White Chocolate Peppermint Cake
This dreamy White Chocolate Peppermint Cake is as delicious as it sounds!
It's the season of all things peppermint, and we're happy to say that this is one holiday cake that you are going to want to make again and again.
Homemade White Chocolate Peppermint cake layers are filled and frosted with a luscious white chocolate peppermint buttercream for a holiday dessert that is guaranteed to please any crowd!
We made a Chocolate Candy Cane Cake a few years ago for our Cake Recipes section that we LOVE, but this white chocolate version is equally amazing. I can't believe that we didn't try this combination sooner!
In the spring and summer months, we often pair it with fruit fillings as in our White Chocolate Raspberry Cake recipe. We're thrilled to have another excuse to make it in the winter months!
Table of Contents
How to Make White Chocolate Peppermint Cake
- Prepare your white chocolate peppermint cake layers according to recipe instructions. We decided to divide our batter between three 8 inch cake pans instead of two so that we could have more filling in every slice. However, you could also divide the batter between two pans for thicker cake layers.
- After filling our cake layers, we frosted with a creamy and delicious White Chocolate Peppermint Buttercream. I always use a turntable when applying frosting but that is optional. It just makes things a little easier. I applied a thin (crumb coat) of frosting, followed by a the final layer of frosting.
- We used a bench scraper to smooth the frosting as I rotated it on the turntable. Then, I added ridges by lightly holding a small rounded spatula against the cake as I turned it, working my way from the bottom to top. (See our easy Ridged Buttercream Technique tutorial for details!)
- Finally, we added oversized stars piped with a 404 french tip. Decorate with crushed candy canes!
More Christmas Recipes
We've made many Christmas cake recipes over the years! Some of our most popular are Eggnog Cake, homemade Red Velvet Cake, Gingerbread Cake, and Eggnog Pound Cake!
For our full collection of Christmas and Winter Cakes, Recipes, and Inspiration, hop over to our Roundup of Christmas Cakes! We have all sorts of festive cake designs to share with you also!
We hope that you enjoy this White Chocolate Peppermint Cake as much as we have! Thanks so much for stopping by. Make sure to check out our full collection of Cake Recipes as well as our Cake Decorating tutorials!
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Enjoy the Recipe
White Chocolate Peppermint Cake
This ultra moist White Chocolate Peppermint Cake with White Chocolate Peppermint Buttercream frosting is amazing!
Ingredients
For the White Chocolate Peppermint Cake
- 4 ounces (113.5g) white baking chocolate (I used Ghirardelli Premium Baking Bar and Bakers Premium Baking Bar to test the recipe)
- 2 ½ cups (285g) cake flour * if you do not have cake flour see Note below for substitution
- 2 ½ teaspoons (10g) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (3g) salt
- 1 ½ sticks (170g) unsalted butter, slightly softened (do not soften in the microwave)
- 1 ½ cups (300g) sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature ( if in a hurry you can warm the eggs in a bowl of hot (not boiling) water for 5 minutes)
- 2 teaspoons (8g) vanilla extract
- 1 ⅓ cup (314g) milk
- 1 teaspoon (4g) peppermint extract
For the White Chocolate Peppermint Buttercream
- 3 sticks (339g) unsalted butter, softened (do not soften in the microwave)
- 8 ounces (227g) white baking chocolate (I use Ghirardelli or Bakers White Baking Chocolate)
- 4 tablespoons (48g) milk or cream, to be used when melting the chocolate
- 8 cups (920g) powdered sugar (sift then measure)
- ½ teaspoon (3g) salt to cut the sweetness. Fine grained popcorn salt dissolves easily
- 1 teaspoon (4g) peppermint extract- (adjust to your liking)
- 3 Tablespoons (36g) milk- add a tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached
- Crushed Candy Canes for Garnish
Instructions
For the Cake Layers:
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F
- Grease and flour three 8x2 inch pans
- IMPORTANT: for this recipe you will need to add a circle of wax paper or parchment paper to the bottom of the cake pans to prevent sticking
- Heat the milk in the microwave or on the stove top, do not let it boil. Add the white chocolate that has been cut into very small pieces. Let it sit for a couple of minutes to soften, then stir until melted and smooth. Let this cool down before using.
