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    Home » Recipes » All Recipes

    Published: Dec 15, 2015 · Modified: Jan 3, 2020 by alexandra · This post may contain affiliate links

    Boozy Chocolate-Peppermint Layer Cake with Peppermint White Chocolate Frosting {GF}

    Jump to Recipe

    I'm pretty sure we need some holiday spirit making its presence known around here right about now, and this cake - THIS CAKE - is it. I've made quite a few Christmassy (← totally a word) desserts over the years, but this one is definitley up their in the tip-top ranks. It looks the part, it tastes the part, and it even has a little naughtiness goin' on because, guess what?! It's boooooozzzzyyyy!

    Boozy Chocolate Peppermint Layer Cake with Peppermint White Chocolate Frosting - A rich and moist chocolatey cake studded with pepperminty candy cane kisses and wrapped in a creamy, vodka-spiked peppermint white chocolate frosting. | www.brighteyedbaker.com #TreatsWithTitos this recipe

    We start off with a rich, super moist chocolate cake that's even more amazing than it sounds because it just happens to be secretly gluten-free. (And by secretly, I mean that it's crazy easy to forget this fact, because it tastes just as fantastic as it would with regular flour. ) Then, we're throwing candy cane Kisses into the batter for some minty-chocolate undertones, amplified by the addition of Tito's vodka spiking the mix. Can you say YES?

    Boozy Chocolate Peppermint Layer Cake with Peppermint White Chocolate Frosting - A rich and moist chocolatey cake studded with pepperminty candy cane kisses and wrapped in a creamy, vodka-spiked peppermint white chocolate frosting. | www.brighteyedbaker.com #TreatsWithTitos

    But what really sets the whole thing over the edge is the frosting -  smooth, sweet, and creamy peppermint white chocolate frosting. It leaves your nostrils stinging and your taste buds frozen over in the best possible way, with a powerful kick of Tito's vodka adding the finishing touch. And as if that weren't enough, all those little candy cane bits covering the outside of the cake add to the pepperminty punch that it packs, and I'll be the first to tell you it packs quite the punch ;).

    Boozy Chocolate Peppermint Layer Cake with Peppermint White Chocolate Frosting - A rich and moist chocolatey cake studded with pepperminty candy cane kisses and wrapped in a creamy, vodka-spiked peppermint white chocolate frosting. | www.brighteyedbaker.com #TreatsWithTitos

    Rich? Yes. Totally worth it? Heck yes!

    Boozy Chocolate Peppermint Layer Cake with Peppermint White Chocolate Frosting - A rich and moist chocolatey cake studded with pepperminty candy cane kisses and wrapped in a creamy, vodka-spiked peppermint white chocolate frosting. | www.brighteyedbaker.com #TreatsWithTitos
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    Boozy Chocolate-Peppermint Layer Cake with Peppermint White Chocolate Frosting {GF}

    Boozy Chocolate Peppermint Layer Cake with Peppermint White Chocolate Frosting - A rich and moist chocolatey cake studded with pepperminty candy cane kisses and wrapped in a creamy, vodka-spiked peppermint white chocolate frosting. | www.brighteyedbaker.com #TreatsWithTitos
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    ★★★★★

    5 from 1 reviews

    A rich and moist chocolatey cake studded with pepperminty candy cane kisses and wrapped in a creamy, vodka-spiked peppermint white chocolate frosting.

    • Author: Alexandra
    • Prep Time: 30 minutes
    • Assembly Time: 30 minutes
    • Cook Time: 40 minutes
    • Total Time: 1 hr 40 minutes
    • Yield: one 2-layer 9” cake 1x
    • Diet: Gluten Free

    Ingredients

    Scale

    Chocolate Peppermint Cake:

    • butter and cocoa powder, for pans
    • 12 ¾ ounces (3 cups, spoon and level) gluten-free all-purpose flour
    • 14 ounces (2 cups) granulated sugar
    • 1 ¼ ounces (6 tablespoons) natural cocoa powder
    • 2 teaspoons baking soda
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 11 ¼ ounces (1 ⅓ cup) milk
    • 4 ⅞ ounces (⅝ cup) neutral-flavored cooking oil (vegetable, avocado, etc.)
    • 2 ⅝ ounces (⅓ cup) Tito’s Handmade Vodka
    • 2 tablespoons white distilled vinegar
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 7 ⅝ ounces (1 ⅓ cup) chopped Hershey's Candy Cane Kisses

