee with 1 teaspoon of water. Then to the butter add in ½ teaspoon of peppermint extract, the coffee paste and 4 ½ cups of powdered sugar a little at a time until it is all combined.
- Next mix in ¼ teaspoon of salt and 1 cup of dark cocoa powder. The frosting will be very thick at this point.
- Add 8-9 tablespoon of heavy cream a few spoonfuls at a time until the frosting is smooth and can easily be spread. If it is too stiff add more cream. If the frosting is smooth after only a few spoonfuls of cream, do not add the full amount. Add cream as necessary.
For the Dark Chocolate Ganache Drip:
- Heat ¼ cup of heavy cream on the stove top in a small sauce pan just until it’s about to boil.
- Place 2 oz of chopped dark chocolate in a medium sized bowl or liquid glass measuring cup. Make sure the chocolate is in small pieces, roughly all the same size.
- Once the cream is hot, pour it over the chocolate and let it sit for about five minutes. After five minutes stir it to fully combine it. Let it sit on the counter to cool slightly until ready to use.
Assembling the Cake:
- Once the cakes are completely cooled you can assemble the cake. You can simply fill each layer and ice the outside with the dark chocolate peppermint mocha buttercream and then pour the dark chocolate ganache over the top. However, if you are looking to make a really beautiful cake, follow the extra steps above in the blog post.
- Serve this cake right away, or keep in the fridge until ready to serve. Store left overs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days for the freshest, best flavor.
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