- Combine the flour, baking powder and salt, whisk for 30 seconds to blend and set aside.
- In the bowl of your mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Slowly add the sugar and beat on medium speed 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each until the yellow is blended in.
- Add the vanilla and peppermint
- Alternately add the flour mixture and the milk/chocolate mixture, beginning and ending with the flour (3 additions of flour and 2 of milk mixture).
- Mix until just combined, do not over mix and do not mix above medium speed.
- Pour batter into prepared pans and bake at 325 degrees F for 22-25 minutes. When a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached, it is done. Let cool 10 minutes in the pans and turn out.
- Works well for cupcakes
- Makes 6 cups cake batter
For the White Chocolate Peppermint Buttercream:
- Cut/chop the white chocolate into very small pieces, put into a microwave safe bowl and add 4 Tablespoons milk.
- Microwave for 15 seconds let sit for a minute or two, stir and microwave again 15 seconds letting it sit a minute to soften further, stir. Be careful not to over heat the chocolate. The chocolate will continue to melt as it is stirred. Let the chocolate cool down before using.
- Beat the butter until softened and smooth, add the peppermint extract and mix. Add the powdered sugar alternately with the melted chocolate. Add the additional 3 tablespoons of milk as needed for spreading consistency. Beat at medium to low speed for 4 to 5 minutes (longer if using a hand mixer) until the buttercream becomes smooth and creamy.
- Makes 7 cups frosting. Makes enough to fill and frost a 3 layer 8 or 9 inch cake.
Hi Madison, I am sorry that was not listed. This is the substitution: Measure out 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour(plain in the UK). Remove 5 Tablespoons flour. Replace with 5 Tablespoons cornstarch (corn flour in UK) Whisk to blend together then proceed with the recipe. Hope you will enjoy the cake.
How many cupcakes does this make?
Hi Ffion, I have not used the recipe for cupcakes but I think it should make 24 to 28 standard size cupcakes. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, keep an eye on them.
Hi Umm, should we use baking powder or baking soda because I have made this recipe twice and the cakes have no risen at all. Please help!
Hi Kat, I am sorry you had a problem. The recipe uses 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder. Check the expiration date on your baking powder, if may be out of date or near that date. This would be the most likely cause of your cake not rising at all.
We are having this same problem!! Have made it twice and the middle is completely sunken in. Our baking powder was just opened before making!! It makes me so sad because the cake is so good!
Easy to follow recipe. Turned out great. I used red food coloring to have a white and red layered cake, but struggled to get it red (turned out more of a hot pink), but that was no reflection on the recipe. I think I needed gel food coloring. Not sure how it tastes yet, but it turned out pretty!!
Hi Jesta, A perfectly beautiful cake, I love it!! Thanks so much for posting.
This did not bake in 25 min. Required an extra 15.
The recipe states if not using cake flour to see note blow for substitution. I don't see it. What is the difference between cake and regular flour?
Hi Tawnya, This recipe has 2 1/2 cups cake flour. If you only have all-purpose flour (plain flour in the UK) use this substitution: measure out 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour. Remove 5 Tablespoons and replace with 5 Tablespoons cornstarch (cornflour in the UK). Whisk to blend and proceed with the recipe. Cake flour is made from soft winter wheat that will
you a cake with a nice tender crumb.
If I made half a recipe of the Peppermint cake for mini cupcakes any idea how many mini cupcakes it would yield?
Thank you
Can't wait to try this recipe! I would like to make this in a tall narrow version. Do you have any advice as to how long to bake it for 6" layers? Thank you!
I can’t wait to make this for the holidays!!! Sounds amazing.
Thanks Nicole!
This recipe looks amazing, I am looking to make a Christmas gnome for my sweet sister in law.
Does this cake have a strong structure as I will be sculpting it and covering the cake in fondant.
I would love to hear from you
Hi Carol- that sounds really cute! I think it would be no problem for light carving. If you are tapering the bottom, I can't say for sure- but most of the gnome cakes I've seen are just tapered on top, in which case I think this recipe would be fine! Ganache under fondant is always helpful too. I hope that you enjoy it!