chocolate peppermint cake

A delicious black forest cake with chocolate cake layers soaked in a cherry brandy syrup and covered in whipped cream, shaved chocolate, and cherries.

Black Forest Cake

all-purpose flour (240 grams)

sugar (300 grams)

unsalted butter (227 grams, room temperature)

buttermilk (236 milliliters)

cocoa powder (58 grams)

tsp baking powder (2 grams)

tsp baking soda (3 grams)

salt (5 grams)

tbsp coffee (15 milliliters)

eggs

water (120 milliliters)

sugar (100 grams)

Kirsche

heavy cream (cold)

sugar

tbsp Kirsche (22 milliliters)

cherries (plus more for decorating)

chocolate

Butter and flour 3 six inch cake pans. Preheat oven to 350F.

Sift the flour baking soda and powder, salt and cocoa powder.

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat the eggs and yolks in one at a time, then add in the coffee.

In three batches, mix in the flour mixture alternating with the buttermilk. Don't over-mix!

Divide batter evenly into pans and bake at 350f for about 25 - 30 minutes or until the centers are done. Allow to cool in pans for about 10 minutes and then invert onto a wire rack.&nbsp;

For the Cake

Add the water and sugar to a small pot then bring to a boil. Allow to boil for about a minute then remove from heat and stir in the cherry liqueur. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool before using. 

For the Syrup:

Add the cold cream, powdered sugar, and Kirsche to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment then beat on high until soft peaks form. I always chill my bowl and whisk for a fast whip but this is optional.

For the Whipped Cream Frosting

Melt about 1/4 cup or dark chocolate with two tablespoons of cream. Whisk together and set aside.

Wash, halve and pit about about 2 cups of cherries then transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Carefully shave the chocolate using a knife or vegetable peeler. and set aside.

Cover the first cake layer with whipped cream then press cherry halves all over the top. These cherry pieces are actually structural as they will hold the cake up, whipped cream is TOO soft for a three layer cake on it&#x27;s own. Repeat the process with the other layers until the cake is assembled.

Give the cake a quick smooth and push in any errant cherries. Cover the cake with more whipped cream then smooth the top and side.

Gingerly press shaved chocolate onto the bottom half of the cake. You can also toss the chocolate at the cake as the frosting is quite soft and easy to disturb.

Pour or pipe ganache onto the cake&#x27;s top then smooth out. Leave about an inch from the edge uncovered.

Transfer the remaining whipped cream to a piping bag fitted with a large closed star tip (849) Pipe dollops on the top then top with cherries.

For the Assemby

This delicious black forest cake features luscious chocolate cake layers soaked in a cherry brandy syrup with lots of cherris in between and it's all covered in whipped cream and shaved chocolate. It's a light and perfectly sweet German dessert that is easy to make and a chocolate-lover's dream!

RECIPE: https://preppykitchen.com/1479-2/

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Rich, dark chocolate peppermint cake layers with peppermint buttercream.

Chocolate Peppermint Cake

(240 g) all-purpose flour

(350 g) granulated sugar

(8 g) baking soda

(4 g) baking powder

(6 g) salt

eggs, (room temperature)

(240 g) buttermilk, (room temperature)

(236 g) hot water

(110 g) vegetable oil

(4.2 g) pure vanilla extract

(8.4 g) peppermint extract

(452 g) unsalted butter, (slightly chilled)

(750 g) powdered sugar, (measured then sifted)

(43.3 g) heavy whipping cream

(12.6 g) peppermint extract

salt

Red food coloring

*This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and

(150 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips

(200-231 g) heavy whipping cream

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare three 8-inch or four 6-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray, parchment paper, and one more spray of nonstick spray.

In a bowl of electric mixer, combine all the dry ingredients. Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, buttermilk, water, oil, vanilla and peppermint and lightly beat with a fork.

With the mixer on low speed, add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix for about 30 seconds. Batter will be thin. Scrape sides and mix for another 10 to 20 seconds. Divide batter evenly among prepared pans (about 15 ounces of batter in each 8-inch pan or 11 ounces in each 6-inch pan).

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes (you may need more time depending on your oven), until toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs on it. Cool on wire racks for 10-15 minutes and then gently invert onto greased racks until cooled completely.

When cakes are completely cooled, I like to wrap each cake layer individually with plastic wrap and stick it in the freezer until I’m ready to frost. The cake will be easier to work with if it’s cooled a bit. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until creamy, about two minutes.

With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, and mix until combined.

Add the whipping cream, salt and peppermint extract and beat on medium-high for about 3-5 minutes, until the frosting is light and fluffy.