    Peppermint White Chocolate Frosting:

    • 12 ounces (1 ½ cups) unsalted butter, softened
    • 1 lb 2 ounces (4 ½ cups) confectioner’s sugar
    • 1 lb 2 ounces ounces white chocolate wafers (or chopped white chocolate), melted and slightly cooled
    • 4 ounces (½ cup) Tito’s Handmade Vodka
    • 1 teaspoon peppermint extract

    Garnish:

    • crushed candy cane bits
    • Hershey's Candy Cane Kisses

    Instructions

    Chocolate Peppermint Cake:

    1. Preheat oven to 350ºF and prep two 9" cake pans; butter the bottom and sides, line bottoms with parchment rounds, and dust sides with cocoa powder.
    2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Add milk, oil, vodka, vinegar, and vanilla and fold in just until evenly incorporated. Fold in chopped peppermint kisses.
    3. Divide batter evenly between the two prepared pans. Bake in preheated oven for 35-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean and tops of cakes spring back when lightly touched in the center.
    4. Let cakes cool completely in pans, and then carefully turn each out onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Peel off parchment and wrap cake entirely in plastic wrap until ready to frost. For best results, place cake in freezer for 30 minutes before frosting.

    Peppermint White Chocolate Frosting:

    1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the wire whip attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light and creamy. Reduce speed to low and gradually add confectioner’s sugar until fully incorporated, scraping down bowl as needed. Increase speed to medium-high again and beat until smooth and fluffy.
    2. With mixer on low, slowly pour in melted white chocolate. Once all has been added, beat in on medium-high until smooth (if any white chocolate hardens on sides of bowl, do not scrape it into the frosting). Add vodka and peppermint extract and continue to beat until liquid is incorporated and frosting is light and creamy.*

    Assembly/Garnish:

    1. Place one cake layer bottom-up on a cake board or plate. Spread a layer of frosting over cake and top with second cake layer, bottom side up. Apply a smooth layer of frosting over top and sides of cake.
    2. Cup candy cane bits in palm of hand and gently press onto sides of cake to cover completely, allowing to extend over top perimeter of cake slightly. Use a piping bag fitted with a large closed star tip (I used Ateco #846) to pipe 6 dollops of frosting around the top perimeter. Top each with a peppermint kiss. Garnish top of cake lightly with extra candy cane bits as desired.
    3. Leftover cake can be covered with plastic wrap or kept in an airtight container and stored at room temperature.

    Notes

    *If the frosting seems too thin or runny, refrigerate it for 15-30 minutes before using. 

    Cake adapted from Hello Gluten Free
    Frosting adapted from Relish

    Have you made this recipe?

    Tag @brighteyedbaker on Instagram and hashtag it #brighteyedbaker

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    1. Melitta says

      August 21, 2020 at 9:56 am

      One of my favorite things about winter is that peppermint is acceptable to eat almost every day - right?! I made this recipe for my family and they LOVED it (also it was GORGEOUS to look at)!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    2. Eszter @ Hungarian recipes says

      February 16, 2016 at 5:52 am

      Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous! Pepper mint and white chocolate - a great flavour combination. This is a total win for me. Thank you, Alexandra.

      Reply
      • alexandra says

        February 19, 2016 at 9:27 am

        Thanks so much! :)

        Reply
    3. Ashley says

      December 16, 2015 at 8:56 am

      This cake is just gorgeous!!!

      Reply
    4. Emma {Emma's Little Kitchen} says

      December 15, 2015 at 2:40 pm

      You win the official prize for MOST CHRISTMASSY DESSERT! This looks epic, do I have to share?!

      Reply
      • alexandra says

        December 22, 2015 at 12:29 pm

        Hahaha thanks Emma!

        Reply
    5. Amber says

      December 15, 2015 at 7:57 am

      Is the vodka necessary? I don't have any in the house :(

      Reply
      • alexandra says

        December 22, 2015 at 12:30 pm

        If you want to skip the vodka I would replace it with water in the cake and add cream or milk to the frosting as needed to get it to the right consistency.

        Reply

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