PEEPS® Chocolate Peppermint Cake

This post is sponsored by PEEPS®, but all opinions are my own.

This PEEPS® Peppermint Chocolate Cake is a super moist chocolate cake filled with peppermint icing, topped with more peppermint chocolate icing and chocolate ganache! It’s finished off with the delicious Chocolate Dipped Candy Cane Flavored Chicks. It’s super cute, fun to make and perfect for Christmas!

I don’t know about you, but we love PEEPS® around here. I’ve been eating them since I was kid and I always think they are so fun. There have been so many fun new varieties to come out for different holidays lately too and I’m always excited to see which new ones they’ll come out with next.

Being a big marshmallow fan, the hubs loves his PEEPS®. He’s a little weird though – he likes his marshmallows to be frozen. There’s no exception when it comes to his PEEPS®. I had a couple extra chicks when I was done decorating this cake and as soon as I handed him one, he put it straight into the freezer then looked at me with a very serious face and said, “Don’t touch my PEEP.”

I’ve been warned. 🙂

But seriously though, these might just be my new favorite PEEPS® flavor. I always forget how much I love peppermint and chocolate together and they really make the perfect PEEP.

And naturally when deciding what these cute chicks would adorn, I decided on a cake. And since they are dipped in chocolate, shouldn’t they be resting in a bed of it? I thought so too.

This cake starts with my favorite chocolate cake. Incredibly moist and sure to be your new favorite. Don’t be alarmed when checking out the recipe below – it’s a slow bake cake, so the 300 degree temperature listed is not an error. Boy does it produce an incredible cake!

Filling the layers is a peppermint icing. I dyed half of it red, to play off of the colors of peppermint. Once you’ve filled the cake, the rest of the icing has cocoa added to it. The chocolate peppermint icing that coats the outside of the cake is pure heaven. Top it with chocolate ganache and I can’t even handle the tastiness.

Of course the PEEPS® rest atop the glorious cake along with some peppermint pieces. I chopped up some candy canes and I love the look they create. Some of the smaller pieces remind me a bit of snow.

Is this not the most sophisticated PEEPS® cake ever? I love it! So darn cute!

And it was such a hit! I didn’t want to stop eating it. Did I say already that chocolate and peppermint are so good together? Because they are.

I actually took some of this cake over to a friend and after she tried it, I got a text telling me it was “AMAZING” ← The all caps were hers. Basically what I’m tell you is it’s time to get PEEP-in’. 🙂

Also, here’s a code for 20% off your next purchase, no minimum required, from now through Thursday, December 31. Discount code: SWEETINGS15

PEEPS® Chocolate Peppermint Cake

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A moist chocolate cake filled with peppermint icing, topped with more peppermint chocolate icing and chocolate ganache, then topped with PEEPS® Chocolate Dipped Candy Cane Flavored Chicks.

• Yield: 8 Inch Cake, 14-18 Slices
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

CHOCOLATE CAKE

• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup boiling water

FROSTING

• 1 1/2 cups salted butter
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable shortening
• 10–11 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp peppermint extract
• 3/4 cup water or milk
• red icing color
• 3/4 cup cocoa

CHOCOLATE GANACHE

• 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS

• PEEPS® Chocolate Dipped Candy Cane Flavored Chicks
• 2–3 candy canes, chopped

Instructions

TO MAKE THE CHOCOLATE CAKE LAYERS

1. Prepare three 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper circles in the bottom, and grease the sides. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

2. Add all dry ingredients to a large bowl and combine.

3. Add eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil and vanilla to the dry ingredients and mix well.

4. Slowly add water. Mix well.

5. Divide batter evenly between cakes pans and bake for about 30-33 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.

6. Remove cakes from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, then remove to cooling racks to cool completely.

TO MAKE THE ICING

7. Beat together butter and shortening until smooth.

8. Slowly add 4 cups of powdered sugar and mix until smooth.

9. Add peppermint extract and ½ cup of milk or water and mix until smooth.

10. Add remaining powdered sugar and mix until smooth.

11. Add remaining ¼ cup of water or milk and mix until smooth.

12. Remove 1 ½ cups of icing and die it red with red icing color.

TO ASSEMBLE CAKE

13. When the cakes are cool, remove the tops of the cakes with a large serrated knife so they are flat.

14. Place the first layer of cake on serving plate. Spread the red icing into an even layer on top of the cake.

15. Place the second layer of cake on top of the red icing and top it with 1 ½ cups of peppermint icing (should be white). Spread into an even layer.

16. Top cake with the third layer of cake.

17. Add cocoa to remaining icing and mix until well combined. You may need to add another 2-3 tbsp of water or milk to get the icing to a nice, spreadable consistency.

18. Ice the outside of the cake with the chocolate buttercream. Here’s a tutorial for getting a smooth finish.

19. To make the chocolate ganache, place chocolate chips in a medium sized bowl.

21. Microwave heavy cream just until it begins to boil.

22. Pour heated cream over the chocolate chips and cover the bowl with clear wrap. Allow to site for 5-7 minutes, then whisk until smooth.

23. Pour ganache onto the top of the cake, then use an offset spatula to spread it to the outer edges of the cake, pushing it over the edges in some spots.

24. Top the cake with PEEPS Chocolate Dipped Candy Cane Flavored Chicks

and chopped candy canes.

25. Allow ganache to set and refrigerate cake until ready to serve.

Enjoy!

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