Reserve about 1 cup of frosting for the white stripes in the cake layers. Add red food coloring to the rest of the frosting and mix for another minute.

If your frosting has air pockets, take a spatula or wooden spoon and mix by hand until the frosting is smooth.

For the Buttercream

In a microwave safe bowl, heat the cream.

Pour the cream over the chocolate chips and stir until the chocolate is melted.

For the Drip

After leveling each cake layer, set the first cake layer, right-side up, on a cake plate or board. Using piping bags, pipe alternating circles of white and red buttercream, as seen in the video above. 

Repeat step one for the second cake layer.

Place the third cake layer, bottom-side up, on top of the second layer of frosting. Give the cake an even crumb coat, filling in an areas that seem uneven with frosting. Freeze the cake for 10 minutes.

When the crumb coat is set, finish frosting the cake with the red peppermint frosting. Let it chill again before spread the ganache on top. Garnish with candy canes or peppermint bark.

Assembly

Your favorite peppermint bark combined into this Chocolate Candy Cane Cake!

Chocolate Candy Cane Cake

+ 2 tbsp all-purpose flour

cocoa powder

tsp baking powder

tsp baking soda

grapeseed oil or canola oil

tsp pure vanilla extract

milk

hot coffee (or water)

unsalted butter (at room temperature)

confectioners' sugar

tbsp milk

tsp vanilla extract

tsp peppermint extract (or to taste)

oz semi-sweet chocolate (chopped)

heavy cream

corn syrup

oz white chocolate chocolate

tsp peppermint extract

oz dark chocolate

peppermints (crushed)

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Grease and flour three 6-inch cake pans and set aside.

Sift together the flour, cocoa power, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.

 In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the oil and sugar on medium speed for 2 minutes.  Add the vanilla and eggs, one at a time.  Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl.

Turn the mixer to low and add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.  Stop and scrape down the bowl.  With the mixer on low, stream in the coffee.  Mix on medium-low for no more than 30 seconds, or until the batter is combined.

Evenly divide the batter among the prepared pans.  Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean.  Let them cool on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes before removing the cakes from their pans.

Chocolate Cake

Using a stand (or hand) mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter on medium-low speed until smooth and creamy (1 to 3 minutes.)

Gradually add all but 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, 2 tablespoons of milk, vanilla, and peppermint extract with mixer at low speed, scraping bowl occasionally. Mix until blended.

Beat at medium-high speed 3 to 5 minutes, until buttercream is light, airy, and nearly white.  If needed, add the additional powered sugar or milk until desired consistency is achieved.  The buttercream should spread smoothly without tearing the crumb of the cake but think enough that it holds shape when piped and spread between the layers.

Peppermint Buttercream

Place the chocolate, cream, and corn syrup in a small saucepan.  Heat over medium-low until the cream begins to steam and the chocolate starts to melt.  Remove from the heat and stir to combine. 

Stir in the salt.  Pour the glaze into a heat-safe container and allow to cool and thicken before use. 

The glaze should be cool enough that it does not melt or run off the cake, but thin enough that it drips naturally down the sides of the cake.

Chocolate Glaze

In the top portion of a double-boiler or a heat-safe bowl set over a pan of simmer water, melt the white chocolate.  Once melted, stir in the peppermint extract then spread into a thin layer on a piece of parchment paper or non-stick silicone mat.  Allow to dry.

Once the white chocolate has set, melt the dark chocolate in the top portion of a double-boiler.  Spread over the white chocolate with an offset spatula and sprinkle with crushed peppermint.  Allow to dry then cut or break into pieces.

Peppermint Bark

Place one layer of cake on a cake board or serving dish.  Spread on about ¾ cup of buttercream with an offset spatula until smooth.  Top with the next layer of cake and repeat.  Place the last layer on top of the cake.  Crumb coat the cake with a thin layer of buttercream then refrigerate the cake for 15 minutes.

Once chilled, frost the cake as desired.  Test the chocolate glaze by drizzling a small amount off the top ledge of the cake.  Cool or re-heat the glaze accordingly.  To make the chocolate drips, add chocolate glaze around the cake and let set.  Once the glaze has set, decorate the cake with the remaining frosting and pieces of peppermint bark.

Serve the cake at room temperature.  Refrigerate leftovers in a cake box or loosely covered with plastic wrap for up to 3 days.

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Black Forest Cake

Chocolate Peppermint Cake

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Top 3 chocolate peppermint cake recipes from across the web

The most viewed chocolate peppermint cake recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

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Black Forest Cake

Chocolate Peppermint Cake

Chocolate Candy Cane Cake

The most viewed chocolate peppermint cake recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine